A Road Warrior's Recovery From Surgery

David J. Danto

Travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD on

Recovery for a Road Warrior – November 2024

I’m back home from the hospital. As my regular readers will remember, I’ve had some surgery over the last few years. Last week was the final (simple, arthroscopic) procedure of that bunch – and it went perfectly. I’m now in the best condition I’ve been in in decades. So, how does a self-identified road warrior ramp back up to work and travel. It’s not like they just used the electric tweezers and removed my funny-bone…

It's not as easy a question as it seems. The first thing they tell you when you go home after surgery is “no lifting over ten pounds.” Heck, that’s only 1/6^th of my carry-on. How will I get that sucker into the overhead bin? Even if I make it lighter it won’t be under the limit, and even if I take nothing onboard (blasphemy) I’ll still need to manage bags heavier than that as checked items.

That’s the curse of the frequent traveler. Most people would think about what the restrictions will do to their life at home, and we think about it in terms of luggage. The answer to the question is of course wait until I’m up to traveling again, but that doesn’t stop the mind from wandering.

As it stands now, I’ll have thirty-four days between my discharge from the hospital and my next scheduled flight. That’s plenty of time to rebuild my strength. And having been in a hospital in Manhattan, New York City, my tolerance for the type of frustration one faces at an airport is in peak shape. Manhattan is a place where you’ll find outstanding surgeons, but hospital experiences right out of the 1970s. The one I was in kept the hot water and ice machine under lock and key – so only the nurses could get it for you. That’s just the same as in flight, where you’re at the mercy of flight attendants to get you a drink of water instead of getting it yourself. Whether we’re talking about nurses in a hospital or flight attendants on a plane, both groups have critically important activities to attend to that they have to stop to meet your outrageous and petty needs for water or ice.

And what about when I land? I won’t rent a car this time (until I’m fully healed) so I’ll be at the mercy of taxis and ride-share cars. Some of those drivers will lift your bags for you, others will stare at you with a “don’t expect me to lift that thing” expression. I can always pay more for a better car and driver, but how much of that kind of indulgence am I willing to spend out of my own pocket when the client/project budget doesn’t warrant it? That’ll be a judgement call each time.

Ultimately I have to remember how lucky I am that my health issues were caught early and resolved, and I have access to some of the best healthcare professionals in the world. Now, if I can only get one of them to lift my bag into the overhead bin.

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As an interesting side note, every time I’ve had to go into a facility for a medical procedure over the last few years I wore my “Operation” game T- shirt. You’d think the nurses and doctors would get a kick out of it, but I can only recall one person who even noticed it. Maybe it’s just a dated reference.

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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