I traveled from Hawaii to San Diego for treatment by Dr. Friedman and Schwartz. I arrived 2 days before to settle in and attend to the pre-op appointments the day before surgery. We chose a nicer hotel knowing full well that we would be there for nearly 2 weeks so a variety of dining options and comfort were high on our list. My wife was with me the whole time and my teenage children were there about half the time (school pulled them back). We had additional family and friends who helped my wife out during my recovery. Trust that you will be cranky, uncomfortable, and in varying degrees of pain for days/weeks. Luckily we got to the root of my pain after about the 7th day and things improved dramatically thereafter.
Having help is incredibly important with food, bathing, pill tracking, communication with the doctors, and just plain support and comfort. We scheduled our departure 2 days after our last post-op appointments which put us in San Diego for about 12 days total. It is a long time to be in a hotel room without being able to do much so patience is key. Staying nearby the hospital/doctors offices is pretty important as well. Car rides weren’t something I enjoyed very much the first 2 weeks post surgery. Bumpy roads, acceleration, and braking weren’t pleasant sensations post brain surgery so short drives are really helpful. Once we were out of the hospital, we made only a single trip back to the doctor’s office before our final post op appointments.
One thing to think about is the time zone difference. Hawaii is 3 hours behind CA during the summer so my 5:30am check in time felt like a 2:30am check in as we were still largely on Hawaii time at that point.
