Nea had been told by her surgeon that it was OK to use Excedrin for headaches. Which was great because this is the one thing that really addresses her headaches. But recently at therapy her doctor there recommended against it due to the blood thinning properties.
What are your thoughts/experiences/instructions regarding Excedrin/Aspirin after surgery.
I’m inclined towards the conservative approach as is Nea. But she’s having pretty bad headaches today so I’m looking for advice and opinions.
Also, has anyone heard of using B12 to alleviate headaches and has this worked?
I can’t speak to the headache part (i’m a “no-brainer”) but yes most doctors recommend anyone with AVM’s of any kind stick with the Tylenol/acetaminophen type pain killers to avoid the blood thinning aspect.
But I know LOTS of people, many on this board, take aspirin based products regularly. I’m not completely sure what the real vs perceived risk is. Not sure if there would ever really be a way to measure it or to even provide statistics on it. I think it is more of a cautious thing… And I’m a cautious type of person when it comes to my AVM so I avoid it. But…
I googled the B12 thing and couldn’t find much conclusive about this. It did also seem to be more related to a deficiency of B12 potentially causing migraines, as opposed to taking B12 to relieve headaches. So causative instead of curative???
I’m sure other people will weigh in on it. I personally would listen to the docs. But then again I’m not dealing with chronic headaches. So maybe the risk of the blood thinner is worth it to offset the daily pain? Personal choice I guess, but a hard one to be able to really gauge the benefit/risk analysis. Sorry I’m not much help!
Yes, we’re going to stick with Tylenol now. She (and me) are like you… we prefer to be cautious.
About Vitamin B12…as Nea is a vegetarian, I do think it’s possible she has a vitamin B12 deficiancy, so we’re going to supplement her diet with that to see if it helps.
I spent almost 6 years avoiding anything could poetentially thin the blood and/or cause vessels to expand. This list included aspirin, caffiene, alcohol, and other various medications that are known to thin the blood or possibly increase blood pressure. This was based on my doctor’s orders. Much like Shalon, I was pretty much limited to Tylenol. From what I understand, Excederine is a BIG no-no because it is basically a combination of aspirin and caffiene. When combined, the two both thin the blood and expand the vessels, both of which are bad ideas when it comes to the possibility of an AVM bleeding.
So for the 6 or so years between my AVM being diagnosed and finally receiving the “all clear” from my surgeon following my craniotomy, I had to deal with colds and the flu without cough or sinus medication, no caffinated drinks, no alcohol (no big loss on my part), major headaches with no access to medications that did anything to help, etc. But in the long run, it was worth it.
I spent almost 6 years avoiding anything could poetentially thin the blood and/or cause vessels to expand. This list included aspirin, caffiene, alcohol, and other various medications that are known to thin the blood or possibly increase blood pressure. This was based on my doctor’s orders. Much like Shalon, I was pretty much limited to Tylenol. From what I understand, Excederine is a BIG no-no because it is basically a combination of aspirin and caffiene. When combined, the two both thin the blood and expand the vessels, both of which are bad ideas when it comes to the possibility of an AVM bleeding.
So for the 6 or so years between my AVM being diagnosed and finally receiving the “all clear” from my surgeon following my craniotomy, I had to deal with colds and the flu without cough or sinus medication, no caffinated drinks, no alcohol (no big loss on my part), major headaches with no access to medications that did anything to help, etc. But in the long run, it was worth it.
Thanks Jake. Do you mean that once the AVM is gone it was no longer a concern? Because Nea’s was surgically removed in March. Still, since her surgery is so recent, we’re inclined to be conservative.
I can’t remember the exact timeline that was given to me from my neurosurgeon, but apparently the brain is one of the slowest areas of the body to heal after injury/trauma. Now, this is just my thought on the subject, so take it for what it’s worth, but I would wager than once the AVM has been treated and the surrounding vessels have been sealed-off and given a chance to heal, then the risk of bleeding has been significantly diminished. At the same time, I would not be a hurry to start adding anything that thins the blood or puts extra pressure on the walls of the vessels. Also, if I remember correctly (and it has been a while) the neurosurgeon was telling me that the overall physical healing process of the brain can take 4-5 years.
Regarding the vitamin B12, my neuro sent me over to the hospital to be given a B12 injection just a few days prior to my surgery. I beleive it is to help prevent patients from becoming anemic due to the time frame in which the patient cannot or may not be able to eat or drink for a few days. I know I had to fast for a while before my surgery and could barely eat for a few days after, so anemia is the last thing that I would have needed while trying to recover from brain surgery. Better to boost someone’s B12 when they are still able to eat, rather that trying to get the levels back up after they go down!
A little follow-up based on something I found online…
"Vitamin B12 anemia is the result of an impaired ability of the digestive tract to absorb the B12 that is a normal part of the diet. B12 is essential for the production of red blood cells, as well as the maintenance of the nervous system, and is found in food of animal origin such as meat, fish and dairy products. There are four (4) causes.
Failure of the stomach lining to produce intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a chemical produced by the stomach lining and combined with vitamin B12 in the small intestine. Due to an autoimmune disorder (a disorder caused by a person’s own immune system attacking the body’s organs and tissues), the production of intrinsic factor is blocked.
Removal of small intestine where vitamin B12 is absorbed
Crohn’s disease - a chronic inflammatory disease that affects any part of the gastrointestinal tract
Eating a vegan diet which excludes eggs, diary products, meat and fish."
I was told to avoid anything that thins the blood also. I just take Tylenol/acetaminophen. It really stinks not being able to take an anti-inflammatory when you throw out your back… Ouch.
Ouch.