I know it has to be normal to have headaches after having an embolization, but for the last two day’s they have been very intense. Should I be worried and should there be something I could do to manage them better? I’m trying to keep myself from panicking and automatically thinking that something is going wrong, but of course my anxiety is getting the better of me. The steroids also make me super dizzy so maybe that’s a part of it as well?? Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance!
-Bella
Headaches, well - that’s a bit of a understatement. . . As soon as I woke up from my embolization, I felt like my “main” headache was gone. Then in the days to come it was a different form of agony & torment(sorry if I’m being a little crude)
This lasted for quite a while, it was in/out for weeks on. This is how I wound up back in er - my anxiety spun me out of control, in combination with pain - it broke me down pretty hard. The pains would travel all over the left side of my head - but, I also had a hemorrhage - you didn’t. So, you “should” be quite better off.
I forgot exactly what procedure you had done, but - well, I’d call this a new normal for a while
I just hit 7 weeks last week post my embolization procedure & I feel amazing - I really picked up on the last week or so. Yesterday I completed my 1st full day of work - talk about a feeling of accomplishment. All day, outside in 113 degree heat detailing cars < I call that a win.
Bella,
It takes a long time to recover from the embo. Less than a week is very early.
This was me a month later…
Click on the blue title to go to the full conversation.
You can always see the full date of a post if you click on the date shown… It expands it out, so if my embo was 3 April, this shows 7th May.
It does take some time. You’ve been under general for some time, had a load of foreign stuff injected (contrast material, glue, solvent) and it needs to come out; plus your brain is smarting from the invasion and needs to calm down a lot.
You’re doing good.
If you get any suddenly different symptoms, I’d call the neuro or go to the ER but if everything gets gradually better, you’ll be fine. It’s not a straight line, either, though, so expect some progress and some regress each month.
Best wishes,
Richard
… and at 1.5 weeks post op…
Clearly quite sore and unable to lie properly for any length of time on the external veins affected by my DAVF.
Hi mike,
This makes me super hopeful, thank you! I’m so glad you were able to get back to your full routine, sorry it had to be a process to get there though! My doc told me to go to the ER if I had a severe enough headache paired with nausea but I have another condition that makes me baseline nauseous with any extreme emotion (such as anxiety) so today was a doozy in terms of deciding what was best. To go in or not to go in?.. I have to come to terms with the fact that this is going to be my new normal for a while, it’s just a scary reality to come to terms with. Hoping to get into contact with my neurologist soon and ask what I can do for these pesky headaches. Thanks again, though, this helped me realize that normality will return eventually and it won’t always be like this.
-Bella
Hi there,
Thank you so much for the reminder that progress can still be made! I think I got too far into the mindset of thinking that everything will get better all at once and I panicked that it was going downhill when it wasn’t. I have the same visual effects in my left eye that you described in your post— a scotoma, I believe! That was what I saw before I got the severe headache this morning and I swore that it was the end. Turns out my brain is being very dramatic right now and just needed a nap and some water followed by a steroid. I’m hoping that I’ll see more progress sooner rather than later. Until then I think I just need to keep my hopes up and anxiety down as much as possible! Thanks for the tips!!
-Bella
Mine were scotomas, if you read to the end. They were caused by the contrast material because I got a few more after the check up angio at about 6-8 weeks.
Tylenol should look after your headaches if anything like mine. US name is Tylenol / acetaminophen; UK name for the same thing is paracetamol hence me babbling on in my post about paracetamol.
Although if you’ve got some swelling going on, I didn’t have that.
I took three weeks off to catch up post op.
Exactly, Tylenol is your friend if need be
I am so amazed to get back to some form that I can call normal at this point -
What exactly did you have done? Sorry, I’m tired of reading & everything today - another full day < I am nothing short of amazed that I can pull it off - it’s 115 out today
But, what you’re experiencing sounds like it’s “normal” in this world - when I decided to go to ER at 2 weeks - I felt like something seriously broke again - I felt like seizures were coming on < my neurosurgeon came up with a different theory. He said it’s the neurological connections relearning and making new path ways. . . I would start stuttering all the sudden, sure sounded like a seizure - but, he didn’t want to put me back on Kepra & he was right. Never touched it again
When I came home, I had to be on quite a bit of Valium for about a week - I can’t stand taking mind altering medications & most pain killers - but, it was a good idea. . . I needed it, my BP skyrocketed without it - I just couldn’t stop my anxiety. It wasn’t even running thoughts - then, I’d just break down randomly - of course along with not being able to sleep at all
Anywho - how’s your BP through this? Just relax - watching TV & spacing out was my friend for quite a while