Flying or Driving to travel for surgery?

Katie · #1 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009, 02:00 PM

I put this in the Surgery and Recovery thread by mistake, so have copied it over to here.

We live about eight hours from NYC, where I am probably going to be going for five level surgery, a mixture of ADR and fusion at both cervical and lumbar levels.

We drove down for the consult with Dr. Bitan, and while it was a bit tiring, I didn't really mind it too much. We bought a car a couple of years ago, specifically for the seats that allow me to travel without tears

The surgeries are supposed to be several days apart, between the lumbar and cervical levels, and we will probably be down there for a couple of weeks. As much as we hate being without our own vehicle, it doesn't seem to make sense to take ours there and worry about parking, etc.

But how far is Lennox Hill Hospital from the main airport, traffic time wise? I can't imagine that a taxi will be very comfortable going between the two spots. Also, we are about an hour from our own airport, so when you add all those times together, getting to and from the flights, it almost adds up to half the time it would take to drive, no?

Can someone who knows NYC give us some advice as to the best way to travel? Does the train go to the airport? I know one of the stations is just across the street from the hospital.

It seemed so much easier when we were going to Germany and everything was arranged for us...pick up at the airport, etc.!

Thanks for the feedback.

Justin · #2 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009, 02:16 PM

Hey Katie,

I think it might be better to fly, especially after both lumbar and cervical surgeries.

Laguardia Airport is about 20 minutes from Lennox Hill Hospital in "normal" traffic.

Newark Airport is about 40 minutes from Lennox Hill Hospital in "normal" traffic.

Personally, I would have a car service to get to/from the airport. There are many car services to choose from in NYC. Here is an example of a car service that offers a sedan to Laguardia from Manhattan for $40 or an SUV for $80. The car service vehicles are very nice and most are limo quality. Just an idea for a comfortable ride to/from the airport.

Good luck with your arrangements...if you need help with NYC related info, I'm there often so I might be of help.

Justin · #3 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009, 02:24 PM

This service is much more reasonable in price and I've seen them all over NYC: Dial 7 Car Service.

Katie · #4 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009, 02:49 PM

Justin, Thanks so very much for this. It is exactly what I was hoping for...some advice from someone who has been there, done that

Is Laguardia the main airport, the one most of the flights would go into? I'm trying to take some of the stress of my husband by finding out some information ahead of time. He's got enough to worry about just living with me

I'll check out all of the links you gave me. I heard that if we have a private room, my husband may be able to stay with me? Otherwise, we are going to have to find something reasonable for accommodation for him for a couple of weeks. Since parking at the hospital was over $50 for just a few hours, I don't want to think what 'people parking' would cost!

Any help in that department would be wonderful too.

Katie · #5 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009, 08:00 PM

Justin, would traveling by car, even if we broke it up over two days coming home after surgery, be a really bad idea? Would it be any worse than flying 12 hours from Germany, etc? Is it more the risk of driving & possible accidents that you are thinking is a bad idea?

I am very impressed with the prices of the Dial 7 service, and will most likely go that route, especially at just $32 for a luxury sedan from the airport to the hospital.

My husband may be able to stay at a work related facility there for the whole time though, and might want the car for other things, so that is my only thought about taking our own.

I wish I didn't over think so many details

dshobbies · #6 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009, 08:19 PM

Hey Katie,

IMHO, flying can be difficult, maybe more so than driving. Driving you can lay the seat down taking all or most of the stress off your neck and back or even lay down in the back seat with pillows wherever you need them (seat belts please). Flying includes getting to the airport, waiting to go through security, waiting for your flight, waiting for clearance after boarding, waiting for your baggage, and driving to the hospital, and then the reverse. I know the flight is so much shorter and the trip is broken up into small segments but overall, I think driving might be more comfortable - if you're looking for an excuse to drive

Dale