Hi all. I am so happy to have found this community!! Wishing everyone a safe journey and adding my hand as one more to hold.
I am three months post flow diverter surgery and still have headaches. They are not bad and don’t really need a pain reliever but they are noticeable. Most are little flares that last from a few seconds to maybe 10 seconds and come and go in sets like waves. Some are more dull. Some are stabs. Mostly on the side of the surgery but few on other side too. Has anyone experienced this ?
We are glad you found us! Thank you so much for starting a new topic. Isn’t it great to have a hand held? It also leaves one to hold for another’s journey. I had a different stent used on me but it seems every time my neurosurgeon was in my brain, headaches came with the procedure. None so bad as the first but that’s because I had ruptured.
With headaches I sometimes get now, I still follow Dr. Quintero-Wolfe’s advice which is really a mantra - hydrate, eat protein, hydrate some more, rest and repeat. It’s often the best thing that helps me. I try to stay away from OTCs because the neurologist I saw shortly after being released explained they can cause secondary headaches so I stick with his advice of not using them more than three times a week. Dr. Q-W or her NP is only concerned when I have a headache in a specific spot on my left side due to where I ruptured. It is one of the many reasons I received a stent during the pandemic.
Of course the first thing I should have asked is if you’ve let your surgeon know what is going on. Did you? If not let them know. If you have a patient portal, I was taught that is the easiest and fastest way to contact the surgeon’s team.
Another thing I would recommend is something I’ve learned from other members and that is to keep a headache diary. I’m pretty sure Dr. Yapundich my first neurologist recommended one but when I was his patient I had them 24/7. Bending over, bright lights, loud sounds all did me in. I learned to work my garden on my knees and to keep my neck parallel with the ground. Truth be told, I’m horrible at keeping a diary of any type, so there’s that too. Hopefully you’re not like me.
Welcome again and thanks for starting a new topic! Give other members time to respond.