dj ......
Adding my welcome to this forum. This is a scary time and it is perfectly normal to be frightened with all of the unknowns.
I did not go to HEI, nor do I live in Texas ..... some of your questions can be answered by calling HEI and talking with a patient coordinator/representative.
I do not know the policies of St. Vincent's regarding family members staying with you. At Duke-Raleigh Hospital (NC), where I had my surgery, my husband could have stayed 24-7 with me, but we decided he did not need to because I was fine by myself during the night. My children are older than yours, but they and my sister, were in and out of my room the entire time I was there ..... no restrictions on family being there, that I know. I can see no reason why your son would not be allowed to be in your room during the day. Remember though, that the first 12-24 hours, sometimes more, you will be in the ICU and family only can come in on a restricted basis, usually.
Hopefully some HEI alums will chime in here soon and give you some information on the situation there.
With the usual I AM NOT A DOCTOR .....
As for choosing translab or middle fossa: that is something you need to discuss with Dr. Friedman. There are many factors involved in making that decision ..... your current level of hearing, the size of your AN, the specific location of it, etc.
Yes, you will be able to sit up after surgery (perhaps not when you are in the ICU) ..... in fact, they want you up and walking as soon as you are able. As for having a clear head after surgery ..... remember this is major surgery so the anesthesia alone will make you very groggy and not very clear headed for the first day or so. As Kay said, prepare your son that you may not be your usual self for a few days, but it is not anything he is doing. If you are worried about your thinking skills, most of us did not experience anything more than feeling "foggy headed" for awhile afterwards. Again, I am not a doctor, but even doctors cannot tell you for certain that you will have no issues post-operatively. Some of us had double vision for several days following surgery. Some of us were very unsteady on our feet.
Re: sleeping on your surgery side. Again, this is very individual. I did not feel comfortable sleeping on my AN side at first, mainly because of the bulk of the bandages on that side. I soon figured out, with extra soft pillows how to support myself to be able to turn to both sides. Bandages staying on or coming off seems to vary from person to person, doctor to doctor. Initially I had a large bandage over the incision with a turban style wrap to hold it on. It was taken off in a couple of days and replaced with a smaller covering over the incision. I had no stitches except for dissolving ones, plus surgical glue so I did not have to have stitches removed. You may or may not have stitches to be removed (usually 7-10 days post-op). My guess is you will not have anything but perhaps a small bandage over the incision for your trip home. If you are comfortable wearing scarves, I would take one along just in case you decide you want it.
Yes, you most likely will be encouraged not to bend over for awhile (I cannot remember how long they said to not bend over). Others may be different but I know I did not want to bend over for quite awhile because of the pressure feeling. Check with Dr. Friedman's nurse on what they say about CSF leaks (which are not the usual, remember).
The way I understand it, since the AN (actually vestibular schwannoma) starts growing from the covering (Schwann cells) of the vestibular nerve, the nerve has to be removed to get rid of the tumor. I am relatively certain there are others on this forum who have gone on roller coasters after AN surgery. I did not like them before so it has been a non-issue for me afterwards.
Do not apologize for asking questions ..... that is what we are here for! Keep asking away .....
Many thoughts and prayers for peace for you.
Clarice
