Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.
Many of ur questions should be directed to ur Dr and the hospital staff as all do things differently...and ur ins as to what it will cover regarding the recliner...I have one and did use it. Not all found it necessary, but if the Dr wants it and will RX it u may have to check with ur is first.
Once ur DD is out of ICU they get us up and walking with a walker....so it all depends on her and how she responds to meds and the surgery for me it was 2.5 days and then I was up and then moved to a reg room.
As I have said we are all diff and have other issues in addition to chiari...there are related issues....and they should all be ruled out b4 surgery as they can affect how one feels and heals post op. I know ur DD does not have ICP now, but it is something that can develop post op....no one knows y...and soem may develop a CSF leak, this can be due to just about nething, but if one also has ehlers-danlos stitches can tear...and CSF leaks happen more often and are not rare....if they were I would not see as many as I do...for a Dr that does not treat just Chiari patients, it may be rare for them to see it...but that does not make the occurrence rare...just as chiari is not rare.
Deep V neck T's are a good item as they work well....bog fluffy pillows for the ride home....make sure she has her meds just b4 u leave the hospital and ask for the prescription the night b4 so u can have it filled b4 her discharge.U need to stay on the schedule for pain meds, not wait till she has pain otherwise they r not effective.
We do have a list in the Health Pages on tips for the hospital stay-
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/list?cid=186