Author Topic: Head pain 7 years post op  (Read 4810 times)

malegant2

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Head pain 7 years post op
« on: May 13, 2015, 05:21:12 am »
Dear Friends,

I hope all of you are doing ok. I have been experiencing unhappy symptoms and though I will of course go to my doc, I wanted to check in with the experts. (You may notice I have a new email/username:).

I have been experiencing head pain and neck pain a lot lately. Sometimes this wakes me in the middle of the night and I think I'm having a nightmare. It's weird. The rest of the time it just hurts near the incision and the entire right side of my head feels tight and painful. This seems very strange to me--what's the deal?

Marci

Anasazi42

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Re: Head pain 7 years post op
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2015, 07:58:40 am »
Hi. I'm a bit over four years since my retrosigmoid surgery for a 3.0+ cm AN. I too have bizarre but excruciating pain at the incision sight. This is not a headache/migraine per se, although I get those too. This is pain to the touch of, I guess, the mastoid bone. It's not constant but when it happens I cannot touch the area. If I roll over in my sleep onto that side of my head, the pain will actually wake me up. I have described this to my primary care doctor, my neorologist, my ENT, and they cannot explain it, do not know what it is, do not offer any theories about what it might be, and have not pursued it.

Part of what I feel is as you describe: tightness and pain near the incision site. It becomes very sensitive to the touch. Yet, at other times, there is no pain. I can feel around, wash my hair, brush my hair, wear glasses and the sensitivity, tenderness, and pain is gone. At other times, I cannot touch it. I have no explanation for this and haven't noticed a consistent pattern.
Diag. Dr. Saffran ENT 3-9-11; 45 yrs at time of diag. 3.5+ cm AN rt side; 9 hr retrosigmoid craniectomy 5-12-11 FL Hosp. South, Neurosurgeon Dr. Melvin Field; Gold wt implant
Post-op: facial para. (rt), double vision (cleared up), SSD, tinnitus, balance issues, ataxia, movement disorder

Boxer Mooch

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Re: Head pain 7 years post op
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2015, 01:36:19 pm »
I had translab surgery in May of 2014 and had a relatively quick recovery. However, since the surgery I get daily headaches all over my brain. I say brain as opposed to head because these headaches are different from any I have ever had before. They are painful but I can function and get through them without taking aspirin most days. I am hopeful that they subside the further out I am from my surgery.

Regarding the tightness near the incision, I, too, have had this sensation. Perhaps once a week for a brief period I will have this pain. I typically will try to find a soft pillow and lay down when this pain comes.

I can't say my neck has hurt once, but the brain pain is virtually a constant.

I visit with the surgeon in August and look forward to discussing the headaches with him.