I had vtos and ntos. I'm 16 days post op and doing great. I'm grateful I had no complications. My pesky rib is gone and the broken stent that was in my crushed vein is gone and I have a nice new (pre-owned) piece of vein. I'm not on any pain meds and I'm going on walks, sleeping more comfortably than ever and doing very light chores. It took so long to find a dr. to diagnose and help me, 6 years. I'm very grateful and knowing what I know now would have had this done asap. The best advice I can give to anyone facing surgery is to get to the very best specialist you can even if it means travel and hardship. There is always risk but don't let fear get to you. Choose someone who does this surgery on an almost daily basis. Positive thought and prayers for everyone dealing with this. It sucks the life out of you probably more than you even realize. It isn't until the pain is gone you realize how bad it was. Best to all.

Thanks for this positive feedback eveewonde! I've been trying to gauge how long recovery takes, and your experience sounds promising. My doctor thinks that the surgery won't prevent me from attending an international work event 4 weeks after surgery, but I've seen other accounts of people being out of work for up to 6 weeks. I'm currently planning on 2 weeks of R&R out of the office, maybe with some working from home. When did you get back to your regular work/school/life schedule?

That is wonderful, eveewonder, check in and give updates every once in awhile..


There are so many variables it makes it so hard to guess at how quickly each person will recover.


*If work/activities was a factor with your TOS , I wouldn't rush back to the same activities, why risk it?*

Wonderful news. Good luck and happy healing.

An international work event? For the love of pete, skip it. I was off from work for 3 months and it is best to spend the time recovering and not harming yourself.

Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something.

Your body needs time to recover from surgery. You will tire more easily for awhile even if your pain is minimal. If you are going to go through such an invasive surgery why not give your body the appropriate recovery time?

If this work event is so important than postpone the surgery until afterwards.