Hi to everyone
I am now 8 months post craniotomy on the right temporal lobe for an unruptured AVM (SM1). Everything has gone well so far. A few days ago I had a programmed angiogram that confirmed full obliteration of the AVM. No seizures, headaches or other side effects to date. Fully operational at work and some physical activity when I have the time…Still on precautionary antiepileptic medication (keppra at 750 mg a day now) with a view to fully eliminate it in a month time or so. Cross fingers it will go on like that. Hope the best to everyone out there.
Thx
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It’s great to hear a positive story post craniotomy.
Just wish we all had the same outcome.
What wonderful news! I can’t wait until I hear those exact words from my doctor’s. As a matter of fact, we are all anxious to hear those magic words: "It’s gone! Congratulations. Post like this encourages me to keep fighting and I will. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon D…
That is fantastic!
, not necessarily in that order!
Thx!!
Good luck for the future, nice to hear a good ending…
Great to see this, always welcome news! Take Care, John.
That is awesome news.
Hi @Lazaros, good to hear from you! And with such positive news! Congratulations! That sounds like a smooth recovery. Can I ask a question, did you suffer fatigue and if so, how did you cope with it? As I am 4,5 months post op, and I still struggle with fatigue and quick overstimulation. Thanks, many greetings, Karin
Hi Karen. Hope u will fully recover sooner than later and get back to normal.
As far as fatigue is concerned:
Post operation I took one month leave of absence from work. During this period I was sleeping quite a lot and I got tired easier than normal. But that is very much expected post craniotomy. So I was sleeping as much as I can (not a bad thing at the end of the day…), I had daily yoga type breathing sessions to stay calm, I paid attention to my diet, adding some food supplements (such as Alpha Lipoic Acid and Magnesium and juices mixing oranges, grape fruits with ginger and curcuma). I abstained from smartphones and Ipads as I soon realized that trying to focus on the screen was accelerating the fatigue. That is not the same with books or TV. From the second week onwards I was taking walks in the neighborhood, every day adding more time. During the first three months I was taking Keppra at 1.500 mg a day (have reduced thereafter). Your body will need some time to adjust to this medicine (or similar ones) and it may add to the fatigue feeling in the first few weeks but then you get used to it. One month post operation I got back to work, working normal hours as pre operation. From what I read and have experienced so far it will take 6-8 months to regain 100% of your pre operation physical status. I had my first tennis 1 hour training 8 months post operation and it went well. I could have tried earlier but there is no point in putting a strain on the body. Last, I realize that there no single recovery roadmap post operation. For some people it may take longer or it may be more complicated with typical symptoms, that eventually fade out most of the times.
Hope above was helpful.
Best
Lazaros
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Thank you! Indeed helpful to hear someone else experience. What you describe is not that lot much different than my experience, I know I probably have to be more patient! Symptoms are slowly fading, so that is encouraging. To add something, I take a higher dose of EPA fishoil which is supposed to help with inflammatory reactions.
Thank you for sharing your experience Lazaros. I had a craniotomy on my left temporal, also unruptured. It’s good to know what may be possible, although I can’t imagine going back to work after one month. I am also getting stronger every day and adding extra time to my walks around the neighbourhood. Any idea why they put you on precautionary keppra? It sounds like a few people were prescribed this. My neurosurgeon told me not to worry about seizures.
Ηi
I am prescribed Keppra (despite not having seizures) because I had the surgery on the right temporal lobe. This is more sensitive for seizures post craniotomy compared to the left lobe.
Best
Lazaros