Can anyone out there tell me what to expect please? I’m nervous and scared but relieved at same time…Can some please tell me what to expect when I wake up???
I had decompression surgery in 2004. When you wake up you may have a lot of pain. Your doctor will probably help this with a morphine pump or other narcotics. You can expect to feel lousy for a few days. This is normal. I know it’s scary but you will be ok. If successful, your symptoms should improve. Good luck to you.
Take your own pillow from home the hospital one was awful it would go flat every 20 minutes and that caused me more pain. I did great I was out in a day and half.Prayers and good thoughts for you.
Hello
Im not too big on writing but heres ny email address ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ i can inox you my number or you can inbox me yours and i can try to answer whatever questioons you have. I had my surgery in August 2012.
You'll be flying high on pain meds when u wake up. By day two you should be walking with assistance (holding onto your IV pole) up and down the halls. No lifting or opening doors of any kind when you get home for at least six weeks, eg I was unable to open the washer and dryer doors for the longest time. Take it easy, and bring a horseshoe shaped travel pillow with you to the hospital, and if they have WIFI, take a tablet if you have one. All the best to you, and remember to let others help you around the house, take advantage of that, don't rush back into chores, it could set you back. Also your neck will be very stiff, and you won't be able to drive for a few months, also good idea to turn off your airbag in the car, it could cause major damage or could even kill you after this type of surgery.
Def take your own pillow and earbuds or headphones of ya have them. The motion from watching tv made me sick to my stomach the first two days. And don’t over do it after !! Thinking of you & hope it’s successful !
Let me say this-everybody is different. After my surgery I could barely move-I was discharged with a walker. It took me 6 months of physical therapy before I could walk unassisted again. The pain is pretty intense.......I remember the drive home I was screaming in pain every bump we hit. Its been maybe 5 years since my surgery and I still hurt bad. Like I said everybody is different.........
I had my decompression surgery April 2014 (coming up to a year). I highly suggest asking the anistegilogist for the anti nausea medicine before surgery! I also suggest getting up and standing/walking with assistance from the nurse as soon as you can. I stood up the first time an our after I woke up. Mind you you could get a little nauseated at first that is why I say get help before trying anything. I went with a mindset that I was not going to be in there any longer than I needed to. So a couple of hours after surgery I was going to the bathroom (on toilet in the room). My next thing was attempting to eat. This is where the anti nausea medicine comes in. Start by eating crackers. If you can hold that down try something else. The things they are looking for in order to release you are if you can go to the bathroom, eat and drink without getting sick. Once you can get those it’s a matter of recovery. I was released the next morning by noon. Make sure ask for and take anti nausea medicine before you leave the hospital and have plenty for home. I highly suggest getting a heating pad for your shoulders and neck. I loved mine. I also suggest not staying on pain meds longer than 2 weeks. I noticed I started ‘needing’ them every 4 hours like clockwork. So I started weaning myself off of them after week 2. After 3 days of yes a lot of pain trying to get them out of my system I felt great and ready to take on the world. I went back to work after 3 weeks (I work in an office). Good luck and don’t forget the anti nausea medicine and heating pad! They were both life savers!
I just cam home yesterday from mine. My surgery was 2 hours I was in ICU when I woke up. Your throat will be sore from the tubing, move at your own pace what you feel comfortable with. I felt relief the second I woke up the only thing I felt was the from the incision. You will have a lot of tightness, dont try to move your body or neck fast it will just cause you pain. It will take you a day or two, to move your neck fully to look at somebody. If you have anymore questions please let me know.
Also in slow steady movements move your neck from the moment you wake up. It helped my muscles from stiffening up and now you wouldn’t know I had my neck muscles cut by looking at. It will hurt really bad, I won’t lie. Just make sure you keep in mind you have stitches so don’t make too sudden of moves to pull them. But move your neck you will be VERY glad you did later.
I had Decompression surgery in 2008. I remember waking up in excrutiating pain but it did not last. My Neurosurgeon told me all about what I would feel after my surgery and why and that helped to ease my mind about the procedure altogether.
Talk to your Neurologist and Neurosurgeon in depth, ask lots of questions about the surgery. Have them to explain what they are going to do and to show you if possible the surgery on video. My surgeon used grafts of skin tissue from my scalp to make the patch put in my skull to close the hole in my skull. Instead of foreign material. I followed my Surgeons orders to stay home for the amount of time alotted to heal from the surgery and I had and still have a great support system in My husband of 16 years and my 2 sons. But I know that I could not have made it through any of it without Gods love and mercy!
It has been 7 years since my surgery, and I am pain free every day. I have not had to have another surgery nor have I had any other complications. My Neurosurgeon, with God's help did an excellent job! Being nervous and scared about the surgery are normal but hopefully you will experience the relief that I have. If I can be of any help to calm your nerves let me know...you can email me at ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■. Keeping you in my Prayers and thoughts!
I'm 5 weeks post op. I was moaning in pain in recovery and used the morphine pump in ICU but i don't actually remember much pain. For me is was just boring and i kept falling halfway asleep. My tablet was something i definitely needed the second day to help with the boredom. For me the morphine was bad and i need to switch to lower dose pill pain meds pretty soon. But i cant handle strong meds. I was off my Rx meds day 4 or 5 post op. At day 10 i wasn't on any pain meds and after staple came out I was cleared to do anything i felt up to. My neuro just said to be careful lifting. I'm already back to driving since i have about 80 to 90% of my neck movement back.
My story or stuff might not help since i don't seem to be like anyone else but hey there is a chance you may heal fast.
Also im 24. Neuro thought that might have been why i healed so fast.
Added note.You might not remember much. My mom has said I had more meds then i remember. I'll count not remembering as a blessing.
My surgery was 9 hours. It was supposed to be 5 hours. The doctor stated that when he cut into my skull that I had so much pressure that it sounded like a pressure cooker. I was in ICU for a couple of days and then moved to a step down unit. I was home for maybe 5 days. Started aching and chilling. No fever. Went to the doctor the next day. He immediately put me in the hospital. As the nurses were attempting to put in an in, my neck was rubbing against the pillow. I felt something running down my neck. It was spinal fluid. I was sent into emergency surgery. He put a drain in. I had MRSA also. I was there in the hospital for 2 weeks that time. I got a permanent shunt on Halloween of 2012. In hospital a total of 3 weeks. My memory is very poor, have severe headaches and seizures. I was never able to return to my job as a unit secretary at our local hospital. I applied for disability in October 2012. Have been denied 2 times. I am now waiting on a hearing before a judge. That is my story. I hope and pray that your surgery goes well
I had decompression surgery in 2001. For me, I think the fear was worse than the pain, so I would say try to relax as much as possible. I do get sick from anesthesia and pain Meds so that wasn’t good. I was in the hospital 4 days home a few and got chemical meningitis (body was rejecting the dura patch) and back in the hospital for 4 days. While I did feel immediate relief from my Chiari, my full recovery from the surgery took an entire year. Take it slow and listen to your body. Don’t do too much too soon! Take care and let us know how it goes.
Oh, wonderwoman… I just had my decompression surgery 4.5 weeks ago. Please rest! I expected to wake up to pain, and really didn’t have much until I was in ICU. Then I started to be aware of this skull cap dressing my MD put on me so my graft site wouldn’t bleed. It was SO tight!! ( I haven’t tolerated ANYTHING touching my head for years!) I had to have Valium to relax my muscles, then I didn’t breathe! But, once THAT came off!! I was up walking, Foley came out, transferred to another floor and up showering, walking, walking, walking! ( That felt SO much better than being in bed)
SO, being 4.5 weeks out I can tell you this!! I am seriously going to write a BOOK for the CHIARI population on what NOT to do after surgery!! PLEASE REST!!
People brought in meals 3x a week for my family for a month, and because they were coming to my house I had to clean it!! I shampooed the carpet, vacuumed, I was left alone the day after I got home because my husband had to go back to work ( I also have 4 kids and a farm) that he had to attend to. So, I also, painted a small barn
( did not go on the ladder) birthed out 4 kid goats ( 3 I had to go “into” the goat) I did WAY to much! I drive, I do laundry, etc. BUT! I was only told not to lift over 10 pounds for 2 weeks and at my 3 week appointment ( which was the second time I drove ( over 45 minutes away) My doc told me I could go back to work!! I requested 6 weeks off because that’s what I feel any Surgery needs ( I WANT MORE), but now I feel like a whimp if I ask for it!! Oh, by the way, I’m an RN and work 12 hour long shifts!!
I am swollen, I am in pain, I am an emotional wreck!! . IF… I had RESTED and listened to my pain cues, instead of overdoing it, and medicatIng the symptoms, I feel I would be leaps and bounds above the rest right now. Now I have 13 days off, before I return to work. I am going to sit in my chair, take leasurely walks, and have my kids on Spring break take care of me… ( poor things) too little too late!! I am also going to start physical therapy next week, I’m hoping that will keep my muscles that are starting to seize up, from doing that again!! I still know it is going to work. I have faith it’s going to work!! You have to have faith!! But, you have to do your part to heal! Don’t try to prove how tough you are like me! Good luck! Take your pain meds, but also trust your body to tell you when you’re overdoing it! We have all survived!! Even after all the STUPID things I did too soon, no leaks, no infections, no aseptic menengitis, no nothing. I hope you trust your surgeon! Mine is cocky, but I know his work is impeccable, he is just is rushing me, because he KNOWS his work is THAT good! 
good luck!!!
PS ( I was terrified too! I cried going into the OR, even though as a RN I had hand picked everyperson that took care of me from admission to discharge) it is a scary thing to go through. You will be fine!! Please don’t say you are going in for your “First” surgery, unless it’s a two step procedure! There is no reason this HAS to be revised or done again, if done well! Think positive!! Take care!!! ( just so you know at 4.5 weeks, I can sneeze, cough, poop and vomit without pain, and ALMOST laugh!!! Once I can LAUGH I can deal with a little bit of headache a fuzzy memory!!! ( I think that right now the pain and fuzziness and emotions are surgical and meds!) It’s gonna work!! Ok, I could talk forever! I’m just SO fresh, so I am still IN the moment! Keep us posted!!
IM NERVOUS AND SCARED TO THIS IS MY FIRST SURGERY TO I HAVE MINE ON THE 9TH OF APRIL 8 AM TO 1PM I WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU OK HUGS TO YOU
JUST WANT TO KNOW THE DAY AFTER MY SURGERY DO THEY MAKE YOU WALK
I can tell you what I experienced but eveybody is different. When I woke up I immediately felt the pressure gone in my head. I was not in a lot of pain concedering the pain I have felt the surgery was easy. It took awhile to get full range of motion back into my neck. I would say that the first 2 days though even though I did not need it I kept hitting my pain button for more meds. I figured the more i sleep the faster I will heal. Also could not stand being in bed and not getting up so it helped pass the time. Lol. All in all it was a breeze. Just had to take it easy for awhile. The first 2-3 months after I felt a little of balance and unsure on my feet and could feel the pressure build back up when I exerted myself physically but if I would lay flat for 15-20 min that seemed to help. Good luck and I hope you have a fast recovery. Just don’t over do it at first.
Don't be afraid to ask for pain meds. Morphine didn't work for me. I couldn't eat for a week after , but after that the steroids made me eat everything in sight. Make sure you have lots of fruit and veggies. I gained 20 lbs in a month. Best of luck.
I did not walk or get out of bed until the 3rd of 4th day. I did some general rehab at the hospital before I was checked out to make sure that you are stable and know what to expect from your body. Just take it easy and don’t rush things. This is not a small surgery and there is a lot of stuff that will need to heal and the inflammation to go down. Good luck
dolphinlove123 said:
JUST WANT TO KNOW THE DAY AFTER MY SURGERY DO THEY MAKE YOU WALK