I couldn't agree more with eveything you said about recovery! It is so easy to think of brain surgery as other forms of surgery that it can be a six or so week process to recover. Even other types of surgery can take months to recover from, so it only makes sense that brain surgery is a long road. I too, was shocked at how long it took to get a lot of the areas of my life back in working condition. It seems like every part of my body - not just my brain - was affected by the surgery.
There is a longterm general weakness after a crainiotomy and cyst fenestration. You describe the procedure very similar to the way I do, with your brain basically being a computer and you are going in to have it rebooted, even taken apart in a sense. Because it is what controls the rest of your body, your body can be slow to reboot.
I had a lot, and I mean "a lot" of fatigue after both of my surgeries. I had a lot of poor muscle control and general malaise. I had to rest a lot, got headaches a lot, and I had my mother there to help with my very young boys for three weeks after the surgery. I only had help for one week after the second surgery. After that, it was all me. I would get so tired, dizzy, headaches, I mean grocery shopping was a huge feat for me. And what I grew to realize and succumb to was that there wasn't anything I could do to change it, or speed it along...except maybe rest. I just went a long for the ride and stopped having too many expectations from myself. I went with the flow, so to speak and let my body do what it was going to do. It seemed like the less I thought about it, the quicker I would notice something coming back. Like, when I quit thinking about how hard it was to prepare dinner, how tired I got, one night I made it and did not feel very disoriented or fatigued, and it surprised me. And suddenly everything was like that....grocery shopping eventually wasn't so hard, I could drive further distances etc. I quit focusing on it, just did things, and gradually I was closer and closer to my old self.
It does take a long while to fully recover. I think I was well over a year out before I had recouped from my fenestration and then (4 months later) the shunt surgery. It took a long while to feel "normal" again. Actually, truth be told, I still do not feel "normal". I still have trouble with fatigue, head pain, dizziness, muscle weakness, eye trouble, balance issues etc. But these symptoms are now mostly caused by my chiari and brain sagging. So no, I am not the "old" person I was, but as far as recovering from the surgeries itself, I did.
I think patience and lowering your expectations of yourself are biggies. Asking for help is another. As Pat said, no one is going to just assume you need your toilets cleaned unless you ask. And most friends and family are willing to help as long as they are asked.
Take care, get lots of rest, and just try to go with the flow. I think you will surprise yourself at how suddenly, old feelings and energy levels return when you put it out of your mind - as hard as that sounds to do.
Good luck with your recovery! My thoughts and prayers are with you!!
Maria
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Hi Melanie,
I couldn't agree more with eveything you said about recovery! It is so easy to think of brain surgery as other forms of surgery that it can be a six or so week process to recover. Even other types of surgery can take months to recover from, so it only makes sense that brain surgery is a long road. I too, was shocked at how long it took to get a lot of the areas of my life back in working condition. It seems like every part of my body - not just my brain - was affected by the surgery.
There is a longterm general weakness after a crainiotomy and cyst fenestration. You describe the procedure very similar to the way I do, with your brain basically being a computer and you are going in to have it rebooted, even taken apart in a sense. Because it is what controls the rest of your body, your body can be slow to reboot.
I had a lot, and I mean "a lot" of fatigue after both of my surgeries. I had a lot of poor muscle control and general malaise. I had to rest a lot, got headaches a lot, and I had my mother there to help with my very young boys for three weeks after the surgery. I only had help for one week after the second surgery. After that, it was all me. I would get so tired, dizzy, headaches, I mean grocery shopping was a huge feat for me. And what I grew to realize and succumb to was that there wasn't anything I could do to change it, or speed it along...except maybe rest. I just went a long for the ride and stopped having too many expectations from myself. I went with the flow, so to speak and let my body do what it was going to do. It seemed like the less I thought about it, the quicker I would notice something coming back. Like, when I quit thinking about how hard it was to prepare dinner, how tired I got, one night I made it and did not feel very disoriented or fatigued, and it surprised me. And suddenly everything was like that....grocery shopping eventually wasn't so hard, I could drive further distances etc. I quit focusing on it, just did things, and gradually I was closer and closer to my old self.
It does take a long while to fully recover. I think I was well over a year out before I had recouped from my fenestration and then (4 months later) the shunt surgery. It took a long while to feel "normal" again. Actually, truth be told, I still do not feel "normal". I still have trouble with fatigue, head pain, dizziness, muscle weakness, eye trouble, balance issues etc. But these symptoms are now mostly caused by my chiari and brain sagging. So no, I am not the "old" person I was, but as far as recovering from the surgeries itself, I did.
I think patience and lowering your expectations of yourself are biggies. Asking for help is another. As Pat said, no one is going to just assume you need your toilets cleaned unless you ask. And most friends and family are willing to help as long as they are asked.
Take care, get lots of rest, and just try to go with the flow. I think you will surprise yourself at how suddenly, old feelings and energy levels return when you put it out of your mind - as hard as that sounds to do.
Good luck with your recovery! My thoughts and prayers are with you!!
March 12, 2010 - 3:27amMaria
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