Ive been to several docs. finally was referred into boston to a chiari specialist he's the Mass general hospital's assistant professor of neurosurgery and specialized in chiari malformation. I should hear back from them by the end of the week. I had a CINE scan and have a CSF Blockage. My herniation is shown differently on different computers at dif docs.. one doc said 9.1 one said 9.6 one said 9.5.. so anyways.. One neuro already asked to do the decompression surgery (april 8th) but I prefer to go into boston.. odds are they will suggest the same thing.. I am VERY worried about post op.. how will I feel when I wake up.. how many of you guys/gals vomited? I am on nausea meds every 4-6 hours already as it is for nausea.. I barely even throw up.. but I am almost always nauseous.. however I have had anesthesia one other time for my impacted wisdom teeth removal.. and I vomited when I woke up.. How did you all feel? How long did the nausea/vomiting last for?? I know it may sound weird but I have a phobia of vomiting.. its one of my biggest fears.. I am also worried about pain.. but hoping that the pain meds on board will help a great deal.. the oral pain meds they have me on don't help me much anymore.. but IV will be different.. please share your story and let me know how you felt when you woke up.. how long you felt sick for post op.. and when will I be able to take care of my kids again... this is going to be tough with 4 kids 7 and under :/
Everybody's post op is different, Shelly. My biggest advice to you is to be very frank with your surgeon in your pre-op appointment about your nausea. Tell him what works for you now and how worried you are about vomiting post op. Your surgeon doesn't want you puking all of the time and messing up his hard work, so he'll do everything he can to help you. Also tell your anesthesiologist this on the day of your surgery.
Also be up front about the pain meds you are taking, as we all know that you can develop a tolerance to pain killers over time. This might mean you need a specialized pain plan for post op.
As far as the kids go - you will need help. Most people have a turning point around 2 weeks post op, but you will most likely have restrictions against bending and lifting for longer than that, which makes dealing with kids difficult. You will also need to rest A LOT. Doing too much too quickly after this surgery can actually lead to complications, so you want to follow the rules your surgeon gives you.
Good luck with your appointment with the specialist! Let us know what happens.
Donna
I will be sure to let everybody know! and theyre all very aware of my nausea/vomiting/pain concern.. i'm hoping the medication for nausea actually prevent me from getting sick :( Have you ladies had decompression surgery? How was It post op for you?
I have had the surgery twice.
The first time I had an unusual situation that involved a brain tumor and a surgical complication. It was so rare that my surgeon presented my case at a conference, so no worries about it happening to you.
The second time I had a more straightforward surgery with no complications, which is much more the norm. My pain meds were very thorough (dilaudid in a pain pump) and I had great anti-nausea meds on board and did not throw up once! I was in the hospital for 4 or 5 days and then did just fine on a 2 hour drive home.
I've done physical therapy after both surgeries and I swear by it. The surgeon will never say that you need it, but I think that's very short sighted. They just cut and stretched your muscles apart...isn't that a great reason for PT?
I hope I have no nausea or vomiting…
Shelly belly, everybody has a different experience. I myself was nauseated and did throw up when I woke up, but that was quickly controlled and then I just slept for a few days straight. I can say that my surgery was a “good” experience, as surgeries go. I hope you have no pain or nausea. Please let us know when you get scheduled.
Jenn
I felt pretty good upon waking. I had a second of nausea after eating my dinner but I honestly think I just ate too much to have just came out of surgery. lol. They gave me some medicine and it was all good and I never needed it again. My pain was easily managed and honestly I just felt really sore and stiff. I stayed one night in the hospital and then a couple of days in a hotel since I had surgery 5 hours from home and wanted to be close just in case something went wrong. All was well! Once at home I did the neck exercises the doctor gave me and took a walk daily and had no complications.