There is much conflicting information on what short term side effects are expected after GK. I had GK ten days ago on my occipital AVM and am experiencing moderate headaches, jaw ache, fatigue, some mild visual disturbance possibly from the headaches. The headache is vice like and with a feeling of pressure. It varies a lot through the day but generally the more I do the worse I feel.
I wondered what other members who have had GK experiences in the weeks after treatment. Anyone have a similar experience to mine, and if so how long did it take to settle down (if at all!?)?
I had 25 gy marginal dose to 3cc volume.
Regards
Jonny
Hi Jonny, great to have to have the Gamma Knife clock started! I didnāt have any severe headaches shortly after Gamma knife, but did have some mild but not to the point of needing medication. I called it more of an odd feeling than a headache. It is not uncommon around the 6 month mark to have some swelling and headaches. I experienced some āice pickā headaches that were brief in duration but certainly grabbed my attention. I think this was around one year. Kinda strayed from the topic, sorry! Take Care, John.
I had gamma knife surgery in July 2018 for my left occipital AVM. I felt very sick afterwards. I had pressure headaches and a migraine which didnāt help.
Around the 8-9 month mark I noticed that I was experiencing more and more migraines and visual disturbances but they were quite short lived. They eventually settled down over time as the brain continues to recover and heal, although some days can be unpredictable.
Iāve just had my 1 year anniversary and my brain is still healing and recovering.
Thanks Chan, itās good to know that itās not just me! Did the sickness/pressure headaches resolve before you started getting migraines at 8-9months or did you feel unwell the whole of that time? And did those also resolve?
All the best with your AVM.
Regards
Jonny
The sickness and pressure headaches resolved for me after about a week. I had a few bad migraines where I felt sick approximately 2 months after having gamma knife surgery but I think this was more to do with the stress of going back to work.
I was off work for 2 months and needed to do a graded return back to work. Once I settled back into a routine and pattern I started to feel like my normal self. So I didnāt feel unwell for the whole of that time. Hope that makes sense.
Hi Jonny,
I had an AVM in the cerebellum. My AVM leaked burst whatever people call it. I had GK 4 months later. One of those months were in the hospital after the leak. I have had head pain since then. The reason for my pain is when they did my GK they did not support the neck while it was hooked to the GK machine. That caused my atlas to move which in turn has your head off line. Also while attaching the head to my head on the right side the trigeminal nerve was hit so I get very sharp pains in my right eye. My issues have been going on since September 30,2013. It took a long time to figure out what was wrong. I have learned to deal and also take Gabapentin 300mg 3 times a day. I have started taking CBD oil in a capsule 15mg due to my size once a day. I have found the 2 things let me function. I am never free of head pain but itās better than the alternative:) I wish you all the best in your recovery and remember there is light at the end of the tunnel. Your case seems very different than mine so hopefully in a few you will be headache free.
Niyani
Thank you for your reply and sorry to hear that your experience was so problematic. I really hope that things continue to settle down for you.
Iāve started to feel better the last couple of days, headaches have improved as has my general energy, but I still have a stiff jaw which seems to be tension/stress related and possibly triggered by the head frame and probably also the whole experience over recent months! Anyway Iām grateful to everyone for your replies and I will continue to update here or other threads as appropriate.
All the best
Jonny