ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Post-Treatment => Topic started by: mindyandy on March 23, 2012, 10:14:07 am
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I am now just over 2 weeks post op and seem to be doing fairly well. ;D I do have a few questions to those post op vetrans. My incision looks good. Seems to be healing nice but I'm wondering how long does it take for the small amount of swelling I have to go down? It is not a large amount. I emailed Dr. Friedman and asked and he says maybe 1 month. Not much help there so I figured I'd ask all of you guys.
I guess I just don't know how it should feel 2 weeks out....LOL
Mindy
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Hi Mindy .....
I had minor swelling for quite some time ..... don't remember how long now. The main thing to watch for is redness and/or pain in the incision site (tenderness is normal, but not severe pain). I pulled a couple of stitches out a month later. Funny story: I saw Dr. Friedman in Cincinnati (ANA Symposium) a month after my surgery. While there I felt something really hard/sharp near the incision so I asked him to look at it. He told me it was a stitch and would work its way out. Sure enough, about a week later it was out far enough to pull and out came a piece of black thread. Never had that happen with the two previous surgeries.
Clarice
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OMG Clarice. Was that a stitch that should have dissolved or a stitch that got missed when they take them out? I have no pains other than the normal aches and etc. I had a nurse that I work with look and the incision looks good. No redness. Slight swelling around the incision which from what I had read here and what others said is normal. I have been sleeping on the incision and laying on it just like normal and it feels fine. I guess I am just curious. LOL
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In my case swelling was gone in 3 to 4 weeks. I did have numbness in the area above my ear, not around the incision. The surgeon advised that the numbness was scalp nerves involved in the craniotomy and it would go away. It has improved as I do have some feeling now and the numb area is about half the size it was 5 months ago. It was really numb for about 2 months.
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My swelling only lasted a few weeks - the numbness was what stayed with me for a long time.
Jan
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Mindy ~
Based on my experience and from what I've read from other AN surgery patients here, Dr. Friedman's estimate of about a month for the swelling to go down seems accurate. However, in my case, it was well over six months, post-op, before I could comfortably sleep on the incision and about a year for the incision site to regain near-normal sensation (numbness abated). It's fine now (almost 6 years later) and I never think about it.
Jim
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Mindy,
How are you doing otherwise? How is the dizziness? Did you say you're back at work? You seem to be in pretty good spirits two weeks post-op.
Lisa
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Hi Lisa. Yes I went back to work today. I did leave 2 hours early due to fatigue but otherwise it went well. My dizziness is getting better. I am still unstable when I get really tired. I still do not turn my head back and forth quickly. I am improving. Like to doctor says walk walk walk. I seem to be doing well. One day at a time. ;D
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Jim
I am able to sleep on the incision. I was able to after they took the stitches out. I'm a stomach / side sleeper so I kinda forced it but it never bothered me when I tried so I lay on it. I do hope its safe to do/??? Nobody said I couldnt? I believe I remember the nurses in the hospital saying they encourage it. I am very numb. Numb numb numb....LOL
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That's so great to hear you're back to work after only 2 weeks! If you don't mind me asking, what kind of work do you do? Is it a desk job or are you up and about? And are you driving as well? Sorry to pester you, I'm just hoping I'll wind up with similar results. It sounds like you're doing exceptionally well. :)
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Manders it is not a bother to ask questions. I have a desk job. I work as a medical receptionist at a clinic. So I do not lift or bend 90 degrees. I also work as a CNA but I only pick up shifts when I have time. I know I cannot work as a CNA until probably mid next month or when I feel able to do so.
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Dang... I was impressed that you were back to work after only two weeks... I took off two months and probably could have used another month, but I am on my feet a lot and it's night shift so that's a double whammy there! Just goes to show everyone that not all outcomes are equal and your results WILL vary! It took a few months for my swelling to go down as well, and I always slept with AN side up...even now, after 2+ years it bothers me to sleep on that side...i've just gotten so used to it! :)
Jay
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I'm a medical receptionist too! What a coincidence. :) I agree with Jay that two weeks does seem really quick but aside from the fatigue I don't think sitting at my desk at work should be too taxing. I hope not anyway! I also teach Zumba but I know that it's going to take much longer than 2 weeks for me to be able to start that up again.
Jay, you mentioned that it bothers you to sleep on the side you had your surgery, why is that? Is it painful?
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Going to chime in here on the sleeping on incision side comments .....
I'm wondering if the type/place of incision has any bearing on sleeping comfort. My first two craniotomies were retrosigmoid (one on each side) and I slept on the surgery side almost from the very beginning with little or no discomfort. However, my third one was translab and it still (at 10 months later) is not very comfortable sleeping on that side. I do sleep on it because my back and shoulder get sore if I stay on one side all night, but I much prefer sleeping on my good side. Not sure if it is also partly because I like to sleep with my deaf ear (surgery side) up ..... much quieter that way. ;D
All of my doctors said it was OK to sleep on the surgery side as soon as I was comfortable ..... that it would not hurt anything.
Clarice
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Thanks for chiming in Clarice. I guess what type of approach you had makes a difference. I had retro like you so I don't find it uncomfortable. I can imagine it would be with translab.
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Oh dear, I'm having translab and I'm definitely a side sleeper. What exactly makes it uncomfortable to sleep on once the incision has healed?
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Just general tenderness in the area since nerves and muscles are affected with the incision. The pressure of laying on it can hurt and can be different for each person. Can be some swelling for a time or for some isn't. There can be numbness. I've had surgery on both sides and it varied in time for each side. I've had both mid fossa and translab. Now can't remember which was longer before could be comfortable sleeping on that side. I know sometime it was weeks. It was March 23rd 2006 when had the translab so 6 yrs ago and then the darn CSF leak and back in again. That was the facial neuroma surgery. Hard to believe it's been 6 yrs. Tried more than one position with different pillows so could even lay for a short time on the surgery side as got tired of laying on the other side and my back. Cheryl R
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Thanks guys. I had retro & I feel a small squishy lump behind my ear on the top part of incision. Not painful and there is no leaking. Could have been there right after surgery? Im just now getting nerves to touch it. Its not big I just don't know whats normal.
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Mindy, my neurosurgeon explained to me that as the occipital nerves rewire I will be feeling a lot of strange sensations. You are only 2 weeks out, so I think that what you are feeling is entirely normal. It took me much longer than that to get sensation on the back of my head, and when I did it felt really funny. For example I touched my head on one spot and it felt like I was touching another spot. Remember that the muscle and the nerves have been cut, and nerves need a lot of time to regenerate. Also, as swelling subsides your head will feel differently.
I must say that I still cannot sleep comfortably on my AN side (and I am a side sleeper). It doesn't hurt, but it still feels weird.
Marianna
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Manders, in answer to your question on why it's hard to sleep on my AN side, It hink a lot of it has to do with the fact I had all the surgeries for my BAHA. I had the original surgery, then it didn't heal right, so I had the abutment taken out and then another surgery to cover it all up to heal my scalp. That right there was a lot of stitches. Then another surgery to put the abutment back in. So that's probably why my scalp just feels werid on that side, even now. Plus I like sleeping on the good side cuz my mostly deaf ear is up and I can't hear anything which would wake me up, so its my own little ear muff, so to speak!! :)
Jay
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So, Jay, it sounds like for you it was more of the BAHA surgeries than the translab making sleeping on your AN side uncomfortable. I'm hoping and praying mine doesn't bother me after surgery. I'm already a restless sleeper and that would just be one more thing to keep me up at night.
I'll have to be sure to ask the surgeons about that at my pre-op sesh next week.
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Manders, I had Translab 9 weeks ago tomorrow. I am a side sleeper and started trying it within a week post op. I think after 2-3 weeks it didn't bother me much and now not at all ( sleeping) subject. I have no head aches, no facial problems. My left taste buds are still funky, but no big deal. Just tell yourself it's just a couple of weeks for some of the tough stuff. And really, what is a couple of weeks in the big picture. who are you having operate on you?
Stephanie
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Stephanie,
I'm already psyching myself up to be prepared for the first few weeks following surgery. I know they'll be the biggest hump to get over and it'll just get better from there. I guess I got a little concerned when I heard others say that they never really got comfortable with sleeping on their AN side again. I can go a couple weeks without doing that but not forever. lol I'm glad to hear you were able to go back to sleeping regularly on your side.
I'm having surgery at the Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Woodson and Dr. Gonzalez-Martinez.
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I'm at 4 weeks post Translab surgery. I still have a few bumps around the incision area and some numbness as well. Besides that I feel pretty much back to normal.
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Tx-anp >:D
I had surgery March 7th so im 1 week behind you. Im back at work & doing good. Where did you have surgery? I had mine at House. Dr. Friedman & Dr Schwartz both are.very good.
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It took me about 3 weeks before I could sleep on my side where I had the surgery. It's pretty much back to normal for me now at 4 weeks. I always liked to sleep on either my side or my stomach. It was uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach as well because of where they took the fat out. The only problem I found now is that when I sleep on my stomach and my good ear is on the pillow I can't hear my alarm clock to get up for work. That's not good... :)
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Re: not hearing an alarm .....
I found the ring tone called "Digital" on my iPhone will wake the dead so I use that ..... but I also have a Shake Awake alarm that I can clip right to my pillow, for those occasions where I dare not oversleep (air flights, etc.).
Clarice