Head symptoms about 8 months after clipping

Support
1

Hi all!

Hope you are all well!

I am writing beyond exasperated and tired with this all, but very much hoping to hear if anyone has had the same experience as me please. This is always a great place to hear about the experiences of others.

I had a craniotomy and clipping done on an unruptured aneurysm on my left ICA just behind my eye about 8 months ago (maybe a shade more). My recovery has been up and down but the past few months have been great - I’ve been back into running and doing about 30km a week, started a new job etc. etc. so have been very busy and certainly really exerting myself.

In recent weeks I’ve started having:

  • Weird headaches that seem not to have any kind of rhyme or reason -sometimes they’re at the back of my head, sometimes the front when I bend forward, sometimes sharp and only for a few seconds, but more often than not they’re pressure type headaches;
  • Occasionally a clicking sound in my head;
  • Neck pain that comes and goes across days;
  • Some ear ringing;
  • Some pressure behind my eyes, sometimes the left and sometimes the right;
  • Some weird feeling behind it when moving my eye, especially the right one (so other side to surgery).
  • Chest pain on the left side (albeit I think this is totally unrelated).

I went and had a full eye exam a few days ago where they put the drops in and look at the back of your eyes. They were very positive - they said it was amazing the work the neuro did which meant that I don’t have any vision problems in my left eye after surgery (aneurysm was very close to optic nerve). They also had a good look for any signs of new brain issues like tumour or aneurysm (as much as one can do in an eye exam) and said nothing looked abnormal and they weren’t seeing any issues.

I also had a CT two months ago which was all clear (albeit it was non-contrast so may not show tumour or unruptured aneurysm I don’t think).

I have booked in to have an MRI next week, but I was wondering if anyone else had symptoms like this 8-9 months post op? It’s so frustrating because I was really starting to get back into my groove and pushing myself hard again, and now I feel like I am back in limbo.

Hoping I’ve just over-exerted myself!!

Thanks again :slight_smile:

RB

1 Like
2

Wow 30 klicks! I’m impressed, that’s round 18 ½ miles I think.never had a craniotomy so I don’t know what post craniotomy issues come up. I did have sharp pain headaches at the back and towards the bottom, my neurosurgeon called them ice pick headaches felt more like a drawbore to me and lasted a lot more than the supposed few seconds. But I got those more before I ruptured and she as well as the Neurologist said most likely due to stress or the wonky vertebrae in my neck. The only headaches the neurosurgeon is concerned with are the ones on my left side in a specific spot. Fortunately the stent has stopped those.

Let your doctor know what’s going on, please! Also follow Dr. Q-W’s mantra for headaches - hydrate, eat protein, hydrate some more, rest, repeat. I hope someone who’s had a craniotomy can help.

2 Likes
3

I had a craniotomy 3 yrs ago, yes the clicking it will go away I still have horrible headaches and sharp pains but I think this will always be I rest alt now seems I get tired very quickly

3 Likes
4

Don’t push yourself it is a lifetime of healing I am 3 yrs out and get exhausted easily I found rest rest rest!

3 Likes
5

I had a clipping for an unruptured aneurysm in 2006. My headaches have persisted after 18 years. The headaches are random in where they occur. The only thing that I can tell you is that they are worse when the weather changes. I was advised that it takes your body at least a year to heal after a craniotomy. Getting back your physical strength is fantastic. Give yourself some grace on your recovery.

5 Likes
6

I’m impressed with your running. I had a craniotomy for an unruptured right MC aneurysm. That clicking drove me mad lol. It stopped close to two years out. Ive noticed things shift a bit over time. Initially, i had a lot of heat and cold sensitivity where i have plates and screws. The first year, I
felt little nerve zaps as my skin surface regained feeling-had the same with hand surgery like the nerves were regenerating. The fatigue is sometimes unexpected in relation to activity level. A consistent amount of walking helps me. I’ve had some concerning headaches, some migraines etc. Some by the surgery site and some very shoet random ones-my eyesight can fluctuate also. I have a bit of a weather head now when it’s going to rain/snow. Make sure you have your hardware list for the MRI-they recommend particular machine strength to prevent injury. I hope all is well!

3 Likes
7

Thanks for the reply - that’s really helpful to know! Yes absolutely RE hardware - was a real mission to get everyone on the same page about the type of clip etc, but I ended up getting all the original packaging and details emailed to me so I have it going forward :slight_smile:

1 Like
8

Thanks :slight_smile:

9

Thank you for the response :slight_smile:

10

Wow good going for 8 months in, just take it easy.
I was always training before my left MCA clipping back in November 2013 (unruptered)
Even now I still have the odd headache.
I still run twice a week but take my time.
Yes it can be frustrating but trust me take your time and take care.

Oh yes you reminded me of the hassle about the info on type of clip for MRI the avenues I had to go to get the compatible information for MRI
Take it easy curious 1

1 Like
12

I am going into 8 months recovery from a clipping on the back of my brain my anurysym was 16mm. Now down to 2.5 I still get very tired. I sleep alot being back to work is difficult but I make it thru and go home and sleep. I get very foggy at times . I still have memory issues. I get stiff in my neck too at times . My skull was cracked for operation it is still numb . Nerve pain has gone down a bit but I still have that as well. Hang in there we are all in this together.

4 Likes
13

Good Morning Angela! You’ve respond to a topic that’s just a little old. If no one responds, I will close it in a few days. You can tell an older topic from a newer one because older ones show month and year. We get more interaction on ones within a few months or days. You may want to start a new topic, we all need positivity in our lives!

All the best,
Moltroub

14

Thank you

1 Like
15

Just weighing in here about headaches and also the upcoming MRI I had a craniotomy and a clipping of an unruptured brain aneurysm in 2009. I have another brain aneurysm that is not treatable.

Headaches are just part of my life now. They weren’t prior to this event, but now they are—pretty much every day. I do have some medicine I can take that sometimes helps, but it takes about 40 minutes to work if one tablet will help, and another 40 minutes, if a second tablet will help, and then two more hours if a different tablet is needed once, followed by two additional hours if that different tablet is needed a second time. It’s rare that I go through this entire sequence, but at least it’s an option.

I know how excited you must be to be so physically active again and I am thrilled for you. Please evaluate the relative value you place on having this type of physical exercise in your daily life versus managing the symptoms that you have listed. I’m not certain that if you cut back on your running, the symptoms would improve, but if you would like to see the symptoms reduced, I think it is certainly worth a try to see if you can strike a balance between reducing symptoms and keeping a certain amount of exercise in your life.

Everyone’s priorities are different. For that reason, I don’t want to assume that that what works for one person will necessarily be a benefit to another individual. You will know what is right for you.

As for the MRI, when I had my brain aneurysm clipped, my neurosurgeon did not have a standardized paperwork form to give me regarding the hardware that was in my head and its MRI clearance. This took me several years to unravel, and it was only at a chance encounter with a different neurosurgeon, I consulted regarding a subsequent spinal injury, that he said the magic words “operative report.”

Once I knew the correct term, I went back to the medical records department at the hospital where I had my brain aneurysm surgery and requested the “operative report.” I keep a scanned copy of that on my iPhone that I can email or display to the MRI technician because they need to know the specific names, part numbers, and MRI tolerance for each piece of metal that is in my head.

In addition, I wear a medical bracelet that has an inscription on the interior surface bearing my name on the first line, “brain aneurysm clip” on the second line and “Max MRI: 1.5 Tesla” on the third line. This is very important for me because today’s MRI machines are made at 3.0 Tesla, which is the strength of the magnets. Since I have an older clip done when MRI machines only had 1.5 Tesla magnets, that is what the tolerance clearance of my clip is. If they were to put me in a machine with today’s 3.0 Tesla magnets, it could dislodge my aneurysm clip, and I could bleed out and die on the table. I am always sure that my family members are aware of this information engraved on my medical bracelet as well so in case I were ever taken in unconscious, they would still know that vital information.

2 Likes
16

I’m truly happy I forgot to close this old topic, you’ve provided some really great information ! Let’s see if I can remember in a day or two…

1 Like