hi! I have a surgery date. I am having CM1 Decompression & a shunt put in for hydrocephalus. Setting up a trust & my will this week. I had a mTBI in 1/08, I have px with short-term memory. My NS told me, “I’m telling you now, because I don’t want to hear any complaining later-it’s gonna hurt, it’s gonna hurt a lot & it’s gonna hurt for a long time”. I like him–he did his fellowship @ UCLA, with the NS that perfected this op in adults. SO–need advice on do’s/don’ts when I get home. I have a 2 story house, but have a recliner in LR. My son is back home this semester, but does need to commute to Mizzou for class on Tues/Thurs–100 mi. round trip. I have cousins & friends lining up to see that I’m ‘fed & watered’ daily. Any & all advice welcomed!
The #1 thing for me was resting a lot. It's easy on days you feel good to overdo it. Make sure to do any neck exercises that the doctor gives you. It will help strengthen the damaged muscles and ease some of the stiffness. My NS advised me not to lift anything over 5lbs, not to bend over, no housework, and no driving for 6 weeks!
Follow doctor's orders to a T! Absolutely NO straining what-so-ever! I had a weight restriction of 4 pounds-that's a HALF gallon of milk. No bending, pushing, pulling, straining, etc. NO laundry or vacuuming. My doc said if I wanted to clean, I was allowed to DUST, that's it. Rest. Rest. Rest. You will be very tired for several weeks. Anesthesia lasts about a week for every hour you're under. So if you're under for 4 hours, you will likely have an "anesthesia hangover" for about 4 weeks. This was spot on for me. I couldn't sleep lying down for the first 3 days, but I found it most comfortable for quite a while. Do what feels good. XOXO
Thanks! I’m fortunate to have church & bocce ball league friends who are organizing a ‘casserole crew’ for me. We’re moving my bed downstairs, too.
Dont overdo it when you get home, that was where i went wrong. I had 2 surgeries at once this last time (Both invasive, and reopened a previous scar, so maybe why i was so sensitive) Best advice I can give is get as much as possible done before you go in. And one word.... PILLOW. I went out beforehand and got one of those horseshoe shaped neckpillows, was too hard and never was able to use it. So my personal preference was a big soft pillow. Good luck and warmest wishes for a speedy recovery
Suz, will be thinking about you l, sending prayers and positive thoughts! Let us know how you’re doing when you’re up to it.
Jenn
Thanks, everyone! Hopefully surgery won’t be postponed–although I could use another week to get my house in order…lol