Surgery is the 23rd and I’m just looking for any practical advice to make recovery more comfortable. Anything that I should plan to have on hand? Any activities that are important? Sleeping? Just those things that the surgery team might not tell you, but that you now know because you have experienced it. Clinically, I am very comfortable with my understanding of what is being done and why. Thanks for your input!
2 Likes
Here’s a post written by our other moderator, @Jules that has many good details about what to expect after surgery & how to care for yourself post op:
I’ve put your surgery date on my calendar & will pray for you that day in particular. 
2 Likes
There’s info, advice and links to post-op stories in this section if you’ve not seen it:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
There’s a shopping list of suggestions for what to get ready one of our members put together in there…
Icing is very important, so have ice packs handy with a towel to wrap them in, if you have much of a journey home then maybe a neck pillow to keep you comfortable? And extra pillows or a wedge pillow as it’s best to rest propped up after surgery which along with the icing helps with calming swelling.
Quite often chewing & eating is uncomfortable after surgery, so having smoothies/ protein shakes or soft foods ready is a good idea. It doesn’t always happen but good to be prepared!
And take painkillers regularly as if you leave it too long between taking them, the pain can build up and be harder to get on top of. Depending what meds you’re on you might need a laxative!
I think quite a few of the doctors now advise walking about regularly to keep the blood flowing, and to help with swelling. I was able to do very gentle movements with my neck to stop the muscles stiffening up, but that’s not always possible depending on where the incision is…
Are you having trans-cervical (external) surgery or intra-oral? And who is doing your surgery? Sorry if you’ve mentioned it, and I’ve forgotten!
2 Likes
@SouthernBuckeye After my surgeries, I found that supporting the back of my head with my hand while moving from a supine or inclined position helped a lot.
Our heads are heavy, as I am sure you already know and the neck needs all the help it can get after skull base surgery. It sounds simple, but it made those early position changes much more comfortable for me.
Please keep us updated when you feel up to it, the updates really do help others going through this process.
Wishing you a smooth surgery and recovery! 
2 Likes
Thank you for all of the tips! Will get some of the things mentioned ordered off of Amazon. I’m having my left side done by Dr. Fargen. He has already stented both jugulars from C2-C6 and put four more stents in my superior sagittal sinus. I will see Dr. Hackman before my surgery to discuss doing my right side.
1 Like
Oh wow, you’ve been through so much already! I hope that the ES surgery is the last! 
1 Like
My daughter had her right side done by Dr Hepworth about a month ago. Her favorite recovery tools were two hot/cold packs from the pharmacy. They were oblong/ rectangular shape and fairly light weight. They were also made of soft material, too. We switched them off, one in the freezer, one on her neck. Then, if she wanted heat, we put one in the microwave. She liked them because they were pliable, soft and lightweight. Best wishes!
2 Likes
@Rosa - How is your daughter doing now?
1 Like
Well…she’s a complicated case, so I think most people are feeling better at this point than she is. We had our four week post op today, and NP really thought she’s suffering from a CSF leak somewhere. I was thinking the same thing myself these last weeks, with her positional symptoms and headaches. So we aren’t sure how to proceed from here. MRI to look for spinal leak? Just do a round of blood patches? Open the left jugular before pursuing anything else? Do a prone MRI to look for re tethering of the spinal cord? She’s had several known dural punctures, a tethered cord surgery, a suspicious spot on her brain MRI for CSF leak…the possibilities appear endless as of now! We plan to think and pray for now. Also, have a consultation with Dr Hepworth next month, maybe he’ll have a good idea which way to paddle.
2 Likes
@Rosa - You know we prefer happy endings here but are realistic & understand there can be layers that need to be peeled back to get there. I’m sorry again that your daughter has “layers” she/you are working on figuring out & getting taken care of. I hope & will pray that God gives you clear guidance through Dr. Hepworth & other medical professionals you consult. It’s terribly difficult to see our children suffering. 
1 Like
Thank you encouragement! We are thankful God has led us to Dr Hepworth and his team. They keep offering hope and don’t seem like they burn out easily at all with a case like our daughter’s. This is not the case with some practitioners that we’ve seen in the past. It is not easy, you’re right, to see your children suffer. I often wish the ‘layers’ weren’t so hard to get a good grasp on and didn’t require something as painful as surgery to remove! The more we learn about the trifecta, the more we realize we don’t know.
2 Likes
Praying too that she’ll improve and for the right next steps to be taken to unpeel those layers, hugs as well
1 Like