Question - Does anyone have skull pain?

I'm post surgery nearly four years - had a clipping for a right MCA. My skull continues to indent more it was removed and I have actual skull aches on a relatively regular basis. I'm wondering if others share similar experiences.

Hello yes I have the same and I had my right side coiled four years ago too but I am told it is natural to experience this

My surgery was 1 yr. ago in Dec. I have several skull dents and occasionally skull pain. I was told to live with them also.

Melissa
Yes I do I had my clipping November 2013 (left MCA).
I do tend to get pain a lot more now especially along the scar line and the odd twinge around the burhole.
I have been told by my neuro surgeon that this is normal and could last up to 2 years, some people have told me that they still get pain after 5 years, also don’t forget that it is a lot of trauma once they open up your head and a lot of nerves that are trying to grow back.
Sometimes a little shooting pain around my left eye as my left eye was swollen after the op.
Take care

I agree with Mavis and Jacbar in that it has been 5 1/2 years for me and I still get sharp pains in the area where the aneurysms were. Sometimes the skin hurts across the area where the incision was made. Sometimes there is a tingling. Sometimes an ache. Sometimes a true headache. I was told it has to do with the surgery rather than the aneurysms, the nerves being cut, rather than the brain being damaged.

1 Like

I had fairly constant headaches, for several months after my craniotomy. They were nowhere as painful as avm stroke headaches. If anyone has a shunt (I have two), what I remember about the pains I experienced when my first shunt went bad is that there were extremely sharp pains, up around my temples.

I am also post surgery almost 4 years- SAH- right side coiled- I asked my neuro why my skull was SO indented where they removed and replaced it, and would it ever "fill in?" The answer was NO. But- I have no pain along these indentations- in fact this area is fairly numb.

1 Like

I also have a dent that is over 5 years old, and it IS filling in a little at a time. It is no way as obvious as it was in the beginning.

Mine seems to be doing the opposite - it keeps caving in more and more.

I had my clip surgery in March 2012 coming up on my 3rd year and I have battled severe head pain through the entire time. I have a team of doctors and have tried so many treatments and medicines, experienced bad reactions, allergic reactions and still no resolution. I read a post a few weeks ago about someone that found relief when the doctor suggested that the hypothalamus gland was damaged.

As far as I can tell there are so many possibilities of head pain once your skull has be opened and the brain has been handled. All of the brain specialists I work with have admitted that “although they know a lot about the brain, there is so much more that we don’t know” it is a process of working through standard medical & alternative medical treatment to find what works best for each individual.

I’ll be seeing another neurologist in a couple of weeks, perhaps there will be a new answer?

When I asked why all this lingering pain, memory loss and over stimulation problems with my brain, my neurosurgeon said “it’s just the way your body has responded to what has happened to it” now what can you say to that?

Best of healing to all of you! I know there’s so much to learn in our recovery :heart:

1 Like

Oh, yeah, bytheway, I'm not sure when it happened, but the indentations, for me, eventually, nearly, ceased to exist.

I'll keep my fingers crossed. Thanks.

I am just 3 months out post clipping and I just developed a dent in on top of my left eyebrow about 1in long and 1/2 wide! I have the dent on the side if my eyebrow where they cut the muscles but that doesn’t bother me nearly as much as this new dent that formed! The theory is that once the swelling subsided is when the dent appeared. The area is still tender and zapping nerves a lot. I know I am in early recovery, but I can’t imagine this all happening 4 years after surgery! Hope they can help you figure it out!

Oh heavens yes!!! Actually, where the cut and removal of the section was made; I have a very large indentation that if you didn't know what it was might look like a deformity. My hair covers it though at the base of my scalp but yes, over the years my indentation has deepened but I'm still here!!!

I have started soaking in liquid magnesium in a foot bath, it seems to help . A great reference book to read to help heal yourself is "The Magnesium Miracle" by Dr. Carolyn Dean

I purchase my magnesium on a site called Health-and-Wisdom.com there is so much information on their sight as well. I find Lavender Essential oil helps too.

I am not affiliated with either of those but I am all about natural healing and finding out about what Drs. do not seem to be able to answer.

I wish you all much luck in healing, it is a long road and even though I have found things to help, I still at times experience many symptoms still to this day 6 years later.

My daughter just went to the doctors to discuss sharp pains that last only seconds and gets on both sides of her head. She had two ruptured annies a year and a half ago. I will keep you posted of the outcome as we find out.

I have been having this and wondered why and what was wrong. It feels like a bad bruise in top in my head and I touch it then the next minute I touch it and pain is gone strange!! Scary too afraid it’s the aneursym since they could not clip or coil mine.

I don't even want to say how long mine has been. I had a major 'blow out' on the basilar artery near the brain stem then three months later another surgery/clipping for another unruptured aneurysm. Yes, I have skull indents that I can feel, I don't think they are noticeable to others though. And yes, they are tender and I have skull aches and I still have migraines on an ongoing basis and have small seizures. Had one big seizure but on more seizure meds to hopefully prevent that from ever happening again.

Our aneurysms are brain trauma, some not so traumatizing as others or maybe some of us have stubborn brains that don't want to get over the trauma it endured. LOL

Hang in there Melissa, I know this isn't easy. But we are all in this together and we are survivors for a reason.

God Bless You.

Barb

I am 3 years out from a PICA clipping and I used to get the pain all the time but I work for a general surgeon and he injected my scar with Marcaine and Dexamethasone. I had to have it injected a couple time over the first 2 years but I have had barely any pain now so I call it a success. Maybe it's something you could ask your PCP about.

I'm 1-1/2 years post surgery and the indent seems to be getting "more indented". Occasionally I have pain in that area, but not regularly. What does your doc say about your aches?