To take care of yourself after brain surgery you should rest as much as possible, avoid lying flat if possible, and after laying down you should bring your head up slowly.
After brain surgery you should also avoid heavy lifting until you've recovered and try to walk each day and avoid driving until your doctor says it's okay to do so.
After brain surgery doing positive activities like spending time with family and friends, planning a fun event, light exercise, gardening and attending therapy are good options to help you cope after brain surgery.
A healthy diet can also fuel the brain and aid in recovery after brain surgery.
The brain requires energy to function, even more so when recovering from brain surgery.
For brain surgery only a small part of your hair will be shaved from your head unless you need a bigger operation.
Your hair that was shaved for the brain surgery will grow back after the brain surgery.
In some cases you do have to cut or shave your hair for brain surgery depending on where the tumor is and where the brain surgeon needs to cut to operate.
If you do need to have your hair shaved for brain surgery you may have part of your head shaved or your whole head shaved which is done while you're under anesthetic in the operating room.
You do keep most of your memories after brain surgery although some memory loss and difficulties with your memory are normal after brain surgery if the brain surgeon has to remove brain cells which are responsible for memory.
After brain surgery you will stay in the hospital for a period of 2 nights and 3 hospital days.
People that have any postoperative difficulties after brain surgery will require longer hospital stays.
After brain surgery you will feel sleepy and drowsy after you wake up which is normal as the anesthetic and painkillers wear off.
You may also have a swollen face or head and be bruised and the swelling and bruising should go away over time as you recover.
During brain surgery the brain surgeon uses a high speed saw in order to cut a portion of the bone known as a bone flat to access your brain.
The surgeon will also sometimes make a smaller hole and insert a tube with a camera and light on the end known as an endoscope.
When done with an endoscope the surgery will be performed with tools placed through the endoscope.
The side effects of brain surgery are poor balance, nausea, infection, headache, drowsiness, difficulty swallowing, weakness, swelling, bleeding, dizziness and seizures.
While brain surgery is a very high risk surgery it's also not all that dangerous when done today with the advancements in medical knowledge and technology.
Brain surgery done today by a qualified brain surgeon is a very safe procedure and most people come out of brain surgery just fine.
Still brain surgery is also dangerous and carries some risks as the surgeon is working on the brain which is a very essential part of the body.
Brain surgery is a high risk surgery as the surgeon is operating on a very vital organ which is your brain.
However most brain surgeries are done without any issues and most people recover successfully after brain surgery.
Brain surgery is done while you're awake and able to talk.
However you won't feel any pain during the brain surgery as you'll be numbed so that you won't feel anything.
Brain surgery done while awake reduces the risk of damaging critical brain areas which control your speech and other skills.
After brain surgery the pain can be pretty significant and you will usually have shooting pains near the wound and numbness near the wound as well.
You may also have some bruising and swelling around the eyes and as the wound starts to heal it can even begin to itch and the incisions can be sore for awhile after the brain surgery as well.
The 3 risks of brain surgery are brain swelling, coma and stroke.
Other risks of brain surgery include infection in the brain, skull or wound, seizures, blood clot or bleeding in the brain, problems with speech, memory, balance, muscle weakness, vision, coordination and other functions.
The most complicated brain surgery is a Craniectomy which is a complex surgical procedure which involves the removal of a portion of your skull in order to relieve pressure on your brain.
A craniectomy is most often performed on people with severe brain injuries with bleeding and swelling that is so severe that it can lead to brain compression and even death.
The way they cut the skull for brain surgery is the surgeon uses a medical drill to make burr holes in your skull.
Then a special saw is used to cut the skull bone carefully.
The bone flap is then removed and saved and the dura mater which is the thick out covering of the brain directly underneath the bone will be separated from the bone and then carefully cut open in order to expose the brain.
After the brain surgery and operation within the brain is complete, the dura is stitched back together.
The bone flap is then reattached using small metal/titanium plates and screws, which will remain there permanently and can sometimes be felt under the skin.
Cranioplasty is not considered brain surgery as it does not involve surgery on the brain.
However with a cranioplasty the surgeon does repair your skull such as for skull fractures or deformities.
So during the cranioplasty the surgeon will need to cut into your skull and head to fix the issues but they don't work on your brain.
A brain surgeon would perform brain surgery which is even more complex.