Post op one sided head pain/sensitivity

[lasel22]

My scalp on the right/top side part of my head is sensitive to touch and feels touch differently like it is somewhat numb but not entirely numb.  It's about the size of a softball in area and hurts if I rub my head, like wash my hair.  It is nowhere near the incision and the left side of my head feels completely normal.  Is this normal and will go away in time, if anyone knows or went through something similar? I did not have a patch harvested from my scalp either.  I didn't have a patch at all.  He opened the dura, removed herniated tonsils and then stitched dura back up.

Thanks for any feedback.

[KerriC1]

Thank you lasel, I'm hoping a new ns will shed some light on all these symptoms and the incision. And I'm very glad you got an answer as to your pain.  Hopefully it goes away very soon and stays away!

[lasel22]

Just letting everyone know I did ask my NS about this and he said it should get better over time and that it is coming from the small nerve endings within the soft tissue.  So I guess that makes two, my primary and my NS, that think it will go away.
KerriC1, I'm sorry you were brushed off, I hate when doctors do that.  I hope your incision gets better.

If I remember I'll post when/if it went away in case any future members have the same problem and wonder how long it took to get better.

[KerriC1]

My heart goes out to this lady and her family. What an awful thing to have happen, especially a preventable accident . I will also pray for her, that she makes a full recovery with no risidual issues.

And lasel, I inderstand your reluctance in contacting your dr. I let a lot of things slide thinking they were normal or probably no big deal, but you never know until you call. I had a choking spell at 4 weeks post op and contacted their office, and didn't get a response that day. So I called the next day and then just kinda got brushed off. I now have a large dent along the incision which he says could be from the muscle ripping..... But no guidance on what to do. So if you feel something isn't right push for some answers!

Let us know what you find out

[selmaS]

  Well I will send prayers out to her regardless...but hard to post a thread....prayers to you as well hoping you will not need to make that call

                                   : )

[lasel22]

No, I don't know her name.  It was only our husbands that spoke together.  she has two young children too that hasn't seen their parents in a while.  so sad, and could have been prevented if they just put the bar up on the hospital bed.
I will contact my doctor if by next week it hasn't lessened.  I do know the left side felt similar right after surgery for a few days and that went away.  and I do know the right side is tighter right now, so if things don't improve by next Monday i'll call.  I know that's an office day too, so someone should be there to answer my question.  thanks for the advice.

[selmaS]

  I understand your reluctance to contact the Dr...but until the Dr says it is ok or normal healing how will you know? Let the Dr decide what is needing of attention and what is not.....it will help you relax more knowing for sure.

Do you have this woman's name? I would like to post a prayer thread.

[lasel22]

i haven't called the doctors office about it yet.  I guess I should?  I don't have any fluid build up or anything and the incision looks great.  I do have more muscle pain on the right side of my neck though.  so, i'm wondering if the increased muscle tension on the right side is entrapping the occipital nerves.  the pain follows the paths of both the greater and lesser occipital nerve.  the left side of my head and muscles feel completely normal already like I never had surgery, so I guess that's a positive.  i'm trying to stretch more and I just started using a heating pad.  the thought of a heating pad right away on the incision freaked me out like I could breed an infection with increased heat.  I don't know, probably silly thinking like that, but I waited till things have healed up pretty good.  Also, the pain is only noticeable when I touch my head, if I don't touch it or rub it in anyway there isn't much pain, that's why I think it's just an angry nerve.

I try not to bother doctors with silly questions when I know they are dealing with much more serious issues.  

Separate issue, but thought I'd share since this women could use our prayers.  My husband met another husband where he was staying during my surgery and found out his wife had pfd and fusion and was doing well until she fell out of bed hit the front of her head with such force that a screw popped out, hit an artery, caused a stroke, and she fell into a coma. she had to go in for an emergency surgery by another surgeon since her surgeon was in surgery and I believe she has come out of her coma but she's been in the hospital for at least a month.  I feel so bad for her.  Then I think of bothering my doctor with a silly question like this when things like this happen and need their attention more.

[selmaS]

So no dura patch at all...and they are sure there is no leak?...hmmmm

[Emme80]

the halo did cause me a little issue...it tired down(about 2-2&1/2" laceration) my scalp(but that was on my left side-not the right where I had the "Big Squishy" turned "Big Brick")...it scanned up big time but would break open. Finally healed now though. However, all hair in that surrounding area (I'd say the size of a fairly large orange) all came out in clumps. So, I now have a large bald spot (for the 1st time in my life, I found a reason to love the massively thick mane I have. I have toooo much hair! But, if I didn't have this much hair, it would be VERY visible!), some new growth is showing though.
However, I will say that that whole area is as numb as can be....feels very strange-burning kind of surface pain. But nothing actually painful (I've been heavily inundated by the hard mass/mound though, so I tend to forget the little pains. (Except my neck- I'm totally freakin' with the neck pain I feel now). But even if the halo pins didn't cut&trip your scalp like mine, maybe it pressed hard on a nerve & that's what it is. Could easily be the nerve dealio you mentioned.
I do hope it feels better soon. Did they put you in any nerve pain medication? (I was already on it previously- I don't like it but he asked me to stay on it for a little while after the surgery).
P.S. I DO plan on updating the details of what my "issue" was (is)...I'm find it hard to write my own post about it-to gather my thoughts correctly, as I want to focus on making it clear enough that were somebody else to encounter it, they'd read something that's not all over the place, like I am now :/
I hope the numbness does go away for you soon though.

[lasel22]

No, they did not harvest any tissue for a patch.  I actually didn't have a patch put in at all.  He removes the tonsils and then stitches the dura back together.  I've heard about the halo issues too.

I was just at my PCP to get some stitches out and he thinks it's just nerve irritation that takes a while to go back to normal.  I also did some searching on this site and similar symptoms happened to other members and I believe it resolved, just took some time.

[selmaS]

@ lasel22- did they harvest tissue for your dura patch? I had some numbness and it was up and to the right of the decompression scar....I did have tissue harvested and it was in that area plus you should consider it was from the halo as I know some that have had lingering issues from where those screws were placed during the procedure.

[lasel22]

I'm glad yours started to improve.  Mine isn't near the incision.  it's above it and to the right.  I think its from the occipital nerve.  I think it got irritated when the muscles were lifted off the neck, I just hope it goes back to normal.  I don't have any pain on the left side at all, or near the incision, it's just this weird nerve pain now on the upper back part of the right side of my head.

[KerriC1]

I also had issues with numbness along and to the sides of the incision. My scalp would feel strange and even my hair brushing against it felt tender.  That part has gotten better so I am assuming it's nerves. I now have this sunken in dent that is the length of the incision and a kinda babies soft spot at the top of it. I hope your numb and irritated scalp feeling passes soon for you and you start to feel better!

[lasel22]

thanks for the feedback but I don't think it is from a leak. I think it's probably from nerve irritation and I just hope it goes away in time.

What is the dr going to do about your problem? Will you need another surgery to "fix things"?

[Emme80]

huh. at first I got all excited b/c I thought I could offer great insight- due to my "area" that hurt which was the top (then gravitated towards the bottom of skull. But, as you know, my "spot" was also a hugely raised mound of squishy that turned hard as a brick, but less pointy mound when it gravitated towards bottom-(it's still a hard raised mass but not as...pointy raised mound-the size of a softball/fit inside of my cupped hand-whole hand)  BUT, and I'm trying to focus enough to explain what mine was (is) on my thread, but I get all sleepy when trying to compose it correctly). The difference is, I DID have tissue harvested from my scalp-with a small CSF leak I learned, along with "collected fluids" to fill that space, is what created the big squishy mound. I was told that (now being a hard&still extremely painful flatter "brick") that it shows on CT as basically a hematoma/ seroma hardening up to create scar tissue/like a under scalp scab...these are the kinds of things I was told that are now developing.
But, how you described the numb but not numb, too tender to touch, not totally near the incision, etc., it totally rings bells for what mine kind of felt like(but mine was a very visible mound And I did have the dura patch tissue taken from under scalp). So, even though you didn't have tissue taken-perhaps you still developed a hematoma/collected fluids under there anyways...given the scalp was still cut open, there's perhaps a chance the was some CSF leakage in there along w/the "collected fluids" as a reaction to the incision & it settled there. It just sure sounds a LOT like mine(except like I sad, mine being so easily visible and very easily palpable..didn't need to really FEEL for it, as it was so clearly visibly a mound). I don't know... But the was the sensation us reminds me of my "collected fluids" under scalp...maybe you do have that even without the factor of NO tissue taken...
Hmmm...at first when I started reading I got excited, thinking that's like MY "Squishy turned brick"...but the whole no tissue taken from you throws me off.
Essentially, this "answer" was of no real help I guess  :/
Sorry it hurts-I DO understand not being able to rub shampoo in...I couldn't (still can't) even lay my read on the right side on my pillow.
I hope someone else has much better help / insight than this "answer"...no answer though-just a response I suppose :/
Also hope it fades assay for soon!