Questions posted in the
Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: Meningioma My 78yr old father had a benign meningioma surgically removed in August. He is currently in rehab at a nursing home. It has been and up and down ever since. He appears sleepy at times, has some mental confusion, and his motor coordination is off. He was doing well the first 2 1/2 weeks but now has difficulty in walking. His CT scan on 9/30 was excellant according to his neuro-surgeon. At times he appears to have like Parkinson symtoms, having difficulty feeding himself. I want to know if this is due to his type of surgery or do to the meds he is on or just due to the atmosphere of being in a nursing home. His short term memory comes and goes and his concentration is off. He doesn't converse much appearing to have his energy zapped out of hime. He showed us what he could do the first weeks until a urinary tract infection set him back. He has not been able to reach back to what he was doing intially. Is this normal? How long does it take to recover from such brain surgery? What else can you tell me regarding my dad's condition? Dear Mike: Sorry to hear about your father. We see things like you describe after neurosurgery, especially after a person becomes further along in age. Although the surgery to remove a memingoma is not particularly invasive (meaning that they did not remove a large part of his brain) it is still a surgery in the brain. As we age, the capacity to recover is decreased. I bet you can tell, as I can, that after working physically hard for a day we take longer to return to our normal selves. After surgery, the body needs to heal. In the case of your father, his brain was manipulated and cut on, so he will need time to heal. The infection probably also set him back some. Now, if you add his age, the problem becomes that much more. [How was he before the operation? Did he run everyday to keep in shape, lift weights? Did he shop on his own, keep his own records and checking account? Did he keep up the house, do all the chores, mow the lawn, rake the leaves, maintenance? Did he just read, watch TV, or ??? There are different levels that we are accustomed to living. It is usually they level of our tolerance or abilities. The less you father did before the surgery, the longer it will take him to recover. I would just hang-in there with him. Give him lots of support, show him your love by visiting alot, and things will come around. Let us know if we can help. Sincerely, CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS | |
