About this topic
A craniotomy is a type of surgery. The doctor makes a hole in your skull or head bone to reach the brain. You may need this surgery due to: ‚
- Brain cancer
- Blood clots or bleeding in the brain
- Skull fracture or other injury to your head
- Bulge in a vessel in your brain
- Swelling of the brain
- Brain infection
- Treatment of epilepsy or seizures or other diseases
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work or driving
- Be sure to wash your hands before and after touching your wound or dressing .
- Get lots of rest. You may feel more tired after this surgery.
- Walking is a good way to start being active again. Start with short, regular walks within the house. Do not overdo it. Slowly increase how much you are walking each day.
- Ask your doctor if you need to keep your head elevated when sleeping.
- Do not drink beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol).
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Your doctor may order physical, speech, or occupational therapy after the surgery to help with your recovery.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Fight or prevent an infection
- Prevent seizures
- Prevent brain swelling
Will physical activity be limited?
You may need to limit your activity for a while. Do not do high risk activities such as playing contact sports for at least 1 year. Talk to your doctor about what changes need to be made. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Blood clots (pain in your legs or trouble breathing)
- Nerve damage
- Stroke
- Long-lasting brain damage that causes problems like:
- Paralysis
- Trouble with balance and coordination
- Trouble with speech, memory, seeing, or hearing
- Changes in alertness or not being able to wake up
- Swelling in the brain
- Seizures
- Not able to control blood pressure
- Death
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a stroke. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Call your doctor if you have: ‚
- Signs of a blood clot. These include sudden shortness of breath, sudden onset of chest pain, breathing problems, pain or tenderness in your calf.
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, pain with passing urine.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Upset stomach and throwing up that is not helped by the drugs you are taking
- More headaches
- Very bad neck pain or stiff neck
- Change in balance or movement
- Problems with memory, alertness, or thinking clearly
- Change in eyesight
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have signs of a stroke.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a fever, chills, or redness or drainage from my wound.
Where can I learn more?
Better Health Channel ‚
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Craniotomy ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚