hello I joined this group to hear how others are recovering from their crainotomy.
I had my surgery 3 weeks ago to remove a meningioma which I’ve known about and had annual MRIs for the last 12 years.
I’m kicking goals with my recovery was sent home 24 hrs after surgery due to no space in hospital . I’m still sleeping sitting up in bed as I feel a bit light headed if I lay down for to long but apart from that no headaches or pain.
Would be great to here what I can expect with my recovery after a couple more weeks
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Meningioma12
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Hi there I am glad you got your surgery and are recovering ok. I had a craniotomy in November 2023 for a front lobal menengioma and have also recovered really well. Once the staples are removed the wound has healed ok and have had hair coloured etc , still taking keppra and waiting for dvla to drive again.
So good to hear you also recovering well but since November sounds like an awful long time to not be able to drive that must be very difficult for you. I’ve been told 3 months until I can drive again but that yet to be confirmed after my follow up appointment in 3weeks , I don’t think I will manage mentally to well if they stretch no driving out for any longer than that.
Good morning, good to hear you’re recovering well. I had my craniotomy three weeks ago tomorrow and am also recovering well but still have limited eye movement in my left side and face is still pretty numb but told this could take weeks to recover. I’ve also been told I will not be driving for 6 months so just keep your fingers crossed and hope they don’t take too long.
Hi, so glad your recovering well. Had mine in January 2024 and healing well apart from a sore feeling as it is the back of my head and hard not to lie down on it, the scar has lots of bumps and dips on it and it and feels spongy, but happy its over with and not driving is a nitemare too. All the best... take it slow and rest when you can 👍
Thank you for your message and won’t it be wonderful when we can lay in a comfortable position in bed and get a decent nights sleep but yes that nothing compared to not be able to drive for months making the recovery feel much longer than necessary
Morning Glad to hear your surgery went well 👍I had a craniotomy Nov 2022 and the sleeping position is really frustrating as broken sleep is no good for recovery 😴😀
I too have lumps and bumps,behind and above my left ear, and it is difficult to get comfy when trying to sleep and I am still waking every 2-3hrs at night.
However, we always find ways of doing things differently!
Hi, I had a craniotomy March 2024 and like you was only in hospital for 24 hours. It was scary going home so quickly but each day got better and the wound healed okay once the staples were removed.It is getting more comfortable to sleep now but there are dips in my head. I was also told I won’t be able to drive for 6 months post surgery.
Thank you for your message, I think my husband was more horrified than me when I was sent home 24 hrs after surgery. It was like he was watching me like a hawk just waiting for something to go wrong and I had to keep reassuring him I was ok. Having the staples out definitely relieved the pressure on my head and have been feeling great since then.
Sounds like I’ve been one of the lucky ones with 3 months restrictions on driving every one else seems to be 6 months so I really do feel for you all
Hi All it's been really helpful reading your posts. I had my craniotomy mid May 24. I have had some complications nothing major but I think they have made me a little paranoid however your posts have made me feel that what I'm going through with the changes and pain in my head is normal. My treatment was swift and successful but my consultant really underplayed the recovery. So this group is a godsend. Thank you xx
So great you are recovering well. I have also really enjoyed being involved in these chats and realising just how many people are having the same surgery, who knew this was so common. Wishing everyone a quick recovery
Every good wish for a safe recovery from me too. I have been home for 3 months since surgery to remove a meningioma in the groove behind my nose. I’m still experiencing overwhelming fatigue if I do too much, though - that has been the main problem for me but also a reminder that this recovery really does take time (I am 68, not that old really, but old enough not to bounce out of bed like a young thing!)
I don’t know if this is the case for you, but my hospital has a specialist nurse attached to the skull base team. She gives patients her email and phone details and encourages us to call with any worries. Although I have only needed to contact her once (she was very helpful and reassuring), in a very large hospital it is good to know that they haven’t forgotten me!
At 68 it still sounds as though you are recovering well that is great news and only 3 months on your bound to still feel fatigued. I’m 51 and 10 weeks post surgery have started back slowly at work but am exhausted and need to rest as soon as I get home and feel I’ve maybe jumped back in a bit to early but we battle on.
How wonderful of the nurse to offer up her personal time I have definitely been forgotten about the minute I walked out the hospital door
sending you my very best wishes for a swift recovery! I had emergency 16 hour surgery for my meningioma in September 2022 due to pressure. All went well and although the origin of the tumour could not be resected the majority of the 6cm friend in my head was removed just leaving me with numbness in the left of my head and face.
I was not able to drive for six months and getting my licence back was so slow due to dvla. In fact, I sought the help of my MP in the end - I recommend doing this as was able to get my licence back in two weeks after his involvement.
Now after my last MRI in June, the friend in my head seems to be regrowing. I’ve now been referred to the multi disciplinary team for a decision as to ongoing treatment - wait and rescan in 6 months or radiotherapy?
Meningioma journey ongoing…but we can support each other here - love to all xx
Wishing you all the best with your recovery, Can you provide an update on how the last two months have gone? I am 3 weeks post craniotomy for a 10 cm x 4 cm in to the bone meningioma. I can't believe you left hospital after 24 hours I was still in HDU. Did you not have to go back for CT scans. I was CT scanned on day 2 and 4 post op.
Yes I had a CT scan before being discharged and I have an MRI booked for next week to check how it’s all going but my follow up appointment with neurosurgeon isn’t for 6 weeks after MRI so it will be a long anxious wait for results. It’s now been 4 months and I’m back working and doing everything normal but I definitely move a lot slower than pre surgery and lost a lot of muscle mass from being layed up which I’m still working on that with my physio.
Hope you are doing well also now that your a couple months post surgery sorry for late reply
I am with you on the moving slowly! I'm 14 weeks post op now, I had a GP organised CT at 12 weeks as the GP didn't like the look of me. I still have a pocket of brain fluid sitting on the side of my face (pseudomingocoele). This pocket of fluid dictates the things I can do, travelling by bus for anything more than 10 mins is really uncomfortable. I also found out that I have a subdural haematoma. My tumour nurse has advised me to rest. A bit of a set back when I was starting to feel like doing more. I have an MRI in 2 weeks but no date to see the surgeon yet. Fingers crossed for your MRI results Meningioma12 .
how are you feeling i had my surgery 2 months ago and recovered well have some side affects im learning to deal with i was able to leave the hospital 4 days after my surgery my tumor was 7 cm by 3cm by 4 cm . I was able to leave quickly as the surgeons have never seen some one bounce back as quickly as i did which im lucky
That’s fantastic , glad to hear you also are recovering well, I’m back at work and getting on with things just at a slightly slower pace than pre surgery
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No Surgery
Meningioma 
I’m still trying to get my life back but brain tumor surgery is a big deal to everyone and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. 
Anyone had to stop work on Heath grounds?
Is 69 weeks a normal waiting time to see a neurosurgeon for the first time? 
