Craniotomy recovery

[JennyFaye42]

I had a craniotomy for a 3 cm meningioma in the temporal region on April 8 2013. I have recovered well but I am still having a good deal of swelling in the area of the skull flap. How long will this persist? How long will it take for the bone gap to fill in?

[JennyFaye42]

Thank you so much for your advice and support!

[spitfire2]

Hi there,
The swelling will probably take a few more weeks to come down completely.  If you are talking about the slight indentations and bumps from the craniotomy itself, they won't disappear. The bumps and the scar will be hidden by your hair, so it's not too much to worry about.  The slight  indentation feeling from the craniotomy of course will always be there, but again not too obvious.  Whatever numbness or soreness you feel usually gets better after like 6 months, which is usually how long it takes for nerves to regenerate.  Don't go out and do too much, though....give yourself a chance to recuperate too! :)  Takes some time.  I also had a craniotomy in order to perform a temporal lobectomy for a temporal lobe tumor and refractory epilepsy, so you have my sympathy!  Good luck to you.