how soon can you drive after kidney removal

devizes18193

I've just had my kidney out . The docs at the hospital say You can drive when you can make an controlled emergency stop ,and suggested I tell the insurance company ,which I've done .They say their not fussed but go on medical ohpion .
So how do you know you are capable of an emergency stop until you try .
For the record I'm not planning on trying for a few more weeks as crashing a kia seddona wont be clever but was wondering if there was anyone else out there in the same situationand how did you get on .
Thanks

Inactive

The " Docs " at the hospital are not qualified to make that judgement, check with DVLA for clarity.

I honestly don't think that there are any hard and fast rules on the matter, it is down to basic common sense IMO.

devizes18193

Inactive wrote: »

The " Docs " at the hospital are not qualified to make that judgement, check with DVLA for clarity.

I honestly don't think that there are any hard and fast rules on the matter, it is down to basic common sense IMO.

according to dvla its something they are also not fussed about .

mikey72

At the end of the day it's down to you.
You know if you can move fast enough, and then press the pedal hard enough.
The other thing to consider though is if you (or someone else) doesn't, what is the seatbelt going to do to you.

Hintza

I had mine out in July and once out of hospital they advised about three weeks (depending in how I felt and warned me not to be stupid). The big thing I noticed was I felt a lot more comfortable driving than not.

By that I mean I was able to deal with potholes better driving instead of being a passenger. As a passenger it was just awful.

skiddlydiddly

Have you had any surgery before?How fast did you recover?When I had a fairly routine operation I wasn't able to drive for probably 6-8 weeks and I still wouldn't have wanted to do an emergency stop.If I was in your shoes I'd be thinking more like 8-12 weeks before I drove.

devizes18193

skiddlydiddly wrote: »

Have you had any surgery before?How fast did you recover?When I had a fairly routine operation I wasn't able to drive for probably 6-8 weeks and I still wouldn't have wanted to do an emergency stop.If I was in your shoes I'd be thinking more like 8-12 weeks before I drove.

not for about 20 years .
I'm being sensable though .It just struck me as strange as there was no minimum term so to speak .

MrRedundant

Your insurers will go with medical opinion; Your doctors won't give a straight yes or no. In my view from something as serious as a kidney removal you should be waiting until all stitches are out and your off the painkillers and not experiencing anything more than minor pain or lack of movement.

victor2

The DVLA list medical conditions you must tell them about if driving here. That page also says....
If you are involved in an accident and it is found that your health condition was a contributing factor, you may be prosecuted and your insurance may not be valid.

So it's probably up to you to use your judgement about how fit you are to drive. Worth checking with your insurance company though. When I had to tell the DVLA about a medical condition I had, they sent me a form to fill out and after much chasing sent another form 6 months later, during which time I could not legally drive!