What are alarming signs after brain surgery?

[zazery]

My dad has had high blood pressure for the last few years even with medicine to bring it down. With no medical history, other than high blood pressure, he had a Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal) seizure a couple weeks ago. In emergency the doctors discovered he had a larger Meningioma tumor on the right side of the brain above the ear. The next day he was operated on and was recovering well in the hospital with no pain or discomfort.

Now that he is home and on slightly different medication (Dilantin) to keep the swelling down. He is having mild to aggravating headaches as well as throwing up and high blood pressure (177/95). We found out he's allergic to Codine so he has been taking Tylenol extra strength which hasn't helped much. The surgeon isn't very responsive to questions and a meeting usually lasts less than a minute (not exaggerating).

My question is what is normal to expect after the surgery and when should we worry and take him to the emergency again?

Thanks,
Eric

[frankduff]

I had a brain tumor removed in June 2003
i went through a lot I lost my family My wife she didnt support me before the surgery or after she wasnt even at the Hospital at all my parents were but that's it then they took me home afterwards, I dont have any support now except for the VA Program that i am in for mental Illness/ Substance Abuse I go to AA but i made more friends when I went to NA they didnt judge me but some always did at both places I didnt meet anyone except my best friend who lived here and helped me for 8 months Melissa she move din with her boyfriend and he doses not like her to see me at all Nothing ever happened we were not sexual involved but he doest believe her so i lost that support of my best friend that I loved it hurts i don't have a girlfriend she was doing the shopping and the cooking and the cleaning she helped me Now i have no help at all i have a case manager who was coming by here but she is the program director so sometimes she is busy and does not meet with me, I told the other female case manager Tammie that i need that contact and i am alone now I don't have anyone as a friend female right now there is a big whole thing I mean as far as companionship goes and friendship too.

Frank Duffey

[zazery]

Hi Godofredo MD,

I had read your post on the 21st but didn't get a chance to reply until now. Now that we have an idea of what to look for it allows us to relax a lot better.

He is doing much better now. After talking with another doctor, she suggested taking Advil and Tylenol to bring down the headache. He had a cold but it seems to have gone away now. The results from his blood work show that he is slightly anemic and needs his Dilantin adjusted because something is too low. I'm don't remember what exactly.

Once again, thanks for all the help!
Eric

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

Most of what kt40er posted is correct. It is actually very helpful for persons who have gone through these procedures to tell their experiences so that others can learn of and from them.

The major risks of brain surgery include infection, bleeding (stroke), and seizures. You should be wary of symptoms that may be suggestive of any of these, including severe vomiting, sudden change in sensorium, sudden loss of consciousness, and severe convulsions.

Headache, dizziness, vomiting (to some degree) and increased pressure can be expected post-surgery. The absence of these immediately prior to discharge could be due to the medications that have been given while confined in the hospital. However, if these symptoms persist, a re-evaluation by the neurosurgeon is needed.

If your father's pain does not go away, or some drug adverse reactions occur, he should, indeed, have his medication changed by his doctor. If he does not want to, you should have a second opinion from another physician.

Hope this helps.

[zazery]

Hi Katie,

Thank you for the quick response. We will definitely look out for fluid accumulation from the surgical area as well as a very runny nose. His headache has gone down and hopefully in the next couple of days it will be gone completely.

Sorry to hear you had to have another surgery but I'm glad everything went well. Best of luck in your recovery.

Eric

[kt40er]

Hi Eric,

I had surgery to remove a meningioma on August 10th.  First I'd recommend that you call your dad's neuro-surgeon and get a new pain prescription for him.  He should not have to suffer in pain, plus the body needs rest to be able to heal and if he is in pain rest may be hard to get.  If his Dr. is not responsive; remember that no matter how great he is, he is working for you/your dad.  Hound him if necessary.

Post-operatively I was told to watch out for any fluid accumulation at the surgical site.  Also to watch out for a very runny nose, either of those could be indicative of a cerebral-spinal fluid leak.  At 6 weeks post-op I actually did develop such a leak and had a second surgery to repair that.  Your dad should not be doing any heavy lifting or any straining, both of those activities can put unwanted pressure on the surgical area and cause a leak.

Due to the location of my meningioma, seizures were not a major concern; however I would certainly watch your dad for those.  If his behavior seems "off", if his balance is off, his ability to speak is different, all of those are worthy of contacting the neuro-surgeon.

I am not a medical person, but those are the things that I remembered after going through my surgery.  Best of luck to you and your dad in his recovery.

Katie