Big hugs?! I used a v shaped orthopaedic pillow as well as the wedge pillow which was helpful as it takes the pressure off the side of your neck a bit, but the important thing is to be semi-upright & you’ve covered that. A few weeks down the road you’ll want some cream for the scar tissue- I’m UK so not sure of the name that’s best to use in the US, but I think Dr Samji will explain that & Isaiah will know.
Seamom did do a surgery shopping list a while back which you can search for to double check!
Hope that all goes smoothly & that you heal quickly; I’ll be praying for you 
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Hi Christy,
I’ll add stool softener & laxative to your list. I actually used CALM (magnesium citrate powder) because I could mix it to whatever strength worked best for me. It’s important to start this ASAP after surgery if you’re planning to take the pain med Dr. Samji Rxes.
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Hi @Christy,
Some other things you might find useful:
Ziplock bags to enclose frozen veggie bags, which I found tend to leak. Icing helps sooooo much. I kept a pillowcase in between my skin and the ice bag though to prevent frost bite.
Applesauce, cold pudding, popsicles, jello, Malt-O Meal or instant oatmeal, and any other soft food that sounds good. I had external surgery but still had a hard time opening my mouth very far afterward for a couple days to eat big bites.
Laxative pills are important since the pain meds are terribly constipating. I landed myself in the ER once for a different illness because of this and I think at least one other member had the same issue once.
Tylenol (for when you no longer need the prescription pain meds).
Mederma cream with sunscreen. I am also using the Scar Away silicone patches now, but you won’t want to use either of these for 2-3 weeks.
Best of luck to you!!! Please let us know how it goes! Will be praying💕
Hey girl!! So happy for you! Everyone already mentioned all I wanted to say about post op. Maybe add orange sherbet LOL.
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Hello,
Thank you all for the wonderful recommendations on post-op healing!!
I will take all of your advice and put that on my shopping list! And wow, good call on the stool softener/laxative!! I would’ve never thought about that one!!! Thanks for all your support and prayers! I promise to come back to the forum soon with a full post-op report! I’m so grateful for you all and this wonderful support group!!! God bless you! 
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Btw, I don’t think I posted this x-ray image that I found at home. It was a 3D image taken in 2017 by my chiropractor. I remember him saying he wasn’t sure what that object was and just assumed it was it caught at a weird angle. Clearly he didn’t know what ES is!! 
Impressive!
Well that explains your symptoms loud & clear!!
Hello,
Well I made it through the surgery and Dr. Samji said everything went as planned. He wasn’t able to cut all the way back to the skull due to some nerve interference. But he smoothed off the stub. My surgery was on Monday and today it’s Friday so I guess that’s 5 day post-op not sure if surgery day counts as 1? So far it’s hard to assess any improvements due to the swelling and I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch!
Right now I’m dealing with swelling, and muscle soreness! There is a clicking sound near my TMJ joint that wasn’t there before (on the surgery side) everytime I open my mouth and chew food. It’s not painful but very annoying! Also, I have a slight head bobbing sensation that makes me feel a bit unbalanced. My mood is pretty flat, I feel weepy, and anxiety is trying to creep in but, I have a feeling it’s the medications although I haven’t used pain drugs since Monday. After surgery the nurses asked what my pain level was and I said 4 and they gave me a Norco. They came back 20 min later and asked again and it was still a 4 so they gave me another. Later that night I felt disoriented, weak, and unable to walk so, I may have had to much of the good stuff (meds) LOL. I definitely didn’t want to feel like that again so I decided to discontinue using pain meds with the exception of having 1 dose of Tylenol but, I’m still taking prednisone for the swelling. I’m supposed to start slowly weaning down tomorrow but I decided to start today because I think it’s affecting my mood and possibly giving me this unsteady, lightheaded, bobbing feeling in my head. Who’s knows though it could just be my body trying to find balance and a baseline. I have to remind myself that I just underwent a major surgery and need to give myself more time. I can’t expect to spring back instantly and move on with life. I must take it one day at a time and try to stay optimistic!
Glad that you’re through surgery, and hope that you soon feel better. I think you’re pretty much at the peak of the swelling, so hopefully that will improve soon too. I do remember feeling quite light headed & spacey afterwards for a few days, I think because I had vascular ES, & as you say it can take your body a bit to adjust.
It is early days, so stay strong & I hope that you soon see the benefits, will keep you in my prayer s.
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Hey girl! So good to hear from you! Everything you’re feeling is normal. Just keep being patient. Tell us at least 3 good things in your life right now so it will help shift your focus. Have you fired up the instant pot yet?
Hi there,
Yes, we love the instant pot!! And I absolutely look forward to the yummy steel cut oatmeal recipe my Hubby makes for me every morning! It’s so delicious!!
I also look forward to my short walks with my Husband and doggy each day! It’s California Spring time at it’s best and I enjoy all the beautiful flowers and green scenery! I’m especially looking forward to going to my 12 year old daughters orchestra concert tonight! She’s an EXCEPTIONAL violinist and she’s going to be playing her heart out tonight! She’s been practicing and taking lessons outside the home so I will be completely surprised and no doubt impressed!
Also, our church family is stopping by tonight to bring us a meal and pray for us. So, there is a lot to be grateful for and I feel blessed! Thanks for helping me look on the bright side!! 
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Wow blessed indeed! This is just a little bit of purification for your soul right now. Stay in a place of gratitude! I’m quite sure Yo-Yo Ma would be smiling with pride tonight 
Wanted to make sure I acknowledged your pain and discomfort. During the second week I excited our bedroom in my robe one morning and buried my head in my husband’s chest. It’s a hard recovery. You’re doing great.
That’s good, hope your daughter’s performance is amazing…of course it will be!
@Christy, I also had the crunchy jaw (I didn’t have this prior to surgery either), but it is now 98% resolved at 4 wks. I recall it was considerably better by about 2 wks. Prednisone does have a lot of yucky side effects but it is a very good anti-inflammatory. I understand the desire to taper down ASAP though. It can cause anxiety/moodiness and a host of other issues. I hope you are able to find some happy medium at least so you can still get the benefits, but fewer side effects. I am a month out and worked in my yard today all day long, but I definitely felt pretty cruddy the first week post-op though. It took me a few weeks to feel at least 90% myself again. Try to be patient and not push yourself too hard in the beginning. Wishing you the best in your recovery!
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Hi Redbird773
That’s encouraging to hear that the crunchiness could go away! It is pretty annoying but not painful so that’s good.
What’s really debilitating is this gliding/sliding feeling in my head! I don’t feel very anchored on. It’s really evident when I’m standing or walking. I find myself bracing the walls for support. I’m praying this will go away as I don’t like this sensation a bit!! Perhaps, the remaining styloid is the culprit! Can’t wait for that one to go to see what symptoms get resolved! I took off my steri-strip bandages tonight and it didn’t look so bad just a bit puffy. Curious if it will form a scab over the next few days…I shall see Thanks for helping me ease my mind! I really don’t know what I’d do without this wonderful support group!! It’s a lifesaver! 
I had that sensation in my head, but before surgery, I put it down to vascular symptoms. It eased after surgery, hope yours does soon.
Hi Christy!
Your incision looks remarkably good! Mine never scabbed. It just sort of gradually disappeared. It looks to me like your skin is sufficiently healed that you won’t get a scab either. I’m amazed at how short incision looks after all the calcification you had removed! Dr. Samji continues to refine & hone his ES surgical skills, I guess!!
