THANK YOU everyone for your responses. I really appreciate it.
Dr. Ellenbogen told me I would be out for about one month. My surgery is scheduled for June so we'll see.
I just saw Dr. Di in Cleveland this week. I am scheduled for Surgery in September. He told me i would go back to work after 2 weeks! I thought that sounded like it may be too soon after surgery. He does endoscopic surgery. He is going to remove my cerebellar tonsils and take out bones from c1 and c2. My dens on c2 is putting pressure on my brain stem also. He is having me get a lumbar MRI and an xray of my neck. He said he may change his plan afterr reviewing these tests. I am very relieved to finally get someone who is a chiari specialist to say my symptoms are all from the chiari. You were all right also, Dr. Di said my 10 year diagnosis of fibromyalgia was also the chiari. He was very informative, but I too felt a little rushed. We asked the questions we could think of, but my husband and I were blown away by finally hearing that the chiari was causing all of this, that wish we would've asked more. I have asked for a report, I think I may frame it :)
I went back to work after 4 months off. I had some issues after my PFD but now I am feeling great! A few headaches with weather changes but do-able!
I haven't gone back and it's been two years. I'm on disability.
I was off 8 weeks, went back part time for 4 weeks, then released to full time. I highly recommend going back part time so you can ease yourself back in! This was my second brain surgery, I learned from the first one to not just jump back into a full time groove!
I had my first surgery in sept 09 I went back to work first week of nov 09 then 3 days later I was back in surgery for CSF leaking again due to the metal plate I did not know was place in my head the first surgery. After my second surgery I went back to ork 3 weeks later on 3 to 4 shifts and work my way up to full time by january. I still have a hard time getting through my 12 hour shifts and 8 hours are getting easier through out the months. Of course stress fro woek doesn't help on days when I have pain.
I had the decompression surgery coupled with a spinal fusion for cervical stenosis and I was off work for 8 weeks. I was tired my first week back and only worked about 5 or 6 hours a day for the first week, but after that I was fine. I think I would have been allowed to go back to work sooner if I'd only had the decompression surgery, but I was still wearing a huge neck brace and couldn't drive from the spinal stuff.
I have not gone back to work...I was released from employment shortly after my surgery...and I have yet to be released to drive. I have other related issues that continue to affect me....and I was out for 2 surgeries prior to my PFD bcuz of a drop attack....so, there is a bit more going on. I am constantly trying to build myself up to eventually have some form of income.
AS Carolyn mentioned....we r all going to have a diff release time and recovery time as well...plus, it all depends on the type of job u had/have.
"selma"
Well it depends what you mean by work...LOL
I stay home with 3 boys and do my DH's books for his business but anyone that has kids knows that it is a full time job...
I really didn't get fully back into my normal duties until 2 months post op and I really couldn't have seen myself doing any work out of the house till then either. Unfortunately for me, I have issues with nerve damage so..I can't see an out of the house job coming up in the future for me either. The problem is that it is really individual so it's hard to predict. Some come out of surgery and are back at it in two weeks others can't go back to work at all (at least in the position they used to have). It really depends on your individual situation (what symptoms you have) and how much damaged has occured before the surgery.
Hope that helps!
Carolyn
I went back to work about 5 months after my surgery., Although I did have complications one week after surgery my brain swelled and I had fluid build up in the surgery site causing me to be admitted to the hospital for another week. I also had 3 visits to the er after surgery with major headaches but they think it was just a reaction to surgery.