Hi Kim .....
Yes, the time is getting near when you will have this bugger out of your head and you can go through the recovery process and on with your life. That, in itself, should bring you peace.
As you know from your reading here, everyone of us had a somewhat unique recovery experience so it is impossible to say exactly what you will experience. We are going to assume you will have an uneventful recovery process. That means the first three days will be the ones you will want to quickly forget ..... it will not be pleasant (as with any major surgery of any kind). Most doctors and hospitals keep you pretty well supplied with remedies/pain medication, as needed, etc. so those days will go by rather quickly. After that it is usually a fairly rapid recovery ..... up walking as much as you can, etc. The main thing is to listen to your body ..... when you are tired, STOP ..... right then, and rest. Do not keep going "one more lap." You may experience significant dizziness at first, depending upon how much your brain has or has not already compensated for the damaged vestibular nerve on which the tumor is growing. It may seem counterproductive, but walking as much as you can tolerate actually decreases dizziness. But, be sure to do it safely ..... with a walker or someone by your side until you are able to go solo. The last thing you want is a fall!
In my case, I used a walker in the hospital and then at home I used it at night only for a couple more weeks. I had someone with me at all times the first two and a half weeks post-op, then I was on my own and did just fine. I did not drive for a few more weeks after that ..... but there are people who have driven much sooner. My case is a little more unusual in that due to two brain surgeries, I have no functioning vestibular nerves on either side.
Best wishes, thoughts, prayers, etc.
Clarice
