hello everyone 
so im 2 weeks post coiling and stenting of my 12mm aneurysm at my left main artery, close to the optical nerve. ive been in the hospital for 6 days where i had some strong headaches. but i rested alot and eventually felt better. about 8 days ago i got a horrible migraine though and it comes and goes ever since and i feel like im going mad. i have constant sharp pain behind my eye and in the temple area, two migraines came with very strong nausea, i take 500mg paracetamol every 5h but it doesnt help and i cant take anything else. ive been to the er where they checked if i have a bleed which i dont (*very good, but i didnt expect to have one). i got my period 8 days ago so that might be related but it doesnt stop. on friday it was so bad that i was screaming and crying and i had to hold my head as strong as i could to handle the pain. i went to do an emergency acupuncture and it helped me relax. the pain stayed but way less strong and bearable. im exhausted and still in pain and nauseated and im scared that it wont go away. my left side has been hurting constantly since 2 weeks before the aneurysm was found and im going crazy. the surgeon says that the coiling an the procedure doenst hurt, the neurologist says that it makes sense that it hurts since it was a big surgery and theres some trauma and others say i just need to rest. my left eye also hurts almost all the time and im exhausted.
did anyone else suffer crazy strong headaches after coiling and stenting? is this normal? and what helped you? how long did you have it and did it eventually go away? is this normal??
thank you so much, im happy for any answers or emotional support. i hate wining and im actually pretty tough with pain but it scares me and leaves me a little hopeless because the pain feels constant and its exhausting (and i sleep from like 9pm to 7am, im exhausted… ok… most nights i wake up from the pain and am awake for 1 to 2h… then i listen to anti pain meditation and try to relax…)
thank you so much, olivia
First off Olivia. you are NOT whining. You are in pain, a neurological pain. When you hurt your arm, it’s your arm that aches, it affects your arm. Give it 6-8weeks and your arm has healed. Neurosurgery is like no other surgery, it doesn’t just affect a particular part of the body, it can affect absolutely EVERYTHING and IMO being that you are merely 2weeks post surgery your body is still adjusting to its new normal.
I am not saying this to scare you, not at all. I have had the misfortune to endure 6 neurosurgeries and no two have been the same. My most recent was in 2013 and still today I battle daily symptoms from nauseating pain to tingles to temperature fluctuations etc. Like you my eyes are heavily affected. I explain it to others by saying “At times I’m tempted to dig my eyes out with a teaspoon” the pain is just beyond measure and when others suggest paracetamol I want to scream, a sugar tablet is as much use as paracetamol against pain like this. I was working fulltime, but very much to my dismay I have been unable to return to work and have had to resign, which was very much a soul destroying process.
“… the surgeon says that the coiling an the procedure doesn’t hurt…” YEA RIGHT, that’s what their textbooks tell them. None of them have ever had the surgery, so their information is all secondhand or what they have read. I was told “The brain itself has no pain receptors, so it can’t feel pain…” and this may be so BUT I can tell you the pain is very real. The brain may have no receptors but when they enter your skull the brain has a covering called the meninges and it does have such receptors, now this can heal with time, but it does take time. That pain IS constant and is real don’t be letting anyone tell you it’s not, no matter how much the profess otherwise. My best advice is to take the time you need and your body needs to adjust, find something/anything that can occupy your mind because constantly thinking about nothing but pain can drive you crazy. And if you need to vent (and we all do) come talk to us, we know from experience, not a book.
Merl from Moderator Support
Hi Olivia. I had my surgery (coiling and stenting) 2 years ago and still experience headaches. I’m actually going though a rough week in a half. Honestly it’s sucks and for me feels very scary. This is why I back on the forum… I was looking for info on what others say about headaches post surgery. Hang in there. I had a lot more headaches months after surgery. They are better now, but it still sucks when I’m going though a rough patch. A friend of mine reminds me that this may be my new normal. Feel better and know you have us to support you 