Well, I have the approval from my insurance for MVD with Dr. Brown on January 25, so now I am starting to get a little nervous! Not about the surgery so much as about the hospital stay and recovery. I will be staying with my sister, whose husband is a surgeon,for the first few days post op, and then flying home to Georgia. My husband will be with me the entire time. The things I am wondering are:
How soon after surgery were you allowed to wear your own clothes/pjs? Would you recommend things that do not get pulled over your head?
How many of you got sick( vomiting) after surgery? I have had general anesthesia before, and never had this problem. Was it from anesthesia, or the procedure itself?
For those of you that traveled for surgery, how was the flight home?
Once you were home, how bad did you feel,really? I am the only employee of my company, all my work is on the computer, and I do need to be able to work ASAP.
Most importantly, when were you able to wash your hair ? 
Thanks for your replies!
Congrats Christine! I hope surgery helps. There’s a few extensive discussions about this on the MVD group. I’ll try to figure out how to send you a link. But here’s what my experience was. My MVD was on Nov 5 so it’s kinda fresh in my mind still.
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I had a lumbar drain and catheter that was left in for 3 days so I was unable to wear anything but my hospital gown those days. After that I was able to wear sweats and a sports bra under my gown.
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It’s ok if something goes over your head as long as it’s not too tight. Also, if you still have an IV in place, it’s up to the nurses to unhook it so you can put something on. Don’t think that should be an issue.
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I did not have vomiting due to anesthesia. But they did give me nausea medicine to prevent it before surgery and after while I was on high doses of pain meds. I did start having vomiting on my 3rd day in hospital but it was due to a CSF leak. (The vomiting was what helped alert that there was a leak.)
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I did not have to travel by airplane so I can’t help with that.
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My first week at home was bad, but not as bad as the first days in the hospital. I really could tell I was getting better day by day. Week 2 was much better. I’m not working, so I was fortunate that I could lay around and do nothing a lot longer than others.
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My hair…I wanted to wash it so bad by day 3. I was in the hospital for 7 days because of the CSF leak. They didn’t allow me to wash it until day 6. And they only let me use some water free shampoo. Didn’t really help much. As soon as I got home I washed it 3 times in the shower. Felt great!
I hope some of this helps!
Hi Christine, although this is a long read, it’s well worth it! Check out this link from the MVD group; http://www.livingwithtn.org/group/mvds/forum/topics/questions-about-preparing-for-surgery?commentId=2413731%3AComment%3A264741&groupId=2413731%3AGroup%3A27917
All the best of wishes for your upcoming surgery! Positive thoughts!!
(( hugs)) Mimi
Thanks Mimi. That’s what I was trying to do.
Let’s see if I do this right…here’s another discussion that was good:
http://www.livingwithtn.org/m/group/discussion?id=2413731%3ATopic%3A225141
Thank you all for your replies! I will let you know how it goes on the 25.
Best
Christine
I had a different type of brain surgery (VP shunt for pseudotumor cerebri)...
You can wear your own clothes as soon as you are up to changing. I'd suggest shirts that close up the front..or if you are going to use "pull overs"..have someone help you with it. You can put on your own pants, socks, shoes etc..too.
Getting ill after the surgery...can't say. My surgery caused me to be light headed and nauseated, but that was due to the change in cranial pressure. (the intended reason for my surgery). Not sure if that would be relavent at all for you...
Travelling. No idea.
Once home, ...well i always feel better at home than in the hospital. Seriously, i can't say here either..as my procedure was different than you are having. With mine, i had some adjusting to do because of the decreased pressure and whatnot. Took the pain meds and just "lazed" around for a few days. I was very conscious of the "hole" in my head though. But anyway..as for you getting back to work once you are home, i'd say you'll know if you are up to it or not, but i'd expect a few days of NOT being up to.
Washing your hair. Oh yes! I was sooooo frustrated by this. They used surgical sealant and stitches on me.., so i couldn't wash my hair for a while. However, i did take a damp cloth, or baby wipes, and wipe off my head in that area. It's not a washing, but it still helped feel a littler cleaner. As for the other side of my head, i brushed my hair a lot. At the time it was very long; down to my behind, so not being able to wash it was a big ICK. Brushing helped, for me.
I hope everything goes well for you and that you are comfortable as can be after your procedure.
Thinking of you and wishing you well.
~Mistee