Hi tdandu and welcome to this forum of caring, supportive new friends .....
Although I am sorry your husband has been diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, I am glad you found the ANA and this discussion forum. There is a wealth of information on the ANA web page, as well as here on the forum.
Dr. Rick Friedman at Keck Medical Center at USC in Los Angeles is another excellent physician who does free consultations.
My first surgery was done at Duke in North Carolina, which is a 5 hour drive from my home. My second surgery was done at House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles, which is an across the country flight from where I live.
In the first case, I stayed with my sister for a few days pre and post-op. The second one, we made arrangements beforehand to stay in St. Vincent's (the hospital HEI uses) guest house, called Seton Hall. It was very inexpensive, clean, comfortable, and just across the way from the hospital (with a large, well-lighted tunnel between to use at night or in bad weather).
As for follow-up care, in both cases I was required to stay in the area for a week, to remove the staples/stitches. The vast majority of any complications that could occur happen within the first few days following surgery. I never had any complications, but in both cases, my doctors told me they would refer me to a local doctor, if needed.
My husband drove us home from Duke about 9 days post-op. We flew home from LA on day 13 following surgery with no issues whatsoever. I think they required 10 days post-op before flying. We just made our reservations with a little extra padding in case of problems.
Let us know how it all goes for you and urge your husband to join the forum, as well. Thoughts and prayers for discernment during the decision-making process.
Clarice
