Yes anesthesia…I look at it this way, it is the best deep sleep I will get or have gotten in the last 6 years! Having had many knee surgery’s and having always chosen a spinal to be fully awake during to allow conversation with my orthopedic surgeon, there is no way I want to be awake for this one (nor is it an option) ! Check into the sleep spa
Pain that is understood is not to be feared. That said understanding what the surgeon will be doing and linking that with the discomfort that is normal will help you tremendously.
What to expect upon waking that is standard and customary:
-sore throat
-fullness in your ear on that side but maybe both sides
-crackling and popping in your jaw and ear on the surgical side
-tightness in front and side of your neck on the surgical side
-headache from removing the bone at your skull
-numbness in your neck and maybe parts of your face
-swelling at the surgical site
Red flags for what is NOT okay: (and are pretty rare)
-fever
-red streaks along your neck away from the incision
-bright red blood from your incision not stopped by the post op bandage
-uncontrollable vomiting
Waking pain levels vary greatly from person to person so don’t have a good answer for you there. If you feel your pain is not controlled well tell the nurse and they will give you something to feel more comfortable. It is important that you feel your pain is at a manageable place before you go home and have a plan in place.
As for sleep, following the tried and true advice from everyone on this forum is priceless to help give you the best rest possible. Sleep with your head and chest elevated, ice and stay hydrated.
You are going to do very well. It is time to put your trust in the hands you have chosen and are the best qualified! Thinking of you
Best wishes for tomorrow; I hope that all goes well! My surgery took about 3 hours, I was kept in overnight but most US surgeries seem to be done in a day. Maybe the long time is to ensure time for proper recovery afterwards?
No worries about sleeping on your back- sleeping propped up as JustBreathe says is best, & lying slightly on the non-operated side will help.
Prayers for a speedy recovery!
I’m starting to get a bit nervous about the length of time. The doctor I’m seeing is extremely well regarded and has several awards so I have faith in him but the length is scaring me a bit.
It is good that you with speak confidence in your surgeon, that is important and will serve you well! He may be building time in to allow for anything else that may or may not pertain to what you need Ie: looking at the vasculature, those surgeons and their schedules and if they need to address this. It is better to have too much time scheduled than too little! My surgery was scheduled for 3 hours and took 2:40, this included the venogram and the skull base CSF leak repair. Just because he scheduled that much time does not mean he will use all of it.
So good to hear you are the first case, always best! Now all you have to do is tread water, have a delicious meal and get some good rest tonight. Sending you blissful sleep
Thanks again for all the support. The gap between 3 hours and 10 is enormous! Both of you were only for 3 hours that’s interesting. My concern here is that the surgeon has never done this particular procedure so hopefully he’s prepared I guess :(. When you were eventually put to sleep do you remember waking up? I’m worried for my mother, she’s going to be waiting outside for 10 hours and I’m sure she’s going to be in a panic the whole time. Lucky for me once I’m asleep ill just wake up and it’s over I guess.
Everyone responds to general anesthesia differently but most people do remember waking up. It is a kind of a dreamy state, in and out. You are going to do very well, just remember to breathe nice and easy
If they keep you over night and you don’t have any diet restrictions order as many milk shakes as you can and give them to the nursing staff…they LOVE this!!
I know this reply is coming very late & you may not see it till after surgery. I believe the reason they gave a 10 hr window to you is because it allows for your check in/pre-op prep time which can take an hour or more, your surgery time which can take from one to three hours, & your recovery time which can also take several hours. Assuming you are having surgery in an outpatient surgery center, you will not be released until the nursing staff/doctor feels you are stable, your pain is controlled, & you’re able to travel home (as a passenger, of course).
My first ES surgery took close to 2 hrs. I also had an early morning appt & I wasn’t released to go home till about 2 pm. Total time in the surgery center was about 8 hrs. My second surgery was quicker, & I was released sooner post op.
I hope this helps. I’ll be praying for you tomorrow. I’m 3 hrs behind you so you’ll likely be done before I wake up in the morning. Prayers going up tonight.
This helps so much I really hope this is the case. Im in the waiting room now. It’s a bit lonely because of the pandemic obviously you have to walk in alone which is fully understandable it’s just a bit stressful. Thanks so much for all the support everyone, hopefully I can give an update soon with good news, wish me luck!
Hey everyone I’m doing good thanks again for the support and we’ll wishes.
It ended up being a 7 hour surgery. There was apparently another blockage of some sort they needed a3rd surgeon for? Haven’t heard that from the doctors just yet my mother tried to relay the info to me. They also did have to shave c1 down a bit. I honestly don’t have a ton of pain I’m just extremely tried and haven’t slept much at all. I have an arterial line in one hand so typing this one handed. Got at least one more night probably 2 in the hospital and they’ll be sending me home with the drain. I don’t have any facial numbness or weakness which is a pleasant surprise although my lower jaw trembles randomly at times. For right now I’m doing only tylenol I’d really like to avoid the oxycodone if possible
I’m excited for rounds so I can get some updates on my situation. The whooshing in my ears is very loud I’m not sure if things will have to equalize a bit and the vessel will open up more naturally or if it was way too fibrosed. Anyways Ill make sure to update. Gonna have quite a scar. I’ll join the club and share the photo when I get a chance
So good to hear from you! That was a doozie and it sounds like you were in the exact right place with the exact right team, so thankful for that! Looking forward to hearing what all they did and how are feeling. Amazing you are only on Tylenol. I understand not wanting to use narcotics, I am the same way. However this is the exact situation they were made for, acute pain in the short term, and work very well. Just don’t let you pain get out of control, you know your body best.
But for now rest, rest, rest and heal, sleep as much as you can!
Great post op report but longer hospital stay than we usually see. It sounds like you had a bit more extensive surgery than the usual ES surgery so that would explain it. The fact that you’re only needing Tylenol is FANTASTIC!
Whooshing sound in your ear may go on for awhile. Once a vascular tissue has been compressed for awhile it takes time for it to fully re-open. As it does the whooshing sound should subside. Also, having the feeling of fullness in your ear, extra tinnitus, or even a bit of hearing loss post op is not uncommon. These symptoms generally subside over the course of a few weeks to a couple of months.
We look forward to hearing what you learn from your doctor today.
This is all amazing info you all are the best! So they got my consent to prepare a case study, apparently they’ve never seen a case like mine so I guess that’s kinda cool? Been a really rough day for me today. My fever spiked at one point for a while but luckily it’s back down and I had some nasty vascular symptoms and a very intense light show in front of my eyes.
Turns out the consistently elevated intracranial pressure is causing my pituitary and hypothalamus to swell which is likely causing quite a few of my more strange symptoms like the visual issues or the ringing in the ears plus the fatigue/brain fog.
Sorry to hear about your “exciting” day! You have bilateral ES, correct? Was your surgery bilateral or unilateral? Pretty awesome that your case is being studied & documented!
If you still have one styloid, & it’s causing vascular compression as well, the position your head is in as you lie in the hospital bed could possibly be ramping up those vascular symptoms. It does sound like the doctor’s explanation makes sense though. It can take a couple of weeks for a compressed vein or artery to regain its shape & for blood flow to return to normal. Additionally, post op swelling could be exacerbating your vascular symptoms (along w/ the pituitary & hypothalamus inflammation).
Whatever the case, I hope tomorrow is a better day. Thank you for the update. Glad you’re in the hospital where you’re being observed somewhat regularly.
Glad that they’ve kept you in longer than usual, sounds as if that was the right decision! A bit more complicated than the usual surgery… there will be swelling for a while, so that can still affect the vascular symptoms, you may not feel any difference until that’s gone down. Will be interesting to hear the full report of what they found, but very cool to be a case study, the more doctors who learn about ES the better!
Praying for healing, & an uncomplicated recovery!
Back home now. The whooshing in my ears has temporarily subsided, it would really be incredible if this works. They did tell me to temper expectations a bit as my case was very unusual. The ligament was significantly fibrosed to the vessel so they had to dissect the vessel and remove as much c1 as they could in order to create a tunnel for the vein. The symptoms have been rough the past few days but I’m hopeful that as my body realizes that vessel is usable again and the swelling goes down it’ll start to adjust.
It’s good to be back home though, thanks for all the kind words I’ll keep popping back here and will eventually share some pics.
(nor is it an option) ! Check into the sleep spa 
