Hi All,
Right now I am planning to have surgery with Dr. Nakaji on May 19th. The problem is the friend that was supposed to come with me all of a sudden can’t due to a family emergency. Has anyone had this surgery done and recovered the first week on their own without any help. Is it doable? I really don’t want to reschedule if I don’t have to.
-Paul
It is doable to recover on your own, however, you won’t be able to drive because of the pain meds & potentially stiff/sore neck which will limit head turning. In some states, a person having outpatient surgery has to have a family or friend do the post op pick-up. Uber/Lift/Taxi are not allowed so you’d need to find out if that same rule applies in AZ.
If you go solo, you’ll obviously need to have your ice packs, food & other essentials prepared prior to your surgery so you can stay put in your lodging for several days after surgery while you ice & rest. You can take Uber, etc., to your post op appt. & airport to fly home.
@pauld1635 I know things might be different now that Dr. Nakaji isn’t with Banner Health but I imagine you will still be spending the night at the hospital so you should be able to use a car service. Still as @Isaiah_40_31 suggested, you should check with his office about that. Are you planning to stay in AZ for a few days after the surgery? I stayed 5 days after the first surgery and based on my experience I cut that to 3 days after the second surgery. My husband and sister were with me but I was essentially doing everything for myself. I hope you are able to keep your surgical date. Best of luck.
What a shame your friend can’t help after all, that’s rough…
Caring for yourself once you’re home should hopefully be okay as long as you’re prepared with medication, soft foods, pillows etc., or get these ready if you’re staying in a hotel for a bit. But as the others have said it would be a good idea to look into transport & what you’re allowed to do. Others have asked for wheelchair assistance at the airport , which sounds as if it should be requested beforehand, I think this would be a good idea if you have to travel alone, here’s a link to @DeeCeeNorth 's discussion & info:
Day 3 post- op Bilateral w Dr Hackman - General - Living with Eagle
I hope that you don’t have to put the surgery off!
@pauld1635 Just to add on to what @Jules said about the airport…if you are flying in and out of the Phoenix airport it is pretty huge with a lot of walking from security to the gates so a wheelchair is a good idea especially if you won’t have anyone to carry your luggage.
I’ve hired helpers from places like care dot com. In Denver there’s a woman with a biz called Denver Aftercare - she specializes in helping folks after surgery. Maybe Nakaji’s office knows of something similar?
Hi Paul,
I am having surgery with Dr Nakaji shortly after your surgery date. He has a thorough pre op protocol, if you have already done these tests it would be unfortunate to delay your procedure. You may want to contact the hospital and ask if they have any post op care facilities. Like other people have noted after an inpatient discharge it is unlikely you can go hop in a uber. I have found it difficult to call his clinic and get questions answered, that is why I am suggesting contacting the health care group. I was concerned as I have no assistance when I get home and I live on a farm. This is what Dr Nakaji suggested for me, surgery on Wed- overnight in hospital and I can fly home the following Monday. I am going to try to fly home a day early on Sunday. I do have a family member in AZ to help after surgery prior to flying out. I really hope you can figure out something and proceed with the scheduled surgery.
@birdie1 - I’m sorry you have a challenge to face when you get home. I hope you have neighbors or friends who can give you a hand on your farm when you get home especially if you have livestock you’re having to manage. Lifting anything heavy will not be an option for several weeks after surgery especially w/ IJV decompression plus you’ll need to take it really easy for 2-4 weeks post op. I hope Dr. Nakaji has gone over that with you or will prior to your surgery.
What is your surgery date? I’ll pray for you then.
Thank you for your prayers, my surgery is in a couple weeks. I do have horses, and unfortunately I really will not have help after returning home. I feel fortunate to have someone caring for them when I am gone for surgery. So I will try to get myself “set up” with supplies to limit the work when i return home, and hope for speedy recovery.
@pauld1635 I don’t know about a ride to hotel after surgery, but I do have a friend in Phx that I can ask to come check on you, help you go out and get things you may need. I think he would be willing/able to do that. Let me know if you want me to ask him. 
I would come help you, but I live in Tucson. Like others have said, reach out to Nakaji’s office to see what contacts they have for after-surgery transportation. When I went to Cedars-Sinai in LA for CSF Leak imaging, I had a friend with me for all the driving (wasn’t allowed to drive myself). Several sources in the FB CSF Leak group mentioned a driver who was medically qualified to transport folks from Cedars to hotel. Maybe Nakaji’s office knows someone like that in Phoenix.
That’s difficult for you…could you hire someone to help for a bit or would that cost too much? Lifting was the worst thing for me after surgery… 
That’s really thoughtful of you!
Hi Paul,
Curious if you had your surgery? and how you are doing. My surgery was the 21st with Dr Nakaji, I felt great after surgery , with an exception of an allergic reaction to the skin prep. But while I was in AZ i felt good with minimal symptoms, i left to fly home 4 days after surgery. And I do not feel as great at home, I think the az weather helped, and maybe being on steroids for the allergic reaction. But now back home,I think I am in that period of inflammation. Incision site is swollen and I am probably not resting like I should. Like I mentioned before I have horses and I have no help to care for them. Dr Nakaji did say a calcified ligament/tendon attached to my styloid was completely compressing the ijv, once that was cut it bounced back. And my right side is worse, and that will be next. Dizziness, head pressure, tinnitus has returned, hope this is part of the inflammation phase, and I just started back on the blood thinners 2 days ago. How long did this last for most people, before you noticed improvement.?
@birdie1 - You’re still in very early recovery from surgery & are correct, there is still a lot of swelling in your neck. That swelling can temporarily cause some vascular compression which will cause a return of symptoms but as the swelling gradually reduces, those symptoms should, too.
You’re right the steroids you had immediately post op probably did help you feel better while in AZ. If you aren’t icing your neck, start doing that - 15-20 min every couple of hours (this makes you take a rest for a bit). All resting & sleeping should be done w/ ~30º of head elevation as that will help reduce the swelling in your neck. If ice makes you feel worse, you can try heat.
The fact that you’ve got some pretty significant manual labor to do w/ your horses isn’t in your favor right now. You’re right, you probably need to be taking it easier. Pushing yourself physically in early recovery can slow down the rate the inflammation subsides. I’m so sorry you don’t have anyone to help.
Vascular decompression surgeries can take a few months for the benefits to be realized as it takes the brain/body some time to “understand” the new level of blood flow. Since you still need your second side done, you will probably not get to a point where you feel really good until the other IJV is decompressed. How long does Dr. Nakaji require between surgeries?
I’ve answered most of this above, except for how long did this lasts for most people. It seems the answer to that question is quite variable. Some people get relief very soon after surgery where for others it can take some months. I wish I could be more encouraging, but it’s best to have realistic expectations where recovery is concerned.
I will pray for your recovery to move forward quickly so you can feel better ASAP.
Thank you so much for the recommendations for recovery. Dr Nakaji is saying he could do the other side as soon as August, but I think I will wait till fall. See how I am doing for a while and i would need another leave from work. He also mentioned he may need another venogram but hopes not, I also hope that is not needed. I dont understand why that would need to be repeated. (re-evaluate the pressures after opening the one side??)
I agree that another venogram would be no fun. Your explanation of having it to check pressures now that one side is open makes sense, though perhaps it’s also to check the side that’s been opened to see how it’s doing. I had visual migraines for 4 days after my angio/venogram that Dr. Hepworth ordered. Hope to never have that procedure again!!
You should wait until you’re ready for side 2. It’s good to allow side 1 to heal for as long as possible before pushing your body to recover from another surgery assault. It’s also miserable if it’s put off for too long. 
I’m sorry that your recovery has gone a bit backwards- we do see often that it is one step forwards & 2 back , and as you say having to care for your horses certainly won’t help, but obviously you have no choice…just rest up as much as you can & ice regularly too, hoping that things will settle soon
@birdie1 I had my first surgery with Dr. Nakaji in July 2024. We started with the non-dominant side and although some symptoms were immediately improved it wasn’t clear that the major things like brain fog would get better without doing the other side. We wanted to wait and see but not get pushed out so far on his surgery schedule in case I needed it. So we scheduled a surgical date for October and watched for symptom improvement as I healed. If I was doing much better I could simply cancel. I felt very sure after 2 months that I needed the other side done and was grateful to already be booked for the following month rather than have to wait until the new year for the second side. I didn’t need any additional testing it was all decided based on symptoms. Since the second surgery I am much improved. Best of luck to you.
Chrickychricky
Thanks for your timeline and so glad you are now feeling better. In some ways i still wish he was at Banner, because you could get scheduled. I was originally scheduled at Banner, then the transition happened right before my consult. Now when you call they mention somebody will call you back and it doesnt happen. So whenever I do talk to someone who can schedule I think I will set up those follow up appts. Curious if you went thru an “inflammation phase” post surgery that you felt worse? You mention some symptoms immediately improved, did that include dizziness?
Hi,
Sorry that you are having to deal with administrative issues. My symptoms definitely intensified for a few weeks after surgery until the inflammation settled down. After both surgeries I am left with 2 symptoms, dizziness and pulsatile tinnitus. I am currently going through a course of vestibular rehab including working on the visual ocular reflex and a convergence problem. It’s early days but I’m hopeful it will help the dizziness.