Airline travel dilemma

Ok, here's the deal. As you all know I finally got a date. July 31.  Here's the dilemma part: My mother is turning 65 and I bought airline tickets (non-refundable) months ago for myself and my two sons to go and surprise her at her 65th birthday party at my sister's house in Boston. Because we are military I only see my family once a year at Christmas. So seeing me and the grandkids is a BIG deal to her. I will be 9 days out on Aug 9. Can I fly? There will be two airplanes and neither flight is longer than 1 hour and 10 minutes.  I realize that this is something that I need to discuss with my doctor at my pre-op appointment on the 20th but I wanted your opinions/experiences before because it just dawned on me. Thanks, Linda

Id say you would be fine... especially since the flights are short. I would just suggest making sure you walk around a bit before getting on the plane and not just sitting in the waiting area :-)

Linda -

Of course, check with your surgeon's office, but I know that there are a number of folks who have their surgery away from home and either fly or drive a long distance. If you do decide to fly, I would suggest that you consider getting a temporary Handicap placard. Just ask your PCP or surgeon to sign the form, take it to the DMV and they will issue one.

You can contact the airline and let them know that you are handicapped and will need wheelchair assistance through the airport. You won't have a great deal of endurance and this might help. If you find you don't need it, you won't have to use it.

At nine days out, I was more than ready to get out of the house, however, I didn't have the physical endurance that my mind wanted me to have.

I'm sure that you will enjoy visiting with your family, just be sure to take time to rest. You'll need more than you might think.

All the best,

Barb