Do I have a screw loose? UPDATE

[amymeri]

About 1/4 inch from my incision there is a tiny, hard bump that feels like the head of a pin under my skin.  It is tender, but there is no swelling, redness, drainage.  The skin over the area looks normal.  It is too hard to squish or flatten, it feels like a pinhead.

The site is 1 inch from the top of my retromastoid incision that is 3 months old.

I have a call in to the NS.

Could it be a screw coming out?

Amy

[Kathleen_Mc]

Amy" I can't think of why there would be a screw in there to come loose. Did you have dissolving sutures? Or possibly the underlying sutures were dissolving and one didn't and is working it's way to the surface, one of mine did that and they had to dig it out but that was within the first two weeks.
Kathleen

[HeadCase2]

Amy,
  Many surgeons do use titanium screws to secure the small circle of bone they took out to access the tumor, as part of the cranioplasty (repair, toward the end of surgery).  I can't imagine what would allow one of the screws to back out, but I suppose it's possible.  If you have a copy of your Surgery Report, it should give you more details on the methods the surgeons used for your particular surgery.  Ask your surgeon's admin person for a copy of the report.
  Kathleen may be right that it is a suture working it's way out.  Usually there are a few layers of sutures, related to the different layers of tissue closed up as the surgeons back their way out.
Regards,
  Rob
PS  If you're asking if you have a screw loose, we can't help you there. 
 

[Kathleen_Mc]

Headcase2: you're right about the replaced skull maybe being screwed down and there be a screw to loosen there, I didn't think of that because I didn't have the removed skull replaced but ?do they screw it in place? How would they do that?
Kathleen

[Raydean]

Could be, with all joking aside.  I think the politically correct term used is "free floating screw"
At least that was the termed used in Chet's surgical report for residual tumor surgery.  Yep right there in black and white in the middle of the report  there was mention of finding "a free floating screw"  I asked the Doctor if it meant what I thought it meant.  He replied yes.  So here i am, confirmed  that "my husband had a screw loose"

Gee after almost 36 years of marriage i dont think I needed a neurosurgeon to tell me that! <g>

Raydean

[amymeri]

Raydean

What did they do about the free floating screw?
 
I have a NS appt tomorrow

Amy

[Raydean]

Amy

I would talk to your NS, but in all honesty I would guess that it would be a suture or something else.
My husband was treated under emergency conditions by a medical team that wasn't experienced in the treatment of AN's (maybe 10 or so a year)  I have no doubts with the knowledge that you show in your posts that you assembled  a medical team that was experienced in the treatment of AN's.

In Chet's case the loose screw was discovered during his surgery for residual tumor and removed.in the process of the surgery.
   
I wasn't given the impression that this was a serious issue.  Please keep us updated on your situation

best to you
Raydean

[HeadCase2]

Amy,
  I'm still guessing that it's a suture.  !/4 inch from the incision is about right where they put sutures to close up the wound.  I had one suture that had a hard spot after the sutures where removed.  It slowly went away over about 4 weeks.
  Let us know what the doctor says.
Regards,
 Rob

[Boppie]

I had the thought at first reading that your hard spot was a knot or suture.  The stitches are just like blanket stitch in embroidery!  a little loop knot with that suture material would make a hard little bump.  I had a few little bumps like yours.  The hardest bumps dissappeared last as my incision healed.  As long as it is not red or really sore, I'd wait and see.

[Janet]

Kathleen,

I have my surgical report and it says that the bone flap was secured to the surrounding cranium with two TiMesh plates and 8 screws. It goes on to say that the dura was closed with suture and later the fascia was closed with suture as well. Suture and staples were used to close the skin. I left out some of the steps. I know there are different ways to close but this is one of them.

Janet

[Mtn Gal]

Hi all.  I don't have my surgical report, but I'm gonna ask for it.  Does a MRI show the plates and screws? 

Mtn Gal

[amymeri]

Saw the NP at my neurosurg office.  She said it is a screw and may or may not be backing out but  because the skin is intact and normal they just recommend I watch it and let them know if I experience increased pain, redness, swelling or skin breakdown.  And DON'T touch it. 

If it comes out (they have had 1 in 3 years from a patient with 2 surgeries and radiation-hence fragile skin) they will go in and remove the screw and put me on  antibiotics.  I hope it stays put!

Amy

[Battyp]

So now you can really say you have a screw loose in  your head if you screw up and make a mistake    Hope it doesn't give you any problems!

[Raydean]

Boy Amy, I'm going to go with you when you buy a lottery ticket.  First you grow a fairly rare tumor, now you got a screw loose, which must be pretty rare too.  (2 in three years for your Doctor) With thoses odds we're sure to win the lottery! 

Now i know Chet is pretty hard headed, having bumped heads a few times over the years, I'm guessing you're pretty hard headed too!! <g>

Amy, Chet's loose screw was found in the course of the surgery, otherwise we'd never of known.  It caused him no problems.  I'm hoping that your loose screw behaves itself too.

Thanks for keeping us updated
Raydean

[KatyB]

Hi Amy - new to the posting on this board but certainly not to the reading of it.  When Dr. Luxford from House called me about a year ago to see why I haven't had a followup MRI (a way 'nuther story), I told him I thought I had screw loose!  He just laughed and said no way.  Well, in my kind sweet mild mannered voice, I told him I begged to differ.  Yes, I have the same kind of bump you do and the only time it bothers me is if I lie on it just right - or wrong as the case may be.  He finally said it is possible he guessed and I'd need to get another MRI to check it out.  I told him that my op report said all the tumor was removed and no way was I going to get another MRI 'cause unless I have serious symptoms again I wasn't going to do anything about it anyway so I was trusting his and Dr. Schwartz's written report that the tumor was gone.  You could almost hear him shaking his head in wonderment.  At that point, I could also almost hear the light bulb go on in his brain when he realized that he could visualize again who he was talking to and remembered how we joked and carried on at the time of surgery.  So, anyway, both our spouses are now correct - we have a loose screw.!