Today marks 6 months since my surgery. Everything is pretty much back to my new normal aside from pressure on my temple and pain every time it rains or snows!
I also am noticing that the dimpling on my temple is sinking in more and more over time. Has anyone else experienced the indent after surgery? Is there anything anyone recommends doing for it? I am proud of my scars, but I am 25 years old and if it is getting worse in this short time frame, I can only imagine what it will be in 20 years. My surgeon mentioned at my 3 month visit that mine is one of the worst he has seen.
Also, I am still experiencing jaw pain and cannot fully open my mouth to its pre-op capacity. Does this get better with time? And if so, how long should I give it to get it checked out?
I am so thankful and blessed that these are my only remaining effects of the surgery.
I WAS 2 L8, COILING WAS NOT AN OPTION
BUT I DO HAVE A SUCKEN SPOT IN MY TEMPLE THAT SEEMS 2 HAVE GOTTEN WORSE AFTER A FEW MTHS. I WILL KEEP U IN MY PRAYERS
The dents in the head and āsinkholeā sort of feel does increase in timeā¦ Mine did anyway. I am 2 yrs next month and if I recall it was about a year later I settled in the the new shape of my headā¦ Luckily I have s ton of hair so no issues covering, and I didnāt get shavedā¦ My doc drew a line in the sand per sayā¦ The jaw also takes a good yearā¦ Perfectly normalā¦ No need to get it checked out. I was worried too and today no issues at all!
Iād say you are on the perfect road to recoveryā¦ Like you saidā¦ Blessed and embrace the scar
It took me a year before I started getting back to my self with gods help and prayers you will be ok but I would have the doctor check you just so you could have a peace of mind God bless Margaret
13yrs on post op and the jaw does have some restricted movement, I had to do jaw exercises post op which helped, maybe see your dr who may recommend you seeing a physiotherapist for some exercises to help improve the jaw discomfort. Re the temple dimpling ask the surgeon if there is anything that can be done in the long term if it worsens, I wear my hair in a style that doesn't draws attention away from the temple and that works for me. A
I am almost 2 years post clipping. I, too, developed quite a deep dent near the surgical site. Four weeks ago I had my plate and screws removed. I also had my neurosurgeon fill in the dent with cranial cement. I was very bruised and swollen after this procedure. Now that it has been four weeks, my swelling has gone down considerably and I am tentatively pleased with the results. The dent is no longer noticeable and I expect when the swelling goes down, to look just about normal.
My jaw pain and stiffness took almost a full year to subside. I used to stretch it with my fingers when I was reading at night. I would also make a point to "yawn" periodically throughout the day, stretching my jaw as wide as I could make it. They had to cut my jaw muscles again, during this recent surgery, so it is back to square one.
Hope this info helps you while you are recovering. It is quite a process.
Congratulations on your 6 month anniversary!!!
My craniomoty was 2-1/2 years ago and at times I still f eel the pressure when the weather changes rapidly.
Yes, my dent appeared also and is worse and then not as apparent in different types of weather. I parted my hair on the other side and it works beautifully.
I had jaw pain and it disappeared with time.
I had the jaw pain and it did subside over time. I also have a dent with a bony protrusion above it. Its been 8 years since my surgery and this condition hasn't caused me any trouble.
I will be 8 years postop this year and I too have a dent from my surgery. I was 25 when I had my surgery and to tell you the truth my dent is not any worse than it was one year postop. I think I am the only one who notices it really. Most people don't notice it until I point it out and it too is my only effect of my surgery. I never realized that the pressure I feel in my temple changes with weather, but since you mentioned this it makes sense! My jaw pain did go away over time and I am sure that yours will as well. We truly are some lucky people to have survived such an event! :)
I also have a dent which settles after some timeā¦ But yes I notice it more in the weather. Also the jaw settled down later on as well - although I am night grinder which does not helpā¦
Hi Cait! Congrats on your six months mark!! I have noticed my indent has gotten a little worse but probably not as bad as yours, I hope they heal a little better over time. My jaw was definitely feeling back to normal after a few months, so I do not think it would be a bad idea to talk to the doctor about yours still bothering you! Good luck with everything!
Hi Cait 390ā¦I had 2 surgeries the right one gave me lots of jaw pain for about 2 years I went for acupuncture and that helped somewhat and stretching wth massage feels good too. I have dents too but I like to call them sinkholes. Time makes it easier.
3 years post clipping and yes, my head is all "ridgy" and dented where the surgery was, but I part my hair on the side. Also I do get restricted movement in my jaw most days.
It has been 4-years since my craniotomy surgery. Following my surgery the dent in my skull felt large, painful and deep, but over the years it has filled in and now it is the size of a quarter with a slight indent. My Neurologist said, I heal well. I do take vitamins and a calcium supplement and exercise 3x a week. I do experience headaches and pain if it is cold or the wind or fans blow near my head. I wear hats or hoodies - most of the time.
I recall following my surgery, I did have jaw pain-the pain got better in time.
Cait I wish you healing and peace-you have come a long way.
I had a clipping about 12 years ago, I was 29 and they actually for lack of a better term " used putty" in and around the plate where they removed bone for access. I did not see a dent start to form until about 7 years post op. It has continued to increase in size and shape but I just wear my hair over that side and even when my hair is up, it's noticeable but not horribly deformed. They did say that I could elect to have some plastic surgery done, to fill in and contour that area but it's not that bad yet.
As for your jaw, mine still pops and aches everyday but I don't remember ever not being able to fully open my mouth. I would look into that immediately. Just my opinion. Also, I was told that once the aneurysm is clipped, it's gone for life...Well, I had an angio ct done every 2 years just to be on the safe side and my aneurysm redeveloped into a fusiform aneurysm that cannot be clipped. So, on 12-12-12 they put in a pipeline embolization device or P.E.D. for short. It's a flow diverting stent.
To make matters worse, I had gone to the same neuroradiologist for my last 2 angio cat scans and he missed my redeveloped fusiform aneurysm TWICE!!! So I walked around with a false sense of security for almost 4 years, all the while having a time bomb in my head... I don't mean to scare you but it's critical that you become your own advocate.
The jaw issue is normal post op; but the more you use it, the sooner it will go away. Push yourself; no pain, no gain.
The ādentā is normal too. Our brains are swollen when the put the plate in. The swelling can take 6 months or more to be back to normal so we are left with a dent. My hair covers most of it and no one can notice the area at the temple. I whacked it the other day and it hurt but back to normal today.
I had my surgery 13 months ago, am almost 67, and feel great!
Work on that jaw!
Yes, I have an indent too since surgery. I really don't pay attention to it as much as I did at first. I have changed the side I separate my hair since surgery to conceal the long thin scar, and it helps conceal the small indent as well. Don't know about persisting jaw pain. I had other issues. I'll be two years out of surgery next month, hard to believe. I can say, it gets better and better. Things that really bothered me, don't much anymore. I'm glad you had a good outcome. Wishing you the best!
I had a significant dent at my temple, where the temporals muscle was reflected during surgery. Less than a year later, I had a cranioplasty. My neurosurgeon filled in the area with a kind of cement. It looks great now. And a cranioplasty is a much smaller op than the craniotomy!
Cait, I am 26 years post craniotomy and clipping. I had jaw pain and difficulty opening my mouth fully for at least a year or two, maybe more, then it faded away. My dent was pretty deep but over the years it just seems to have smoothed out so you just can't see it any more! I can feel it a bit when I put my hand up to my head, but nobody would ever notice. Pain and all symptoms slowly disappeared over the first 5 years and after that I really felt I was the old me again. I have never had another problem, just living my life in thankfulness and gratitude that I have been given this second chance and with no deficits/disabilities. Good luck with your recovery, I was 26 when it happened to me so you have youth on your side which means healing goes faster. And healing goes on all the time, slowly but surely, even while you sleep. Make sure to get plenty of rest, its the miracle cure!
