Best of luck to you, SulLL. I had a 4 day hospital stay with each of my two surgeries and my timeline stayed 6-8 weeks recovery (even with the additional/surprise second surgery). They operated on Nov 1 and I was back at work on Jan 2. I'm really glad that I'm in the city where I had the surgery (Durham, NC - Duke Hospital). When I was having mY CSF leak I was able to get to the clinic multiple times during that one crazy week. I leaked from my incision, not from my nose. That was difficult to find information on, too. Not many on this forum appeared to have the same symptoms. You'll learn if you haven't already, that no two stories are alike.
The day my family brought my home from the hospital I was not dizzy in the car at all so we picked up some comfort foods from a restaurant about 20 min away. Each day I walked a bit more. At first it was 2-3 trips to the mailbox on the corner, then it was up the street, then around the block, then around the block multiple times. I still get a bit disoriented on uneven ground - climbing a snowy hill last month with my little one was definitely a wonky feeling, but otherwise I am back to sort of normal - working 2 jobs, carrying my 33 lb 4 year old around. I do also find it difficult to hold conversations in loud places. I was in a bar last night, for example, and it was hard to hear folks across the table. Took a lot of concentrating.
I haven't decided yet if I will try a device. I don't think I want a BAHA. I'm only 44 and I figure there are 40 years of technology coming my way so I don't want something permanent according to today's standards. It's funny. Before my surgery I was chomping at the bit to get a device and now the SSD isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I position myself strategically - at meetings at work or at social venues - so my good ear is closer to the conversations.
Things I found helpful - a wedge pillow to maintain the height post surgery I needed (30-40% incline), shower seat, meals brought to me by friends and community members. People here had suggested night lights. The ones I got were too bright but it's true that the dark is your nemesis - it's very disorienting. I just used my phone's flashlight if I awoke at night. I drove after about 3 weeks. In fact, the day the Dr told me he was booking me an OR for the CSF leak, I had driven myself to the appointment. You just need to be off painkillers and be able to turn your head quickly without dizziness. They will give you head and eye movement practice exercises at the hospital. They are critical to recovery.
Let me know if you have other questions. A couple people on here befriended me before surgery and it was so helpful to be able to text with any questions. One husband/wife even came to visit me at the hospital. I was so grateful!
-Karen
