Aa
Post-op recovery
My 25 year old husband had the decompression surgery just over a week ago. We were just wondering how long recovery is? He is still in a lot of pain and completly dependent on strong pain killers still. Has anybody else had slow recovery?
ALSO its so good to know he is not alone, finally some support and advice from people who know what its like :)
ALSO its so good to know he is not alone, finally some support and advice from people who know what its like :)
If you are interested in the video- here is the website-
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=326561660545641575
It really helped me!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=326561660545641575
It really helped me!
Lovemygirls very good advice, thankyou! I too think it would help him understand more to see the actual op happening. Even on the day of the surgery we arent really well informed, everything went so quickly and although he's questions were answered, he still was very worried about what will happen. But very true, its probably a VERY good idea not to watch before the surgery!
Good luck in your recovery, thanks again
Good luck in your recovery, thanks again
Welcome! This forum is invaluable because of the help! I hope you find it as helpful as I have! Certainly it takes time to recover! I am three weeks post op- today! And- I have been very lucky! I don't know why exactly my recovery has been a little speedier! Maybe like Shane said- my Chiari was caught very early and I found a wonderful surgeon not content with a wait and see attitude. He told me it's going to get worse- so you need the surgery. I left his office and scheduled my surgery! So here I am- again- very lucky! But I really think mine is not the norm! Most everyone that I read about it takes a long time to recover. I am a teacher and I took off until the first of the year! I can't imagine he would be ready to go back to work after four weeks! I would highly recommend staying off longer than that! Because- I am having a pretty smooth recovery and I couldn't imagine going back to work next week- which would be 4 weeks! So- my advice for him is to take his time!
If you are interested- there is a live webcast of the decompression surgery. I don't recommend people watching it before they have the surgery because it is- well- goory! But- after I had the surgery I watched it and it really helped me understand why I hurt as much as I did! If you and your husband watched it- you would understand why recovery takes so long! If you want to know where to find it just post again and I will tell you.
If you are interested- there is a live webcast of the decompression surgery. I don't recommend people watching it before they have the surgery because it is- well- goory! But- after I had the surgery I watched it and it really helped me understand why I hurt as much as I did! If you and your husband watched it- you would understand why recovery takes so long! If you want to know where to find it just post again and I will tell you.
Thankyou so much, its so good to know he is not the only one.
He has taken 4 weeks off work but the Phisio-thereapist recommended taking out the rest of the year, as I too dont think he will be ready!
Thanks again for your detailed response, very helpful ;)
He has taken 4 weeks off work but the Phisio-thereapist recommended taking out the rest of the year, as I too dont think he will be ready!
Thanks again for your detailed response, very helpful ;)
Hello lulu4ryan, welcome to the boards,
Give it time. :) Brain surgery takes a while to recover from. As a general idea, it takes around 6 weeks to recover enough to go back to light-duty work. It can take a year or more for the body to bounce all the way back - things such as the immune system seem to take the longest. At a week in, I could make it from my bed to my couch and watch a little TV and considered that a good day.
Not trying to scare you, but you need to be aware that sometimes this kind of surgery may not work. There is no cure for Chiari. The surgery only helps with the symptoms. A lot can also depend on how far along he was when he was operated on.
I, for instance, was already showing signs of paralysis and had dizzy/balance issues, when I was operated on about 7 months ago. The surgery has helped keep me from getting worse and I generally feel better than I did, but I'm still not completely recovered - in fact, it's very probable that some of my dizziness and paralysis are permanant.
Lovemygirls, on the other hand, had surgery 3 weeks ago by the same Doctor as I did, and may be catching up with me already! :)
Give it time. :) Brain surgery takes a while to recover from. As a general idea, it takes around 6 weeks to recover enough to go back to light-duty work. It can take a year or more for the body to bounce all the way back - things such as the immune system seem to take the longest. At a week in, I could make it from my bed to my couch and watch a little TV and considered that a good day.
Not trying to scare you, but you need to be aware that sometimes this kind of surgery may not work. There is no cure for Chiari. The surgery only helps with the symptoms. A lot can also depend on how far along he was when he was operated on.
I, for instance, was already showing signs of paralysis and had dizzy/balance issues, when I was operated on about 7 months ago. The surgery has helped keep me from getting worse and I generally feel better than I did, but I'm still not completely recovered - in fact, it's very probable that some of my dizziness and paralysis are permanant.
Lovemygirls, on the other hand, had surgery 3 weeks ago by the same Doctor as I did, and may be catching up with me already! :)
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Chiari Malformation Community
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
