Neck Pain or Neck Stiffness after Recovery from SAH

My father is a SAH survivor that was the resultant of a ruptured aneurysm. This happened in November 2016. It has been 1 year and 9 months since his open brain surgery and aneurysm clipping. He underwent different phases during his recovery. Alhamdulilah his recovery has been progressing very well. But recently, he has been complaining about neck pain, since last 10 days. Let me mention the neck pain is at the back of the neck, below the brain stem, which sometimes radiates to the right side of the neck until the back of his right ear. I find it necessary to mention that he had his surgery incision on the right side. Besides, currently he has no pain, redness, swelling, discharge or whatsoever on the site of incision. I also find it necessary to mention that when he was hospitalised due to SAH, the 1st thing he complained about was neck stiffness, which he thought was the result of a hard pillow and bad sleeping posture in the hospital. Later it was discovered that it was due to a ruptured aneurysm.
Now, his neck pain complain makes me really worried. Is this something serious or something common that SAH survivors suffer from? If yes, what can be the reason of this neck pain? Please respond asap.

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hi, this happened to me too for 1-2 yrs a cramp in neck, it will get better as the neck muscles strengthen, thank you for sharing- you are a great daughter to be involved! Oddly enough i just got over neck pain- a kink and i couldnt turn head to the left, so glad it healed. As you know the phases are temporary and all phases have gotten better but it takes 5 yrs for the later ones, hang in there, tc

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2 weeks in Ruptured Annie rushed ro AC, NJ Atlanticare. I have been very blessed aside from these horrible headaches and neck stiffness. I work for the Coast Guard and this down time has not been easy for me. I LOVE TO BE ON THE GO. How long before these headaches and neck pain go away. I also feel pressure where the surgery was done behind my right eye wall. Any thoughts??

Hi, hoping for a little advice, had SAH 7/6/18 coiled, every day that passed it seems something improved… quit smoking on that day it happened, that’s great, but I have been eating like a Horse, everything and anything, not good I know, so, what’s happening right now will help me start doing it right, my question is yesterday, I started getting a major pain behind the eye where the coil is and my neck is killing me, this the worst it has been since I got out,I guess my question is, when do I call my doctor about the pain? This feels like I might hav had an accident by maybe staining to much and moved the coil? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you. Good luck everyone…:heart:️:pray:

I did not have a SAH, but I had an aneurysm that was operated on. Then 2 weeks after going home, I had a massive headache, neck stiffened up, and I thought I would throw up and felt like I might die. The emergency team and a different vascular surgeon diagnosed me with a small SAH from my operation, they think I had a small leak. But the surgical team who did my operation insists I did not have a leak. Anyhow, I have still not lost my neck ache and it has been 9.5 months. It comes and goes, and is often really bad. It makes me wonder if there is a leak. The surgical team says that it is “normal” due the blood that leaked into the brain during the operation. It is hard to believe it is normal all this time later. But… before surgery, I was asked a few questions about neck pain. Somehow, neck pain must play a role of being a side effect or symptom with aneurysms/SAHs. Sorry don’t have an answer, just some info.

As a general rule of thumb any new or presistent headache or any migraine that is substainally different from “normal” for the person with the condition needs to be checked out.

I say call the doctor immediately.

azurelle