I had an aneurysm behind my right eye 20 years ago. My only symptom was an occular migraine which I was going to ignore but my sis-in-law insisted I went to the emergency room and I was in there the next day having brain surgery. I thank my lucky stars because it was the size of the end of my thumb. I had no problems up until now. I had a fall a couple of months ago. I fell on my face hard, got a black eye but I was ok. About a month ago, I noticed an indentation in the top of my head which was getting bigger. I had a CT scan and apparently I have a 5 inch crack in my skull. A hairline fracture at the one of the burrs which happened during the surgery (I was not aware) turned into this crack. Everyone is being hush hush about what is going to happen next so if anyone else has had the same problem, please tell me something. I am going to a neurologist next week but it seems like I can't get any straight answers from anybody.
For all of you who are facing this surgery, I know it is terrifying but you must get it taken care of. I am lucky enough to have been able to see my kids grow up and as I said I had no problems until now. The worst part of the experience for me was having to lay still, flat on my back for 24 hours after the surgery until the swelling went down.
If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to answer them for you.
I presume you had clipping surgery. If so, the burr holes are used as a entry point for a bone saw. The saw cust approximately +-5 inches depending on the surgeon. The cracked by the saw will not mend like other bones in our body but become more fiberous. You may notice on some of the CT slides thin lines that look like lightbulb filiment. These would be the stainless steel suture wires that hold the skull bones together. It is these suture wires that are the source of my wife's head pain/migraines. Just this past Friday we demonstrated to her Neurologist how a simple compass needle can trigger the head pain. Now he has a simple and cheap technique to test any other patients who may have similar circumstances. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post.
Have a great day and don't worry about the bone crack - it's your battle scar!
OH, wow, thank you so much for responding. I hope this is what it is as it has appeared from nowhere as a dent in my head. You have made me feel much better. I will post what happens when I visit the neurologist.
Juie...welcome, and I am so glad for you Ed was here to respond...
D o you know what may have caused your fall and dwre you aware of it occurring or after your face hit?
Over these past 20 years yo uwere blessed with the support of you s-i-l; he surgery and your wonderful 20 years..and, to have been here with your family...
Julie, this must be e.s.p...I just signed on to your response.
Once again, you have been blessed...even tho you have this crack needing repair "healing"...of some fashion...from initial surgery, the more recent fall, the successful cataract treatment...and now you brought a new definition to "crack" which we have read / heard thru media coverage...
You are truly god-gifted... which should continue on...in finding the top notch neurosurgeon...
For current protection, is there anything explained /offered; i.e. wig or some other band, blanking on terms...to protect a head area... from impact, i.e. MVA or other trip/fall. Please have your long list of questions for your next appointment...ask about the status of your dura matter (if some thing is included, i.e a mesh before the plate, etc..)
You may also want to note here what area / location you live...to solicit input from others in your area where you may get less hush hush...and, more explanation... Please also have family / advocate with you during your appointments to help with questions / answers.
Continued prayers for treatment...w/many more grand years...
I have a 3-4" long indentation between my bone flap and the rest of my skull that is about as wide as my ring finger and about half as deep. The explanation for this is that the same incision site was used for two surgeries (two weeks apart) and that the bones just didn’t cede together properly. It is my battle scar. But, it has been there from the beginning. It is only an issue because it makes for asymetrical hairdos and it hurts like h*** if I bump my head.
This occurred 43 years ago so considering the technology at that time, I know that I’m truly blessed for this dent to have been one of the very few side effects I had of two craniotomies.
When you talk to your neurologist, please ask him/her to help you understand what are the long terms risks, if any, for you to live with your “crack”.
I pray that your crack will not be a reason for you to worry about your health and that God grant you His peace.
Yes, at first, they thought it was the muscle also but the CT Scan proved them wrong....hope you don't have too many problems with that. They told me that if it were the muscle, it would affect the use of my jaw. Thank you for responding.