surgery recovery times for brain surgey

I wish you the best of luck, my brother was your age , and so was a friend of mine when they were told they had the same thing. My God be with you during your journey.

1 to 8 weeks is a lie. I had it over a month ago and am still healing. sorry but im not better at all.

I had surgery Feb. 2012 for golf ball sized meningioma. It is now Aug and have no clue as to what my recovery time is. My surgeon is simply scalpel in one hand, check in the other and don't bother me with questions. In 6 months I have yet to get one answer to any question. I still have dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, sleep 10-11 hrs a night, both my arms go to sleep from the shoulders down, and he simply asks... "what's your next question?". Also I fell multiple times a week at first, but that has decreased and I haven't had a fall in 2 weeks now. Very frustrating. In addition I've asked my primary doctor, have seen a rheumatologist, an ophthalmologist, and am scheduled for a sleep study because I make horrible loud noises in my sleep. Too bad you can't pick the personality of your doctor. I was actually scolded for being hospitalized 5 days rather than the 3 he wanted. Also, due to the location of my tumor (right frontal lobe) I had 2 neurosurgeons, as the primary surgeon was afraid I might have a stroke during surgery or leg problems and he didn't want to front all the responsibility. Praise God that HE is the Great Physician.

Wow, you have had quite an ordeal! My neurosurgeon answered my questions pre-op, but after the operation my neurologist told me he had "other patients" to see when I asked for an appointment two weeks after my operation!
Eights months after my meningioma I still have a numb right arm/shoulder; my neurologist can tell me absolutely nothing about why, how long it might last, etc. My neurosurgeon said he expected a 100% recovery. My guess is I may have the numbness forever!
Look at the bright side -- no falls in 2 weeks! I remember falling out of two cabs a few weeks after my surgery -- I'm sure the cabbie thought I must have been on something!! There IS light at the end of the tunnel; just keep on keeping on as we said in the 70's!

rngreen wrote:

Guest wrote:

I had an emergency cranieotomy 12/22/09 ... dr's removed a tumor from the right frontal lobe the size of cutie orange 2x2x2 1/2..... i was not symptomatic prior to the procedure they have diagnosed it as a GLIOBLASTOMY ... I was in ICU 1 night , reg room 1 night and went home the next day... did not require any type of therapy...I told them prior to the procedure that I would not need the therapist services.
i agree that your attitude and expectations has a lot to do w/ recovery. I start radiation and chemo in a couple of weeks. BUT AM DETERMINED TO BEAT THIS DIAGNOSIS... AS I HAVE MUCH MORE LIVING TO DO.. i am only 38...this is definitely a bump in the road but I REFUSE TO ACCEPT CANCER AND AM ONLY ACCEPTING GOD'S ULTIMATE HEALING.

I wish you the best of luck, my brother was your age , and so was a friend of mine when they were told they had the same thing. My God be with you during your journey.

Dear Guest,
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, Hang in there and keep your chin up. Don't listen to insensitive people who tell you about a deceased person who underwent brain surgery. If it is your time, nothing will keep you alive. If God is not calling you home, you still have a lot of living to do. Go gettem', Tiger!

Thanks for the feedback. I was supposed to get a call today from the burst....NOT! I'll just have to muddle on and trust that unless something bad happens, I'm recovering.

So, in 2009, I was diagnosed with a Hemangioblastoma. Within 1 week I was under the knife (the tumor has developed into a golfball sized mass and was crushing my cerebellum). 

 

The first 24 hours were a nightmare, as I react badly to opiates so I toughed it out without much in the way of pain meds post surgery. I don't recommend it if you don't have to. There was much vomiting. The second day, a bit better. I was still unable to move. Start of day 3, I could move, very limited, in my room. But oddly, the morning of day 4, I could get out of bed without too much issue, and was able to circumnavigate the hospital without assistance. That was all they needed and within 3.5 days of undergoing 6.5 hours of neurosurgery I was released from the hospital.  Within 4 weeks, I was back at work. I wanted very much to return sooner.

Granted, I did push things. I was driving at 2 weeks (NOT RECOMMENDED), but one of the symptoms post surgery was bad bouts of double vision when in a vehicle. Those no longer appeared after 5 weeks. 

I was 41 at the time of surgery. No other health related issues. I was extremely lucky to have the USF neurosurgical team at TGH do the procedure. 

TRUST GOD MORE THAN THE DOCTORS!!!

You are so correct, no physician can tell you when to expect a "full recovery" or when you should even feel better! For those who popped right back within months, I am happy for you, I had the same surgery and have been of +5 years. Scar tissue is common after this type of surgery which usually will cause seizures. There are alot of variables depending on the person. My condition was said to be fatal! BUT! God said otherwise. He is the Chief Physician. Pray! and when you pray, you cant worry! when you worry you cant pray! people better start learning to trust Jesus more and humans less!!!many wont agree but many more will agree !

I am on day 10 and already feeling pretty strong. I get tired after about 3 hours of being up and about and then rest. The actual wound from the deep cut in my neck is sore as they cut through muscle but generally I am impressed how good I feel.

I had a tumor the size of a mandrian orange removed in feb of 2012 and still am recovering hope to drive soon still doing rehab

I had a 3.5cm x 4.5cm  meningioma removed a year ago (I'm a 59 year old male). My only lingering effect is numbness in my right arm and shoulder. No pain, just slight numbness. My neurologist says she doesn't know what caused it (other than the removal operation), and doesn't anticipate that it will either get worse or better.

I recently had invasive brain surgery on Oct 31 2012 to correct a defect that was causing a cerebral spinal fluid leak. IIwas terrified when I heard the words "brain surgery", but at the same time I was leaking the fluid out of my nose and having terrible migraines. I went into surgery at 8:15 am and woke up about 2 pm. I was told that it would take 4-6 weeks to recover. I was released from the hospital the day after surgery. I am almost 4 weeks out and I am doing great! I am almost back to my normal routine and I am starting back to work this week. I hope that everyone that has to go through major surgery has the best results!

I had a craniotomy to remove a tumor about 3 months ago. I was surprised at how quickly I felt better. The worst part is the staples. It took a good 2 weeks for me to start to feel "normal" again. Just because I was very weak and exhausted. Naps are key!!! I went back to work after a month and have felt pretty normal. There are certain things like workouts that I am still trying to get back to, but my surgeon said just yesterday how great I am doing. Just don't rush yourself. I got frustrated because I don't sit well. I tried to overdo it the week after and passed out. Know your limits. Good luck to you!

Those of us who have had a crainiotomy which is preformed only when the tumor is too big to be removed by any other method need to remember one very important fact. Take care of yourself first. Seriously, do not go back to work if you are being pushed to do so. When you do go back, go back part time at first. Listen to your body. If it says you are tired, rest. If you are worried about some part of your body, see a specialist. NAG YOUR DOCTOR IF HE WON'T GIVE YOU A REFERRAL. You are the only one you can depend upon 100%. Others might try to help you, but in the end, it's just you and yourself who know your body best. I am 8 months post op. The surgical site still hurts. My hands don't work properly. I'm numb on the left side of my foot. My toes hurt. My neck hurts. I have headaches and have poor balance. My vision in my left eye is not correctable by glasses from the surgery.  I am going to hell in a handbasket and I think I am going to Mayo. Oh, I did have my back worked on (more fusions) 6 months prior to the crainiotomy. I have seen 7 specialists. Soon it will be time to go to Mayo. Soon. Wishing you all the best in the world, but please be proactive. There is an old joke about the operation being a success but the patient died. Be proactive!  I had a full body PET scan after a year of healing from my back.  If I had a tumor in my head, I wanted to know if there was a tumor anywhere else in my body.  That's what I mean!