Days in Hospital

Symptoms and Treatments
1

For those that have CHIARI & had the operation of decompression....

** How many days did you stay in the hospital after your surgery?
** Was it enough time at the hospital?
** Did you feel like you were rushed to exit the hospital before you were ready?

I have heard that a lot of people feel sick (throwing up) after their surgery....
** Is this true?
** Is it the medicine that they give you for the pain that makes you feel this way?
** Are you hooked up to the IV for duration of your stay?
** When were you able to eat "normal foods" swallow?


My surgery is on Tuesday & I can NO longer sleep to much anxiety & pain!! (Oh & nightmares.)
Sorry w............a............y to many questions but I am TOTALLY STRESSING!!!

2

Hello,

I had my surgery on Nov 3rd last year.

I stayed 3 nights in the hospital after the surgery.

It was enough time. 2 nights would be too short though.

I felt normal after the surgery, no throwing up.

I didn't take pain killers at home, just aspirin.

You will have IV for the first 24 hours after the surgery as far as I remember.

You will be able to eat normal foods on the second day after the surgery. Your swallowing will be fine.

You will do great! I also had so much stress and anxiety before the surgery but everything went very well.

You will feel so much better after the surgery once you are all healed up.

Wishing you the best and a big hug! You will do great, seriously!

3

I was in the hospital for 3 days. First day in ICU so they can monitor you and the other two in a reg room. I was happy to leave the hospital so i didn’t feel like they rushed me. The first day i don’t remember much i had so many drugs pumped into me. Because of where the wound is they don’t want you throwing up and will give you meds to prevent this as well as a script for you to take once you are home.
Day 2 is when they will start to give you solid food and just like any surgery you have to be able to keep food down and move your bowels before they release you.
My surgery was 3/07 best decision i ever made. Try to relax about surgery. I know its hard but think of the positives. You will feel better after. Good luck!!!

4

Hi there totally understand the way you are feeling right now! I had my surgery 3 years ago this may! I stayed in the hospital for 5 days after surgery and feel it was the right amount of time for me personally! But everybody is different in terms of how they feel! the hospital for me was fantastic and I didn’t feel rushed out at all! In fact my doctor even offered to keep me in if I felt i wasn’t ready to go home! After my surgery when I was in recovery I was very sick and they couldn’t control it! However we finally worked out that it was the codeine that my body didn’t like! Again everybody is different though! I was on an Iv for my duration! It took a few days for me to eat solid foods properly partly because having a tube down my throat caused it to become a bit swollen and the other reason was I really didn’t feel like eating! I found it easier sticking to soup or jelly things like that for a few days! Try to stay calm in the coming days ( easy to say I know! And it drove me mad with people saying that lol) but getting yourself into a state will make any symtoms worse for you! I wish you all the luck and hope everything goes well for you! Katie xxx

5

I had my decompression surgery March 24, 2014. I was in ICU for 1.5 days and in a regular room for 3 days. I was able to get up and shower on my own the second day in a regular room. I did throw up once in ICU because I tried to go too long without pain meds. I was given a ton of options for pain meds everyday which ones I wanted, how often, etc. The Dr and his team did a GREAT job with pain management! You will be hooked up to an IV the whole time you're in the hospital, but this is just so they don't have to put one back in if needed. I was also administered pain meds through my IV. I was able to eat normal foods the 2nd day in ICU. However, it is a little hard to swallow at first, so, I recommend eating soft foods like fruit and take small bites. Try not to stress about the surgery. Once I realized I would only have a sore neck, it made my surgery much easier to think about. Try doing some relaxation techniques, it totally helped me out. I realized that all of my panicking was only making my symptoms worse. The hardest part after getting out of the hospital was finding a comfortable position for sleeping. Honestly, I CANNOT stress enough how wonderful my experience was. I was going blind due to my CHiiari. I was diagnosed and has surgery 3 months later so as to not perminately lose my eyesight. If you have complete trust in your doctor, just go with that. My surgeon was AWESOME! My surgery took extra time due to an extra thick skull haha. Don't read the horror stories on the internet, I found that only made me anxious. People tend to only share the bad and rarely the good when it comes to these things. My experience was nothing but positive. I have my eyesight, no more headaches, my allergies are gone. My life is SO much better now! I just wish I would have been diagnosed a long time ago, who lnows how different my life would have been. Good luck with your surgery, try not to be scared, and don;t read the stories on the internet.

-Sarah

6

Oh, LG15, you are giving me vivid flashbacks. Funny, I thought it was crazy how being so phobic of nausea after surgery was so specifically odd, but it seems this freaks a lot of us out. I would be happy to offer my hospital experience, and if there is anything else you can think of, ask away. No question is silly or too personal.

** I was in the hospital for 9 days....was told 3 - 4 originally

** Yes, it was enough, but they were trying to dismiss me earlier, but I wasn't having it. 3 - 4 was not enough for me, but I I know everyone is different with that

** I was terrified of being sick after surgery, but I never was. I believe we are automatically given anti-nausea meds but it was never an issue

** I understand part of the reason it is a possible issue is the anethesia, so it is true of any surgery, and generally speaking, you do not hear of people being sick after surgery. And I actually had a hard time with the anesthesia after, so as much as it is possible, I think its a remote chance, so no need to worry about that with everything else you are thinking about

** yes, I was hooked up to an IV the entire time

** yes, I was ale to eat normal foods and swallow, but I never had any swallowing issues before hand. If you do, I'm not sure if that is something that is expected to go away right away, but I would definately ask your surgeon

GOOD LUCK, YOU WILL BE JUST FINE AFTER!! Just think, this time next week, you will be walking around after surgery, feeling like a rock star!! And also remember, this is the only way you have a shot at getting any better! PLEASE keep us updated! Where are you having your surgery?

7

Had surgery a wed morning out that fri early evening.
Yes enough for me. Feel better being at home.
Throwing comes from the type of surgery but they give u meds in hosp for that and script for home.
IV is in whole time to administer meds. And next day eat as tolerated.
The unknown is stressful. U, I’m sure, will be in good hands.
I just had mine nov 19,2014.
Good thoughts and feelings headed ur way!

8

I was a wreck before my surgery. I was so nervous. I lost 5 lbs in a week. But after going through it all I can honestly say it’s wasn’t THAT bad. There are a lot more dangerous surgeries out there. I think the concern is when you say brain surgery. But, the brain is an amazing organ and has the ability to heal quickly.
Where are you having your surgery?
I had my surgery on a Tuesday abd came home on Friday. I was scheduled to be released Thursday but wasn’t feeling up to it so I stayed an extra day.
I was on iv for antibiotic (possible infection) and fluids.
After surgery you will have a horrible headache for about 24 hours. Fluids are the most important thing for healing this. Your body is not used to getting the CSF flowing properly. After surgery it will be flowing great. But because of the sudden flow it causes a headache. Just makd sure to drink TONS of fluids. It will help.
I are solid foods right away, I was fine.
The only part I wasn’t expecting was the difficulty in moving around - walking, washing my face, brushing me teeth. Since they cut through muscle in my neck I felt like a bobble head, I had no strength. I asked for a neck brace which helped a lot.
Every Chiari surgery is different, depending on what you have and how your dr performs the surgery.
Put your trust in the doctor, release your anxiety and know there isn’t anything you can do. Try to relax and think about how great life will be in a month.
Good Luck!

9

I only stayed one night in the hospitals. I was able to eat the evening I had the surgery. I had a very brief bout of nausea but it passed in about thirty minutes and never came back. No regrets on having the surgery. Best wishes to you!

10

How many days did you stay in the hospital after your surgery?

I was there 6 days - initially expected to be just 3 but I kept getting sick throwing up and had a mild fever (later found out it was my response to one of the pain meds.)

Was it enough time at the hospital?

Yes - I wanted to be back home with my children.

Did you feel like you were rushed to exit the hospital before you were ready?

No - it was the other way around. = )

I have heard that a lot of people feel sick (throwing up) after their surgery....

* Is this true?

Yes - at least for me, but it's not just the chiari surgery, I was also sick after my c-sections as well.

Is it the medicine that they give you for the pain that makes you feel this way?

Yes - Didn't stop throwing up until I stopped the oxycodone.

Are you hooked up to the IV for duration of your stay?

I don't recall. = )

When were you able to eat "normal foods" swallow?

Pretty soon after surgery - I think within 12 hours, but kinda not sure.

I don't view the surgery as that bad - it was necessary and I received lots of good care in the hospital

11

With all due respect, it is not the kind of surgery you get, if that were true, than all of us who had decompression surgery would have the same outcome after, but clearly, we do not. Do not think for 1 second that somebody else's journey will be yours! Also, I know everyone is trying to be helpful and answer your question, but do not accept that YOU WILL have a horrible headache after. I didn't, and I know plenty of others here that did not. Nausea can be caused by anything from the anesthesia to the medicine they put you on, to the vicious cycle of not wanting to eat right away, so possibly being on an empty stomach while on all the medications. Christiemon was sick after each of her C-sections, so that is indicative of a reaction to anestesia, which can also be responsible for headaches. No matter what else you may have done as far as laminectomy, duraplasty, etc. The only way to do a decompression is to cut through some muscle in the neck and stretch some out of the way, so all of us zipperheads had the muscles cut. There is no getting around that. That is really the bulk of what you feel after and that is your challenge after, to get mobility back in your neck. I was advised to gently move my neck as soon as I am out of surgery, and my doctors and physical therapist were so impressed how fast I got most of the mobility back so soon. That, by the way, will be the indicator of when you will be able to drive again. If you can't move your neck, you can't drive. Whatever you do, do not let your neck lock up from not moving it, no matter how tempting. My surgeon preferred I didn't use a neck brace for that reason, but again, maybe others had a much worse time with their neck You should be advised with what is right for you. There really is no 1 size fits all.... I 100% agree with Curly .. at this point, I would stay off internet starting NOW at least until after surgery. There is always something that will freak you out. If you really need a question answered, call your surgeon's office. The stress that reading horror stories is so harmful right now.

12

I was in the hospital for three days, and was ready to go home. I did get sick, but I do every time I have any type of anesthesia. On a good note, when I woke up there was so much pressure gone and I could breath. Of course there was pain from having surgery, but the relief I felt outweighed everything else. If you are prone nausea, tell your anesthesiologist. Good luck!

13

I was in the hospital for 3 days and it was enough time. I wasn’t sick in the hospital but a couple of times at he from the taking the meds without food. You only do that once and learn normally but I forgot in the middle of the night. I found that those chair pillows helped me the most with sleeping at night so I didn’t put to much pressure on my incision sight. For the most part I think I had a good recovery I was off my pain meds within 2 weeks and was able to drive after that I was only on norco at home so I was able to wean myself off pretty quickly. Unfortunately the week before going back to work I had the flu and was coughing so hard I gave myself a csf leak it wasn’t to bad but annoying. It took a month for the fluid to reabsorb and I’m fine. I am now off of weight restrictions so all together I was off of work for 6 weeks and restrictions for a month and I have never felt better I wish I would have done the surgery sooner.

14

I had surgery back in 1998 and was up a day after surgery walking around and was discharged after 4 days. There was a lot of pain but I was doing well enough to go home and recover. I had the best surgeon, Dr. Dan Heffez. He was in Chicago and now is in Wisconsin. He saved my life.

15

I had my decompression surgery last April. I think I was in the ICU for one day then in a regular room for 2 days, initially. Three days after the operation, they sent me home. It was too soon for me. I was not having bowel movements or passing gas yet but they sent me home anyway.

They sent me home with a lot of medication including opioid pain meds. Unfortunately, the pain meds had caused my colon to shut down. After a day and a half, I went to the ER and after 12 hours in the ER, they readmitted me. I had an ileus. I was intubated (nasogastric tube) and put on IV glucose. I had nothing by mouth - no food or water and no pain meds allowed - for 3 more days. After they removed the tube, I had to stay in the hospital for 2 more days because my gut still wasn't functioning. It took about a month of bed rest at home before I was able to eat and use the bathroom normally again. I was able to take Tylenol for pain.

I hope everything goes well for you, with no complications! Please make sure you don't let them rush you out of the hospital. Don't leave until you can pass gas and move your bowels.

16

My daughter had the surgery one week ago and stayed in the hospital for 3 days. She is home now and getting better slowly..Any other questions, please ask..

17

A laxative, stool softness and plenty of water are very important after any surgery.Especially when taking pain meds

18

I am 10 months post decompression surgery. I also had heard about nausea, so I asked at the hospital and was told not to worry, they give you medication for that. I did end up getting very nausous the week after I got home, and had two solid weeks of throwing up (felt like a piano was landing on my head) - I could only really tolerate cereal to eat. The bottom line was that, although while going through this, I felt like it would last forever, but it does not. I found out in my research, like you are doing, that the part of our brain that was impacted by surgery also controls the nausea center of our brain - which could point to why some of us are more nausous that others. I agree with the earlier post - surgery is the only option to hope of getting better - if you need it then you need it - onward we go. Another bright side, it is not cancer or another brain disease. Think positively and you are going to do just fine !!!

19

I would say that I was in the hospital for 3 and 1/2 days. I was on the “Stroke floor” and the doctors and nurses were stationed right outside my door. It was enough time, but my time off was not. I needed an extra week. I vaguely remember the doc or nurse with a bucket after I woke in recovery. I do not think I actually threw up; just felt like it. Also, once I was in my room, I know I did not feel that way. Yes, I think when the meds first hit your system, but once they are in it is fine. No, I think they took IV out early the second day. I felt like I ate normal almost immediately. I know that my sister brought me a grilled cheese the second day. Once you are at the hospital, the give you something to calm you and then they knock you out. I hope it is okay if I say that you will be in my thoughts and prayers.



Lenni (LenTe).

20

Just as everyone has said the cause for vomiting is the medications given for anesthesia. A CRNA that I work with (I’m an RN) said to tell whoever will be the anesthesia provider that you get PONV (post-op nausea vomiting) and they will place a patch on that will reduce your risk for emesis. I know that I do have PONV following general anesthesia and will be asking for a patch during my pre-op phase. Most important to listen to your body when eating food and the IV will be in until you demonstrate an ability to tolerate liquids.

Best of luck with your surgery.