Susan .....
Glad you have a date ..... so much easier than facing the unknown timeframe. As the others have said, recovery is a very individual thing ..... including whether you want your husband there 24/7 or not. If you would be more comfortable with him there, by all means he should try to do that. My husband did not stay 24/7 because it would have made me too nervous that he was not getting adequate rest in a sleeper chair. He came to the hospital early in the morning and stayed until I was settled for the night and that worked well. Whoever does stay with you should keep a notebook and write down when you received what medication/treatment. This usually prevents any potential issues related to your care.
As for time off work beforehand, if you stop working too soon, you will have too much time on your hands to think ..... unless you use that time to cook/plan ahead to make things easier for the post-surgery days or just have some fun time with your family.
Every doctor and hospital have their own protocols, but in my situation the only things I really was glad I had taken to the hospital were a robe, my own toothbrush and CHAPSTICK!! I had a central line so could not have used my own nightgowns.
My husband had to go back to work 12 days after my surgery. (We drove home ..... a 6 hour drive ..... 10 days post-op with no problems.) For my husband's peace of mind, our daughter-in-law and granddaughter stayed with me for a week after we came home, but I really would have been fine by myself. In my case, I did not have to have stitches removed (surgical glue and steri-strips were used) and no follow-up was needed with the neurosurgeon. I did have the name of a local neurosurgeon in case I had had problems, but I did not ever need to see him.
Of course, meals brought in during this recovery time are a God-send ..... presumably your close-by family will help out in that respect.
Best wishes and many thoughts and prayers for an uneventful surgery and recovery.
Clarice
