Craniotomy recovery.

[Niccismart]

At what point does the swelling, pain,etc end? My mother had a craniotomy 3 mths ago and was told it would be 3-6 mths recovery period but she is still no better the swelling continues to go up and down from day to day and still has black eyes the wound itself suprisingly seems to be healing up quite nicely. There just seems to be no answer's from anywhere whatsoever pls help anyone i'd just like to know whats noral and what's not after the operation and to have some sort of time scale to work with as a rough guide as to where she should be in her recovery any answers or suggestions would be much appreciated thx.

[Niccismart]

I thank you for your reply to my problems any information you can give really is much appreciated. She also has a condition called fibromyalgia which i guess really doesn't help matters. I have been in touch with the surgeons for some more follow up appointments that with hopefully shed some more light on our difficulties thnx again keep in touch and maybe i'll beable to help u some day x

[kkbeth]

I had a craniotomy in 2005 w/ complications.  The Neurolo/surgeon  told me that recovery was 6 months, but it would take at least year to feel more back to normal.  My stamina is much better, but when I'm really tired I still have pressure headaches when standing up.  Good sleep is extremely beneficial to me.  I had regular visits to my neurosurgeon throughout the first year of recovery.  You should definitely ask your neuro/sugeon.  Hopefully this helps.

[Caliber2005]

Hi,
How is your mother feeling now? Is she fine? Has her swelling come down? The swelling will remain and would usually recover. Pain remains for a longer time and generally it is been taken care by pain management specialist. Teach her some breathing and relaxation exercise with which she would feel better and she would find her recovery faster.
Blackening around the eyes may be collection of blood, which will get settled in approximately six weeks.
I think as she is recovering and her other system function are normal, there is no concern to worry, but any time if you feel some new symptoms are developing, the you should definitely report to neurosurgeon.
Has physiotherapy been started for her?
Keep me informed about her disease progression and her general well being.
Bye.

[Niccismart]

thankyou for the reply. the surgery was performed to remove a meningioma (if thats spelt right) that was damaging my optic nerves and pituitary gland. there was no trauma to her face before hand and no complications were mentioned by anyone post-surgery. she has no bleeding disorders and a completely normal urine in and out take. she is taking a steroid (hydrocortisone) to replace the hormone missing due to the damaged pituitary gland. i apologise if i have already sent you this but i am new to this siteand nothing told me my coments had been posted pls bare with me thanx.

[Caliber2005]

Hi,
Did the doctor mention about any complication post-surgery? Why was the craniotomy performed? Did she have any trauma to her face before surgery?
Does she have any bleeding disorder?
How is her urine output daily?
Bye.