After surgery

I had my operation in may and was fine till 2 mouths ago and the headaches have come back and my head feels bruised is this normal

I had a ruptured brain aneurysm last year and I’ve had headaches ever since. Tried tramadol, gabapentin, pregabalin, topamax and have just been prescribed sodium valproate to see if that will help. I’ve also been referred to a neurologist but haven’t seen them yet. :slight_smile:

Caroline… I had a clipping in March, no headaches till June. Now every month for 2-3 days straight. Migraines? Not sure. Headaches that found my Annie… As doc says, could have been a coincidence and headache had nothing to do with it. Was wishing the surgery was ‘the answer’ but seems like not the case. Bruised? My head felt damaged until about a month ago… Still a tiny bit numb but mostly feel good. Laying on that side is still a little uncomfortable but not painful. Hope this helps.
Sheryl

I think so, I had my surgeries in 2001/2002/2003 and 2004, I know my head hurt for awhile but it goes away. If you ever feel unsure about how you feel thought, I think you should call your doctors nurse, that's what I did and it made me feel better knowing that what I was feeling was ok.

My rupture and craniotomy was in April 1989 ad I had constant headaches for the first few years after it, gradually getting less and less. Got checked out and there were no more problems and to this day I suffer bouts of severe headaches 2 or 3 times a year. So for me it is 'normal'! I would say get it checked out medically and once everything is OK don't worry any more, its part of the healing process or whatever. Only thing that helps me is a paracetamol/codeine mixture which I get on prescription. The codeine is necessary, the paracetamol on its own doesn't work for me.

It's not unusual. In my case my headaches went away after a craniotomy but returned about 3 months later. Mine were caused by my very high blood pressure. Once I took care of that my headaches went away completely. It's takes a very long time for your head to heal completely. The skin heals pretty quickly but bone can take a couple of years to completely fuse together. Don't rush anything. Your head was violated in a big big way. Healing will take awhile. If you're really bothered by it call your dr. They won't mind. That's what they are there for.

After my craniotomy and clipping, I had no headaches at all, though I did have occasional pain in my head. Nurses would tell me that this was nerve-ends, and nothing to worry about. But the headaches I had regularly were gone for good, hallelujah! Hopefully, in time, maybe yours will too.

David Andrus, Hamilton, Ontario

At first my headaches were surgery related, around the shunt area. After 3 years they are more occasional and mostly weather related. Fioricet really helped initially but I was allergic. Vicodin is the only med that really works for me. As I mentioned before, I also use a vitamin B2 therapy for migraines-It was told to me by my neurologist-ask yours. Hang in there, it gets better over time.

Had terrible headaches for 3 months after

Caroline I was told also it was nerve endings and that it could last up to two years.
I have only ever had one big headache

I had ruptured aneurysm in January which was coiled and then had pipeline stent fitted about 6 weeks ago as the coils were dipping in. I have had a headache every day since my rupture, not severe though. Sometimes they get more intense and my gp thinks that they are stress headaches or muscle spasms in my scalp. I have another aneurysm which is being watched so am always a bit more wary. As far as I've been told it is normal and our brains are just recovering from what it's been through. I often get patches on my head which feel very bruised and like I've hit it which is really strange, no one seems to be able to explain that one

My partner had surgery on Oct 7 and it was a ruptured...thus not head ache before and for now healing

Are you not connected up still with your neurosurgeon. May recommend you start there?

Gavin Birch said:

I had a ruptured brain aneurysm last year and I've had headaches ever since. Tried tramadol, gabapentin, pregabalin, topamax and have just been prescribed sodium valproate to see if that will help. I've also been referred to a neurologist but haven't seen them yet. ☺

I had my clipping 9 years ago and still get headaches. I usually get fuzzy vision before the headache comes on. Some are terrible but most I have learned to deal with

Just hit my 1st anniversary of clipping on my unruptured aneurysm. My Annie was discovered by chance testing for frequent headaches. After my clipping, no headaches for several months. My neurosurgeon, whom is still see, has referred me to a neurologist to monitor headache, treat and medicate. She has been very helpful, I keep a headache diary that she studies, diagnoses and gives treatment recommendations for. I’m also on a maintenance dosage of Keppra, thankful for no seizures, but I have focal seizures (auras) that bring on or intensifies headaches. I smell smoke Weird, I know!
Good Luck, Felicia

I had migraine headaches every month that made me sick to my stomach until I was 48 yrs old when I had 3 brain aneurysms at once...Got them clipped, and a shunt, spent 3 months in the hospital & rehab, and it's been 19 yrs now and not one headache since...Also lost my ability to Dream..that was weird, but I don't miss the bad headaches at all. I also had a near death experience while in the ambulance to the emergency room. This experience left me with a whole new outlook on 'Go to the Light'

after death ordeal, that turned out to be a Wonderful reunion experience for me.

I was told my type of aneurysms were inherited, I never even heard of such a thing until after I experienced it myself, I had high blood pressure, but didn't know it at the time (the silent killer)

6 months after my 2 brain operations I went back to full time work for several years, and am now retired and enjoying every minute of it..I never could give up my cigarettes, but my blood pressure is stable at all times. So it doesn't affect it one bit.

My neurosurgeon told me I should not have anymore headaches..so get it checked out and find out the reason for them..Good Luck..

Check with your surgeon about your specific case. But yes, unfortunately headaches are now a part of my life. Not every day, and there are things you can do to mitigate: drink lots of water, limit computer time, etc. Meds if your doctor finds one that can help you. I try to only work from 9-3 each day and that helps.

I had my operation 2 years ago, started having daily headaches 2 months following surgery. After using extra strength tylenols, then advils, got advice from a dear one on this site to try Butterbur, which is an herb used for headaches. It greatly helped relieve the severity and the amount of tylenol/advil needed each day. Then I added B2 and Magnesium, cut out sugar completely from my diet, and now headaches are not an issue. I went back to work a year ago. Hope that helps. Bless you.

Joanne, Burlington, ON

Yes. My doctor prescribed steroids because of my brain possibly still swelling. And it helped.

Mine come with weather changes. Where does one get a quality magnesium supplement that has good absorption rate?