My 16 year old daughter underwent a craniotomy, laminectomy, duraplasty and placement of a titanium plate, 6 days ago. She is amazing, to say the least. Dr. Bejjani, here at UPMC in Pittsburgh is by far one of the leading expserts in ACM. We are vert lucky to have had him as her neurosurgeon. So far her recovery is as expected. She is in good spirits, and we are at home. Her biggest complaint in pain associated with the neck muscles, and an occasional throbbing hedache. She gets aggravated because she cant get comfortable and cant crack her neck. Today we are going to see the GP. I am mainly curious as to how long her recovery will take, and am concerned about school. So far rthey have been amazing and I believe it is after the 3rd week out, when they will send a teacher for at home tutoring. I am feeling guilty because I have to go back to work tomorrow and will be passing her off to my parents to care for, just for the day. I wish I could take more time off, but I used my weeks vacation for this. I do realize that caregivers too get burnt out, and am trying hard to share the responsibility. Anyways, I am just happy that it is done, and we are in the recovery stage.
Good lord I miss popping my neck. I haven't popped my neck since that surgery 8 years ago, and still can't stop myself from glaring at my wife when she gets those oh-so-satisfying cracks out.
It is good to hear that someone else had a fairly easy (all things considered) surgery. From some of the stories I've read here I was beginning to think I got REALLY lucky with my surgery (exactly what she had done, too!)
Those neck muscles like to not be used too much in chewing or smiling for now. Of course she wants to keep a positive attitude during recovery, but my biggest enemies during recovery were funny movies and steak. Hopefully she won't have this problem?
Good luck, and I hope things continue going well.
Dunnett Mama,
I am so happy for you and your daughter. It must be such a relief to be on the other side and just thinking about healing. Kids usually do so much better than us "old people' because they heal quicker and haven't had decades of damage done. I hope she continues to progress and feel better. Don't feel guilty I am sure she will be so happy to see you when you get home. I have a 16 year old girl too and distance sometimes is good. She'll be fine with your parents and probably appreciate you more when she sees you. Let us know how she is doing from time to time. Praying for you all.
Wendy
I have lived with ice and moist heat on my neck for the past six weeks since my surgery. I think that they work better than any of the pain medications or muscle relaxants. I have been off all pain meds and muscle relaxants since three weeks post-op. I think that the whole key is not letting the pain get ahead of you. The ice hurts for the first 10 minutes because of the metal plate but it really helps in the long-run - especially the muscle spasms.
On the school thing, I don't know if you have any family in the area who could help you care for her, but I would keep your daughter out of school until after Christmas. While children are really resilient, I feel like it is better to be safe than sorry with this surgery. There is so much that can go wrong post-operatively and children tend to over-step their limits just because they are not paying attention. Plus, if she goes back too soon, the school might not understand the seriousness of what she has been through and be willing to work with and accomodate some of the subtle neurological and cognitive deficits that she may encounter in the upcoming months as she continues to heal. So, if you can work something out, I think that doing her work from home would be helpful. At the same time, take care of yourself. Good luck! Go Stilers! (I grew up in Pittsburgh) Deep Peace, Fr. D
Thanks all! So far I have tried getting her to use ice...but any pressure or anything toucing her muscles hurt. The good news is she went 11 hours between pain meds last night, and got 8 hours of sleep, and this morning weaned herself to only one Norco instead of 2. So far she has been ok. At 16 I do worry about addiction. (although she needs zofran with the pain meds...due it making her stomach sick) I was wondering if anyone had any post op issues with sense of taste? Apparently everything tastes off to her and if there is a hint of salt, it tastes really salty. I am not sure if it is the elavil (which is the only other med that has that as possible side effect) or if it was somehow connected to the surgery. I am really amazed at how well and dast she is healing. I dont know that I would be as resilient as she is.
I have to agree with keeping her out of school until after Christmas. My daughter went back 3 weeks after and fell in the hallway. She also decided she could participate in gym cause it looked fun. She wound up missing the rest of the school year. Her home bound instructors were awesome and she finished her freshman year on the principal’s list. School is very tiring, and even with accommodations teens think they can do far more than they should. Keeping her out until January would be wise. Good luck!
Not to sound like a parrot, but I also think it’s a good idea to keep her home through Christmas. Things could go down hill quickly if someone bumped into her too hard. She could trip on backpacks left carelessly in the halls. And she would have no place to rest, if she began to feel tired. I speak from experience here. Although I am waaaaayyyyyy too old to still be in school, my dad accidentally bumped into me while trying to move some boxes. I couldn’t get out of bed for 2 days. As mom, I know how strong the “Mommy Instinct” can be, so I have no doubt you’ll do what’s best for her. You are both in my prayers!