Hi everyone.
I've had TOS vascular/ neuro for the last 18 months. I'm at the point of not being able to take the pain anymore. I am scheduled with Dr. Sanders in 3weeks for evaluation & surgery. I was diagnosed last year by Dr. Brantigan.

I was in such severe pain I went to the Emergency Room Sat night. Of course the doctor didnt know much about TOS, but gave me an IV of dilaudid, toradol and phenergan for the pain. I had a migraine along with nerve pain on the whole right upper side of my body. Burning, cramping, shooting aching......you know what I mean. . Right now my Neurologist is keeping me on dilaudid, phenergan, soma & fioricet.

Any advice from Sander's patients would be appreciated. I am flying to Denver along with my hubby & mother. Thanks!! ihtos

Sorry you are here but many people on this site are familiar with your doctor and the area you are being treated. I live in NJ but have heard you are in a very good place. I am sure more people will type in their advice. I had surgery 7 years ago and was a major improvement. Keep strong. I am glad you have hubby and mom. It is important to have an advocate with you. Tell them to speak up for you when ever necessary. It is good to have someone on your side at all times no matter why you are in a hospital. Best of luck. Linda

I wrote a review of my visit to Dr Sanders HERE he was second choice out of 5 for surgery by my personal review...so i'd say you are in good hands.
let's see now... Dr sanders says you only have to stay for a few days after surgery- stay longer...like at LEAST a week. One person i know had a really hard time flying after surgery...the incision really hurt becasue of the cabin air pressure changes.

ask for extra pillows in your hotel room, or get a sleeping wedge pillow there or @ home &take it with you...should make the hotel bed easier to deal with. you'll need them for head and knees, is my experience.

When i was considering going to dnever, I had thought of this for the recliner issue- a folding zero gravity chair...like one of these . not too expensive AND you could travel with it.

i really needed a smoosh pillow for my head in the hospital...my neck felt SO unsteady for days...

take in a colorado rapids game if they are playing while you are there...great soccer can take a mind off of anything

i'll keep thinking. amazing how fast you forget stuff...it hasn't even been three months yet for me

and best of luck to you, you deserve the best

Hi,

I had surgery with Dr Annest, so can't speak to specific Dr and hospital issues, but can give some general advice re: surgery and Denver.

Might check with Dr Sanders office and see if it is ok to UPS a box to their address. I packed up my own pillows, (including my cervical pillow), slippers and post-op (easy-on and off) clothes so I had just a small bag and carry-on for dh to handle in addition to his own. We shipped it back before leaving for the airport, much cheaper via UPS than paying to fly it freight on same flight with us. I was there for several days of testing prior to surgery, in hospital 4 days and 15-16 days post-discharge for PT, (inc. weekend days and post-op follow-up appt), so I needed to bring more than you may need, however.

Do pack warm socks and slippers for the hospital, as the floors are cold and not always that clean. Shave your legs the night before surgery - it may be a while before you feel like doing this again. I bring raisins, crackers, etc. in case I get hungry between meals, and a colored washcloth/handtowel for washing (hospital laundries often use harsh detergents and bleach which is hard on the face and leaves linens scratchy which is painful to my RSD-sensitive skin). And I don't go ANYWHERE without a book or two.

Learned from painful experience - send your Mom or dh to the nurse's station when it is time for your meds - otherwise you might be left waiting a LONG time. Just after surgery it's important to keep taking the meds on schedule so they don't wear off and leave you trying to play catch up to the pain. On a med/surg ward they know this, so don't feel bad about asking for your meds if they aren't brought to you when they should be!

If you'll need a car while you're there, you can usually get a pretty good deal through Budget or Dollar at the Denver Airport. It's usually cheaper than the in-town deals and saves you the shuttle fees into the city and back out. We've done it both ways and find it cheaper and more convenient to just rent at the airport.

Dr Sanders and Rose Hospital are on the UC campus, aren't they, around
9th St off Colorado? After surgery we stayed on South Colorado past Cherry Creek Mall, I think the cross street is Mexico, at a Fairfield Inn. It was fine, the free breakfast was much nicerl than most, staff was very helpful, and they offer a hospital rate if you ask for it. There are several restaurants nearby and a grocery store, and you can request a refrigerator for your room if you feel like staying in. The interstate by-pass is just south of the hotel if you want to head up to the mountains or back to the airport.

Ohh, the pillows? I put 1 length-wise under my back, 1 under each arm, and one regular under my head with my cervical one on top of that. A couple of those belonged to the hotel! Anyway, propped up like this, I could sleep post-op without a recliner - but that was the only way I could!! You might need to experiment to find what works for you. Ice
(as long as you haven't been told you have RSD) may turn out to be your best buddy for the first few days following hospital discharge. And rest - surgery is a trauma to your body - you may need more rest to let your body heal. It's surprising how tough this surgery can be on a person - the "surgical" recovery I think was comparable to my c-section. No complications though, it went fine - I just expected to bounce back quicker.

Denver has some beautiful parks and great outdoor spaces, maybe you can relax and picnic in a scenic spot! PS. Take a camera - for hospital pics and mountain vistas. But easy does it!

Hope something helps; use what you can, ignore the rest!! Best wishes for a VERY successful surgery and a smooth and easy recovery,
beth

I haven't yet had the surgery but I did get a consult from Dr Sanders. His office mgr, Cathy, is very very helpful. Regarding when to fly: she said they want you to fly out during a very particular window of time as she said you feel ok from the hospital iv meds but will later feel pretty bad. They have a lot of patients that travel for surgery and have the whole protocol well figured out. And it changes depending on whether or not he takes the rib.

IHTOS- I am in Denver now. We arrived about two weeks ago. When we arrived there were no hotels available in the City of Denver, not even a Motel 6. There are alot of conventions going on right now as well as a lot of tourists. We are staying about 20 miles outside of Denver as this was the closest we could get and I hear it is going to get worse this month.

So book your hotel reservations now. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

GMS

Bring your umbrella too!