If you or a loved one is due for brain surgery, or recently had one, it is natural for some side effects to show up sometime after the surgery. In some cases, the side effects may be immediate, while in some cases, it could be days or weeks before you notice any problem.

With the right care and preventive measures, you can ease your way through some of the most common side effects of brain surgery. Take a look.

5 Common Side Effects Of Brain Surgery And How To Manage

Once you or a loved one has had a brain surgery, it is natural to experience the following:

• Difficulty with balance or coordination.
• Problem in speaking.
• Seizures.
• Dizziness, extreme fatigue, drowsiness.
• Difficulty in speaking.
• Changes in personality, mood swings.

Here are some of the most common side effects that you can experience after brain surgery, and what to do about it:

1. Feel Drowsy All The Time

Brain Surgery Side Effects – Woman feeling drowsy

With the kind of medication you will be given during the surgery, it can take a long time for you to get back to your regular alert state of mind. For the first few days and weeks after the surgery, you will feel extremely dizzy and may want to just sleep all the time. Don’t worry, as this is a very normal side effect of brain surgery.

Rest and sleep as much as you feel like, because when you do so, your body will get ample time to heal and recover.

2. Short Attention Span

Brain Surgery Side Effects – Short Attention Span

You may find it really difficult to concentrate on anything for the first few days. Even in the following weeks, your attention span will be really low and you will find it difficult to focus on simple things such as reading, looking through your emails, or even carrying on with a conversation.

If you find it difficult to remember what you just did, try jotting down your thoughts. Write down something in small sentences, as notes, so that you can read them quickly and catch up on what you’re missing.

3. Sensitive Skull

Seizures After Brain Surgery – Sensitive Skull

During the operation, your surgeon will cut through the skull and in the process also cut into the many nerves and tissues present in the area. Once these tissues and nerves start to grow back again, you will experience a lot of sensitivity and sensation inside your skull.

Each time you feel the shivers, or each time the sensitivity goes up, try pressing down gently with your hands on the affected area. Don’t push too hard but just hold the area till the feeling subsides.

4. Pain

Seizures After Brain Surgery – Head Pain

One of the side effects of brain surgery can be a constant pain in your head, a sort of headache that can actually last for days on end. You may feel the pain as a throbbing sensation, or mild discomfort that slowly starts to grow, or a sudden and sharp shooting pain that hits you out of nowhere.

Make sure that you take your painkillers on time, as prescribed by your doctor. If the pain does not subside, or if you feel extremely uncomfortable, speak to your doctor. In case you notice any type of discharge from your nose or ears, get in touch with your doctor immediately. If you are the patient, make sure your primary caregiver knows it is important to get in touch with the doctor in such a case, on an urgent basis.

5. Seizures

Brain Surgery Side Effects – Seizure

Seizures take place when an unusual amount of electrical activity takes place inside your brain. Seizures can affect you at any time after brain surgery. It could happen immediately, within the next few days, weeks or months, and in some cases, even after quite a few years.

Get in touch with the doctor immediately in such a scenario. If you are the patient, make sure your primary caregiver knows it is important to get in touch with the doctor in such a case, on an urgent basis. Your doctor will then put you on anti-convulsant drugs and take other medical precautions.

Getting better after a brain surgery will undoubtedly take time, but with the right care, you will soon be back to your normal self. You can get in touch with our medical care team to know more and get the right care for you, or a loved one, right at home.