Hi, new to this site. I am waiting for surgery and i am trying to find out what i will be able to do for myself or how much help i will need after my op?? My husband is a wonderful man, who is very supportive and caring, he needs to know what i will be able to do for myself. We have been looking for this information but unable to find any. If any one could help us, it would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.
I’d like to know for my husband as well. I’ve tried looking as well. All I got from my Ns was no lifting the kids for 2 weeks. Hopefully you get some answers 
Thank you so much. I really like to read about other peoples experiences. It has happened so fast and I don’t think that it has really sunk in that I have to have surgery. But thanks for the advice.
You are a brave person to go home yourself, alone! I’m very lucky to have a great family and friend network. Question, does the hair grow back where the scare is??? Silly I know!
It is so nice to have people to chat to who understand. My hubby is wonderful but to hear it from others in the same sistuation is comforting. I try to explain to people that I’m sick and the reply is but you look fine!! Come and stand in my shoes for a while!!! Thankyou for just being here to listen and offer advice. Cheers Ferret
Sometimes I wish we could let other actually see our pain somehow to understand! I find that even if they do believe you, they quickly forget because they are not constantly reminded. Just because we don't wear braces or have a red, bulging area- doesn't mean we aren't hurting! I've found the blog "Letters to Normals" to explain it quite well. You should check it out if you haven't already!
ferret said:
It is so nice to have people to chat to who understand. My hubby is wonderful but to hear it from others in the same sistuation is comforting. I try to explain to people that I'm sick and the reply is but you look fine!! Come and stand in my shoes for a while!!! Thankyou for just being here to listen and offer advice. Cheers Ferret
I am two weeks post-op, and I went into surgery pretty darn healthy (thanks to an early diagnosis and good medical advice). I can shower and dress myself, and I can get simply things done in the kitchen--making tea, toasting bagels, slicing fruit. My energy level is very up and down. Some days I spend almost all day in bed, and have to explain to my hubby that when he turned down meals from friends, the implicit promise was that -- drumroll!-- he might have to cook for the family!
I can't drive, as my headaches and stiffness and vision won't yet make that safe, so I rely on him and on friends for all driving for me and for my kids.
The first day or two home, I felt rather unsteady on my feet, and wanted someone spotting me as I walked around, and especially if I had to do stairs. I also asked my husband to help me in the shower the first day. I wasn't supposed to get my incision wet, but was allowed to wash the hair on either side. He helped me with the hand shower for the first bit, and then I was able to sit on the side of our sunken tub and clean the rest of me. By the second day, I was able to sit and do this on my own, and the third day I was confident enough to stand.
For me, it is rather like being super weak after a really bad case of the flu, where I don't know how much energy I will have. On my best days, I've been able to get out and sit with friends for a few hours, or able to prepare dinner from the food my hubby bought. On my worst, I just want someone to bring me something cool to drink and maybe turn on some music for me to listen to.
(FYI, in terms of symptoms, I am getting more post-op headaches this second week than I was the first. I don't know why, but figure I just need to give it time.)
Let me know if you have other specific questions. Good luck as you wait for surgery! It can take forever to wait.