Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.
Well, I did not have a syrinx and it took a long time for me to heal...it all depends on you, how long do you take to heal and what all was going on? I had decompression surgery in May of '09 and I am going to tell you that I saw benefits from the surgery for years after....I may have healed from the surgery in 9 to 12 months, but the benefits took longer to manifest. Along with Chiari I also have tethered cord ( no surgery for that yet) and I also have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome ( which causes us to heal slower) It is a major surgery which caused trauma to your entire body.....do not rush the healing process as it could take even longer.
Did you have a dura plasty? If so, what type of patch did you have?
Besides Syringomyelia (syrinx) what other conditions do you have?
I have a sea turtle as my avatar because I am always reminding members to go slow and steady.
Just know you are not alone.