Hello everyone, I’m so grateful I found this site. I am having decompression surgery 10/23/13 and since it’s less than a week away I’m starting to freak out. I was wondering if anyone has any insight on what to expect after the surgery both in the hospital and at home. Also I would appreciate any suggestions of what to pack for the hospital. Thank you, Mary
everyone seems to have different experiences. I had my surgery in Jan of this year. for the hospital stay i over packed. I didnt need anything during my 3 day stay just a soft blanket to keep over my pillow. While I was a patient my pain was controlled and i can honestly say I never felt pain after surgery. I suggest you purchase pj's that have buttons down the front so you wont have to put anything over your head. Once I went home I basically wore pj's all the time...more comfortable. I have over 10 large pillows on my bed to keep me elevated while i slept. again the soft blanket was the best thing to keep on my pillow it didnt aggrivate my neck. Take your pain meds every few hrs even when you are not in pain for the first few weeks. I did this and NEVER felt the pain or soreness in the neck area. I slept a lot which was great. Do NOT try to get up and do things around the house! take time and let your body heal. I also would turn my head back and forth to keep the muscles from relaxing. Dont panic..on the day of surgery have your friends and family keep you in high spirits..no crying...it will make you more nervous. As for me I had two of my best friends there laughing and joking until my time...believe me it helped...esp when the Anesthia doc came to put the first dose in my iv to relax me. Laughter is the best medicine esp for us pt's who are nervous. Relax you wil be fine. I felt the same way and when i came out of surgery my friends say i sat up and said " hey! dont be jealous because i have a NEW brain now" all smiles. hope all goes well...take care...im always around if you have any more questions
My 18yr old son had surgery on Sept 16th and returned to school today. He was also petrified of the surgery, so much so that we had to pretty much medicate him with Valium the week before surgery. The surgery went well and his recovery has been slow and steady. What I recommend is that you have a family/friend with you at the hospital at all times after surgery. They know you best and will know if something isn't right and they can speak for you when you can't, they will make sure you get the pain medication or anything else they feel you need. We did this for our son and the nurses learned real early that we demanded our son get the attention he deserved. The staff at our hospital was wonderful, we were very lucky! A few extra things I recommend is bringing your own pillow and favorite blanket, maybe your favorite slippers, one of those sleep masks to reduce the light. Make sure you have someone that will be able to help you at home for the first couple of weeks. Also as everyone else also mentions, please please take stool softeners and mirilax. My son ended up in the ER from his digestive system stopping from the pain meds, we didn't give him enough mirilax/stool softeners. Don't rush the recovery, take advantage of any pampering you can get from your friends and family and enjoy it. Good luck and please let us know how you are doing.
I haven't had surgery as of yet, but you are in my prayers.
Mary, my thoughts and prayers are with you. The hours/days before my surgery were some of the best in my life (aside from the pain-free days since surgery). My advice is:
Bring ear plugs for noisy neighbors
Relax into the process. Go with the flows. Trust that you are going to be taken care of.
Don’t eat solid foods till you start having BMs- cause otherwise your gonna think you’ve gone to the hospital to give birth instead of having a brain surgery. For me that was more traumatic than the surgery.
Bring jammies
Limit visitors- you should be sleeping, not trying to figure out how your feeling.
Bring toothbrush and paste
And lastly, just sleep girl, sleep.
Check in with us when feel good and ready!
Welcome to the zipperheads club,
Jenn