A few questions for you and I will try to get to some of yours. How far from out of town are you traveling? Who will be with you for support? You said your problems are on the right side - are you right or left handed? What is your age? Any existing comorbidities (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc). Do you have neurogenic TOS? Extra rib?

I'm going on 1 week today after surgery. Keep in mind everyone's experience will be different. It was rough but not as rough as I expected. The staff were very knowledgeable about TOS and the care path after surgery. They will only put you on a certain floor where the staff is trained for TOS. I'm a RN on a busy surgery floor where I work, and was very impressed with the caliber of the nurses and other staff there. They really took good care of me.

The biggest thing to recovering from almost any surgery is walking. Walk, walk, walk - do a lot of it. I was very worn out the day of surgery and didn't ask to walk that day, but the day after, I got up as soon as the fellow rounded and said I could. I found that after them helping with the IV cords I could walk independently. The catheter made this uncomfortable, but they removed it the morning after surgery. I would set up a lot in the chair instead of lying in bed after my walks. The bed is not your friend - staying in it will cause you to lose strength and puts you at risk for blood clots. Walking and sitting up also open your muscles to help your lungs breath better and help to get your bowels moving quicker after surgery.

For me, I found I wasn't using my pain pump much, so I asked them to take it away. This also mean they could take away my IV fluids since I was drinking well. This happened day after surgery. Percocet and my pain ball kept me comfortable. That said, if you need your pain pump, use it. If your pain is not controlled well, you won't be able to recover as quickly.

A week out from surgery and I'm able to use my left arm a little bit. I am not allowed to lift more than 5 pounds. No restrictions on the right side and I'm doing most basic things for myself. I really have not needed my wife's help much in the past few days, other than with things I can't lift. She is 7 months pregnant so I am actually faster than her!

I'm told two weeks post-op before driving, but it will depend on my meds. The muscle relaxer makes me very drowsy. They will wake you up at all hours of the night in the hospital to continue your pain and muscle meds on a tight schedule. Do this at home too - find a schedule that works for you and wake yourself up to make sure you get the medications at the same intervals. For me this has been 12am and 6am when I wake myself up.

Buy button down shirts if you don't have them. Putting on regular shirts is very painful (tried that, don't recommend it).

Others have said it and I've found it's true that it is easier to sleep reclined than lying flat. So a hospital bed or a comfortable recliner would be advisable for sleeping at home.

Follow the doctor/physical therapists guidelines and DO NOT over do it. Let your body recover slowly so that your symptoms do not come back. Good luck!