Recovery time

Symptoms and Treatments Surgery and Recovery
1

For everyone who has had decompression surgery or knows someone who has what was the time it took for you to get up and around and being able to drive again?

I go to the NS July 18-20th, my symptoms are getting worse seems like daily, I used to have good days and bad, now they are either bad or worse, I have started getting very close to blacking out (i usually sit before i collapse) and loosing feeling on my R side, my husband and I are pretty set on surgery and hoping to get it scheduled in early Aug after our summer schools are done. Or as soon as they have an opening.

At the end of Aug i am supposed to start my last year of college, class 4 days a week and one night class and a teaching internship on Fridays, Its a 30-45 min drive for me to school -

Does it sound possible to take on this much that soon after surgery, my mom retired this year so I could use her as a taxi if needed for awhile?

When i google and search recovery time I get such a wide range so same they are 2 yrs post op and still cant drive so have said 2-4 weeks, most however don't give much example of what they have had done, and i am not sure yet what this surgeon will do.

I am trying to have as much info as I can before I go up there.

thanks for any info you can share

Allison

2

Hey Allison.....

Welcome...

I had surgery almost 3 yrs ago..I did not drive for I think it was about 5-6 mths...I still do not drive the Thru Way..I am a wimp!!LOL..But some folks drive a lot quicker than I did, So you cannot go by me , only...there are some people that drive w/i 6 weeks.

I am sure others will give their experiences. Best of luck to you..keep us updated.

Blessings,

Lori

3

I had surgery about a month ago, and I’m projected to be able to drive soon. I go to the doctors tomorrow so I can certaintly let you know!

4

I had surgery. A month ago and im still not able to really turn my neck to see so im not driving but the dr haven’t released me to drive.

5

My only driving restriction is the ability to turn my neck, once I can turn it enough to see I’m allowed to drive, I hope that helps!

6

My only restriction was when I was no longer taking pain medicine. They said as long as I wasnt taking any pain medication I could drive, so I started driving at 2 weeks post op.

7

I drove today, one month post op

8

I didn’t drive for quite some time after surgery - it was about six months before I attempted it. But I surgery for basilar invagination in addition to the chiari and cervical fusion and that limits my ability to turn my neck to see oncoming traffic to the sides if I need to back up. My movement to the left side is limited and I limit my driving to where I know I don’t have to do much backing up. As far as feeling like driving, without the neck restrictions, I think I could have driven I did a lot of sleeping though the first five or six weeks after my surgery. I’m almost a year post opt and I’ve regained a little more movement in my neck through some therapy exercises.

9

Im a month post op and I haven’t drove aa of yet but I start therapy soon so mybe ill be ok after that.

10

Allison Hi I was up and moving about within a few days of surgery, because they wanted me up and moving pretty quickly aNd i do agree movment is the best in recovery but move slowly-walking was really good---driving though---

however i suffered from a complication called hydrocephalus which wasnt caught for 19 days and left me to need life saving surgery. Which set back my recovery.

for me though I didnt "drive" alone for Oh probably 8 months..But I will say each person is different and one person is not like the other and What I went through another may not experience for the next thousand surgeries.

You will need someone around you for a few day just incase but i think overall you should be all right!

One day One step at a time!!

I wish you all the best!!

11

Here's a GOOD report. I drove at 2 weeks with partial range of motion per my doctor's okay, went back to work part time at 3 weeks, full time at 4 weeks. I was tired and still had pain, but it was okay. I got my full range of motion back at 6 weeks. I'll be fully released this month, and my surgery was 5/3/11.

12

im a month post op, im too tired to drive, My NS told me no driving for 3months until i get released, and after MRI,

I had complete csf blockage, (there was no fluid in back of head due to brain touching my skull),

im hoping i dont have permament damage from it,

but i was up and walking 2days after surgery, i cook dina, if i ova do it im sore alittle, but i have trouble standing for long periods and sometimes my vision goes blurry, and get dizzy,

i have no appetite, and bowels are driving me nuts, so afraid to eat to much, but was doing that before surgery,

slowly i have noticed some things coming back, which makes me depressed,

i remember it always felt like earthquakes under my feet, for a few days after, creepy feeling, thats normal,

(but i will say im under investigation for other issue, auto immune etc. aand have intracanal lesion)

my memory is still foggy, and forget sentences halfway, or cant say words,

sorry that dragged on,sorry

joelene

13

I had surgery in March; I did not drive until June. You need months to heal.