Driving a car after gastric bypass surgery: when can you do it again?

You’d like to know how soon you can safely get back on the road after gastric bypass surgery.
Dr. Frits Berends, gastrointestinal surgeon at WeightWorks, regularly receives questions about driving after surgery.
According to him, it is important to listen carefully to your body and not take any risks; your safety comes first.
In this blog, we explain when you can drive again and what to watch out for before you can get behind the wheel again.

When can I drive a car again?

Online you may find that the advice is 2-3 days before driving again after gastric bypass surgery; we see that the right time is different for everyone and therefore say: an exact time cannot be given.
Recovery from surgery is not the same for everyone.
After a few days, driving is often possible and safe again.
Always wait until you have recovered sufficiently from your surgery before getting behind the wheel again.
Then start with a short car ride and make sure you bring someone along who can take over from you if you get tired or can’t concentrate as well.
Recovery is the same for gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini gastric bypass.

Why does it take a while before you can drive again?

If you have just had surgery, you should be careful driving.
Immediately after surgery, you are not yet fit.
Often there is still pain and a tight feeling around the wounds.
Moreover, it is difficult to sit upright for a long time.
Sometimes there may still be remnants of the anesthesia in your body.
Finally, strong painkillers can make you sleepy and cause decreased concentration.
Because of all this, the risk of accidents is increased and you are not properly insured if something happens. Complaints in which driving is not yet wise:

• You still have a lot of pain
• You feel tired and not well rested
• You take medications that affect your concentration and reaction time, such as Tramadol or Oxycodone
• You have wildly fluctuating blood sugars or dumping symptoms

If you recognize the above symptoms in yourself and have doubts about whether you can drive, contact WeightWorks.

5 Tips for driving after gastric bypass surgery

• Start with short drives close to home and expand this slowly.
  If your job often involves long drives, for example as a (truck/taxi) driver, then it is important to first see if small car trips work well after the gastric bypass.
  If you can concentrate well and if you no longer have any distracting physical symptoms, you can resume driving.
• Make sure you are well rested before driving.
  After surgery, people are still somewhat tired from the anesthesia and it takes a while for the anesthetic to completely leave your body.
• Listen carefully to your body; if you don’t feel well, don’t drive.
  If you are suffering from aches, pains, abdominal discomforts that can cause you to be less able to keep your attention on the road, then it is better to postpone driving for a while.
• Do not use painkillers such as Tramadol or Oxycodone.
  If you use painkillers, the package insert will tell you if they can affect your ability to drive.
• Take someone with you who can take over from you if you notice you are getting tired, or can’t concentrate as well during the car ride.

I now know more about driving after gastric bypass, now what?

We understand that you have many questions about the recovery period after gastric bypass surgery and want to know how it will affect your daily life, in this case driving.
It is quite normal for you to seek answers to these questions.
You’d like to get back on the road quickly after you’ve had gastric bypass surgery so you can get back to your daily activities.
At WeightWorks, we want to give you all the information so you can make a good choice and so you know what to expect after gastric bypass surgery.
If you would like to know more after this article, please contact us.
You can also ask any questions you still have during the screening appointments with the internist, psychologist, dietician and lifestyle coach.

Want to know if you qualify for gastric bypass surgery?

Then do the quick scan!
Find out quickly and easily if gastric bypass surgery may be an option for you by doing our quick scan.
It’s a handy tool to help you assess whether you meet the criteria for gastric reduction surgery.
If you qualify, and would like to schedule a screening appointment at WeightWorks, you can discuss a referral with your primary care physician.