reference lynne's reply of 2nd january she is quite right in her comments.
i contacted DVLA and my insurance company. Both said if you can do an emergency stop then you are ok to proceed. Also i had been with the insurance company a long time as a driving instructor and had gained advanced driving awards, so they knew i wouldn't take any risks. i had an arrangement that i would only drive locally. I did not drive every day and if i did it was only a maximum of about 5 miles. but i had no reaction and if i did i would have stopped straightaway.I didnt undertake any long distance driving for months.
i did very little in the gym for a number of months, apart from pfes and walking on a jogger. i did not want to ruin the good work that had been done in the op.
apart from getting out of bed in the first week i did not feel any pain. after the second week i was walking and felt great. But the body has to heal and you have to respect what has happened. so it best to be cautious and take one step at a time
my overall recovery has been good and after about 6/7 months i was back to normal