hi peony,
i had 4 spine surgeries last year--2 on the lumbar vertebrae and 2 on the cervical area.My experience in the hospital ranged from excellent to awful, depending on which nurse was on duty. I agree with all the suggestions already made, and can add a few more observations.

the NPF kit was very useful. you need to go over it with each shift. some of the nurses were very resistant to7 giving me my pd meds on a 3 hr. schedule. everyone else was on 4 hrs. you can ask yout doc to order a med schedule on your chart.

also ask them to order physical therapy from day 1. mine didn't start until i got to rehab and by then i was too weak to sit up.

educate every staff member you can about pd. many of them are clueless.

discuss what anesthesia and pain killers will be used with you docs. Tell your family what to expect. i gave them the npf list of meds tol avoid and they said they don't use any of them, but i still had bad reaction -- hallucinations and disorientation and fogginess for a few days. my husband said i was having conversations with my dog, but didn't knnow that my family was there....

HHope all goes well for you.
linda