ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Headaches => Topic started by: Soundy on April 25, 2010, 12:45:16 pm
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I was reading Ernie's anniversary post and he talked about sneezing and headaches and mentioned the bone that was replaced ...and problems with sun glasses
got me to thinking which can be dangerous ...
I don't have the bone replaced or a titanium plate ... my skin and a piece of a muscle running up side of neck and center of head was pulled over hole they drilled in my head ...for many month when I coughed or sneezed instead of covering mouth and nose I place left hand on forehead and pushed and right hand over sunken in place bone was removed from and sneezed or coughed and I could actually feel something , I am guessing brain or fluid , bulge against my hand ... the hole is smaller as some bone growth did take place but I still have a sunken in place about 2 inches across ...maybe a little more from top to bottom ... and here nearly 3 years later a sneeze can still bring on a head ache that if Rapid Relief Tylenol doesn't get rid of in 30 minutes I have to take hydrocodone to knock out or it can escalate to a ER visit ...
wondering if those that had a bone graft or titanium plate had fewer problems than those like me that just have a hole in our heads ... I was told pre-surgery that they would drill with a forster type medical drill bit and the bone would be destroyed , but that a piece of bone from my hip or a titanium plate would be placed in to help bone re-growth and cover surgical site protecting what‘s in my head ... neither were done and I was told this was fine too but told maybe 6 month after the fact ... At one point it was suggested going in and adding more fat but I declined this because the thought of any more surgery had me all but hysterical
I am wondering it the fact they cut an artery when getting fat graft and had to shift from brain to just keeping me from bleeding to death changed their minds about taking a bone graft which would have kept me on the table longer ...the large hard calcified blood running from hip bone to hip bone and about as think as my arm was the worst part of first week or two of recovery …it made sitting upright impossible and I had to buy several pair of oversized pants so I could go out in public with something other than pajamas or sweat pants as I couldn’t fit the thing in my pants and sip up
Probably over thinking things … can’t undo what was done or not done … but headaches are my main issue that is still ongoing …
So plate heads , bone heads or hole heads … report in and let me know what you had after surgery was done and if you suffer from disabling headaches …nosy hole head would like to know …thanks :)
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Bone replaced. Guess that makes me a bone head? LOL. No headaches.
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Piece of skull put back, titanium plate, titanium mesh, titanium screws. Fat graft.
No headaches whatsoever.
Jan
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Soundy ~
Good question....quick answer: skull piece replaced, titanium plate/screws, but no fat graft. No headaches before, during or after the surgery.
Jim
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For me: exactly the same as Jim...skull piece replaced, titanium plates/screws, no fat graft. No headaches before or after.
Patrick
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I have a titanium plate and instant headache every time I sneeze. In fact sneezed an hour ago and it brought on another headache. I am going to the primary care tomorrow to address the headache situation because the neurosurgeon at the six week check just said the headaches would go away after two weeks and they didn't. He's not addressing the issue of Post surgical headaches.
I don't know why the sneeze brings on a headache, but it is an interesting question especially during the Springtime allergy season.
Sincerely,
Mei Mei
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Titanium plate, and I also do as you just said everytime I sneeze. I don't think I feel any bulge, but it does hurt quite a bit and brings on a headache. Headaches are my worst post-op symptoms. I have read that people who have the bone flap replaced have a less risk of headache. I believe I read that in one of the ANA pamphlets.
Take care,
Liz
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translab - fat graft - nothing else that i know of...
K ;D
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Same as K, Retro-fat graft-nothing else.
Dan in Germany
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Dan and K ... so you have no bone graft or plate ? ... do you have an indention at surgical site ? ... I was told it would fill in ... bone would grow toward center and I would have bone again ... it didn't happen ...edges just are rounded over now , not a sharp edge like say the edge of a coffee table ... but no growing together to fill in has occurred ... and with 3 year anniversary fast approaching I doubt it will ...
when I put my hand against the hole to sneeze I now feel something akin to a strong pulse beat instead of an actual bulging of what ever was pushing out against my hand in early days ... but if I feel a sneeze coming my hand still goes to site and I put pressure against it and it doesn't hurt as much as it does when a sneeze sneaks up on me and I don't get my hand to site ... the muscle and skin are real tight across indention now and feel hard even without bone ...looks odd on xrays and scans ... just an empty spot on right side where bone used to be ...
I was trying to figure it out in beginning ... a sneeze cough or vomiting all cause head pain ...vomitting will happen with me if I don't get a headache stopped which perpetuates the cycle ...
right after Halloween 2007 my daughter had a rubber skull filled with putty that you squeezed and his eyes bulges out ... I took it with me and showed it to my PCP and asked if it were possible that when my brain bulged against rim of hole like the skulls eyes bulging against the holes in his face where eyes belonged , if the rim of hole could irritate or bruise me from inside ... he said it could explain the sudden pain but he couldn't say for sure
searching for clues and answers ... thanks for input
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Nope...nothing to my knowledge. The fat dissolved so I do have a big depression there but don't notice it unless I put my hand up there. One weird thing I have noticed is that the skin back there between my ear & hair tends to get "drier & flakier" and the earring on that side always has an accumulation of gunk (I keep diamond studs in almost ALL the time - I am getting better about wearing other ones!). Gross, but true! :P
K ;D
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I have a hole in my head too - no plates, no replaced bone and no headaches. If I did get headaches when I sneezed, I'd be in serious trouble here these last few weeks - allergy season has been brutal so far this year!
Soundy, I doubt your sneezing would cause your brain to bulge against the edges of bone and cause pain. It's likely just the CSF around the brain that gets moved around, not your actual brain. Even if it were your brain moving, your brain has no pain receptors, which is why they can actually do brain surgery on conscious patients in some cases. (Fortunately, not in my case! )
Lori
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I have noticed is that the skin back there between my ear & hair tends to get "drier & flakier" and the earring on that side always has an accumulation of gunk (I keep diamond studs in almost ALL the time - I am getting better about wearing other ones!). Gross, but true! :P
K ;D
My skin in the back is the same way, thought it was just me and as always its not...thanks for info Kaybo, and not so gross..I can think of much worse.
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be it brain or CSF it hurts ... thought about show I watched where man was awake as they played with brain so he could talk to him ...just numbed his skin and knovcked him out long enough to get through skull then woke him up to work on brain and talked to him to mke sure they were not going to deep or something ... I am leaning towrd it being fluid early on that caused the bulge ... it even gave my regular doctor the willies ...
I was told once at ENT office to hold nose , close mouth and act as if I was going to blow out air to see if it would "pop" my ear and relieve pressure ... it didn't work but gave me a head ache and made the bulge happen ... I demonstrated it to my PCP after first taking a dose of hydrocodone when he took over trying to help me with headaches and it made him jump to hold my head and feel te movement ... glad it no longer does that and wish when it stopped moving it took head pain with it ...
they use some cleaners at school that makes me sneeze ...so I avoid upper hall in the morning when they clean rooms while 5-8 are in their specilty classes and avoind the lower halls when K-4 are in theirs ... and I carry a supply of Tylenol and hydrocodone and just in case my handy dandy stainless steel pill bottle doesn't find it's way to my pocket in the morning I have a stash at the nurses office
I also have dry skin over indention that flakes away falling down the side of my neck or it accumlates right behind my ear and turns to gross gunk in the crease if I get sweaty ... I guess sweat and flakes = gunk ... :( ... I scrub behind ears daily and apply prescription ointment that I use after sun exposure that kicks up lupus skin issues and it helps some ... what I don't get is that along the scar tends to be oily
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Soundy, Funny you say that about the guy awake during surgery, another AN friend just showed me this one...I am SO glad I was asleep!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjX6ErmKY14
Enjoy!
Liz
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I had something that was called duraseal (I think). It's an artificial bone substance, then a plate and screws. I have had post op headaches since about a month since my surgery, and sneezing brings on a deadly headache. On new meds now, waiting for some sign of improvement but nothing yet. I am thinking about trying accupuncture as my next step if these meds don't help. Has anyone had success with accupuncture for headache, mostly trigeminal pain?
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Soundy, If you feel a sneeze coming on. Pinch the skin between your nose and your upper lip really tight. This stops the sneeze for me every time. Bryan
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I had something that was called duraseal (I think). It's an artificial bone substance, then a plate and screws.
I also had duraseal as well, forgot about that stuff. Also for my CSF leak they used some sort of "fat" but not from my body. I didn't want to know...
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Sounds like surgeons do their shopping at Home Depot! Duraseal? I think we used that to fix something around here! :D
Lori
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Sounds like surgeons do their shopping at Home Depot! Duraseal? I think we used that to fix something around here! :D
Lori
They do ? They do shop at Home Depot ... I was told they used a black and Decker to drill through my skull :o ...
I have pinched that space with little help ... pinching nose itself works sometimes ....
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This is my 4th year since my AN was removed. I didn't have to have an MRI last year but this year I believe I am suppose to have one this fall and I am going to ask my neuro doc what did they do to fill in my head, cuz I really have no idea. I had to have 2 additional CSF surgeries where I believe they just pulled my skin tighter. I felt like I was missing something since I had been reading over the years on this site that folks had screws, fat graft, titanium plates, duraseal and stuff. Sounds like there are others like me who didn't have that procedure.
Fortunately I do not get head aches, only occasionally and aspirin has always helped me out. I only had headaches about 2-3 months prior to my AN being removed so I feel very fortunate. I have a large hole in the back of my head about 2 inches by 1 inch. I find it amazing how no one has ever asked to see my incision. I guess I am the nosiest person cuz when someone tells me they have had surgery, I am so curious to see their incision and usually ask to see it unless of course it is in a place that can't be seen :D
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TP -
what's in your head is usually part of your surgical or operative report. Together with conversations with my docs post op, that's how I know what's in mine.
Jan
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the bone flap was replaced and fixed with titanium mesh. Also had Fat implants. After more than 2 years my biggest (only real problem) is continuous headache. I have been on several medicines, tried Botox 3 times, electrical stimulation Tens Unit, Physical Therapy, and had nerve Blocks - to no real avail. Am now in second series of Trigeminal Nerve Blocks which are showing signs of reducing the symptoms. I am so happy to read that others are having trouble exercising - I can't go for a long walk anymore without generating headache. and OMGoodness, Sneezing is the Worst !! One sneeze will generate a bad migraine, one that puts me to bed.
Regular therapy helped me to battle depression that I was unaware of. And I'm now at least getting a little more optimistic that life will be better one of these days. I can sleep through the night now, so that is Huge. Life will get better - it will just take longer than I hoped it would. ;D
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IMO, retail therapy can solve just about anything!! ;)
K ;D
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Kaybo,
I agree. Can I borrow your credit card? ;)
Lori
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I hava a titanium plate as I said in a previous post and when I sneeze I get really bad headaches every time. I went to my primary care about this as the Neurosurgeon that did the surgery doesn't seem concerned about the headaches. I brought with me the March ANA newsletter on Post Op Headaches. He read the article while I was there and I asked if he thought I should have an Occipital Nerve Block. To decide about that he pressed on the occipital area to see if the pain would refer up to where I have my headaches at the top of my head and it didn't. Then he ordered x-rays to see where the plate was and if it was on the area on top of where I am having my headaches. He told me to take these x rays back to my neurosurgeon that did the surgery. I'm at wit's end because this neurosurgeon doesn't really listen and considers his job done now that he's taken the tumor.
Any suggestions? I'm taking Motrin and Tylenol every night for the middle of the night headaches and am worried about what it's doing to my liver and kidneys.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Mei Mei
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Find yourself a headache specialist. A neurologist who specializes in headaches, they were the only ones who listened to me...you just need to put your foot down and make them listen. Although they will probably want to try a bunch of drugs first so be a pain in their behinds and hopefully they will take you seriously. If not move on to the next...also if you find a different neurosurgeon who has an anesthesiologist on staff they might be willing to give it a try especially if you bring in the article. No offense, but your primary care probably has no clue what is going on.
Good luck!
Liz
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Dear Liz,
Thanks for the advice. I have a neurologist that's seen my father and googled him. He's really good but am not sure if he specializes in headaches. It's at least worth a visit and I'll bring the xray, MRI and article. He really listened to my father and spent 3 hours with him and really liked him, maybe he will spend some time with me. Who knows. It's worth a try. I'm so stressed from these headaches and I know that Post Op headaches have to be treated differently than other headaches because there is a Titanium plate involved in there.
Thanks for listening!
Mei Mei
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No problem Mei Mei, and if he can't help you he should be able to refer you to someone who can. Hang in there, it takes a while to get the right combo of meds and treatments to get the headaches under control.
Let me know how it goes!
Take care,
Liz