Has this happened to You?

[alwaysthere]

I had my surgery on June 25 2009. Just in the last couple of weeks my incision area has become hyper sensitive. I went to get a haircut last week and it was torture to have my stylist wash my hair, let alone cut it. I did call my Dr and talked to his nurse. When she called me back, she said that according to the Dr. the nerves could still be healing this long after surgery and might be going thru a sensitive stage. Has anyone else had this problem and how have you dealt with it?

Patty

[EJTampa]

Hi Patty,
 
My surgery was in March of 2009, and I started to get "site" pain in June and July.  Not as long as yours, but same issue.  Doc said the nerves "mend" and are able to send the pain signals again.  For me, it was temporary.  I hope it is for you as well!
 
Ernie

[nteeman]

Patty,

I had a similar issue but it was about 6 weeks after my surgery. Everything seemed all healed up and after taking a shower I was towel drying my hair when all of a sudden the area around the incision became very painful and sensitive to the touch. Ouch, this really hurt! An hour later the pain was completely gone as if nothing happened - the area was no longer sensitive to the touch. Upon further self examination I found that if I moved my scalp (you know by shifting it back and forth with your fingers) I could trigger this reaction. I also found that it was easier to trigger if my eyebrows were raised!  I called my surgeon and his nurse informed me that the nerves in my scalp that were cut for the incision were still healing and that is what was causing this. I later found out that if I was a little gentler while towel drying my hair and scrunching my eyebrows downward it was less apt to happen.

Now it seems to have healed to the point where I can towel dry my hair as roughly as I wish and it does not cause any discomfort. None the less, I still feel that now, a little more than a year since surgery, there is still some healing going on in there.

I hope this helps you.

Neal

[Jim Scott]

Patty ~

I didn't have this experience and can't offer a solution but I'm sorry to learn that you have to deal with incision-area pain and sensitivity.  Your doctor's assessment seems to be logical although I don't understand why every AN surgery patient doesn't have this late-stage incision sensitivity (but I'm glad they don't).  In any case, it seems as if this will, thankfully, be a temporary condition.

Jim

[Lizard]

I have had this happen to me as well and the pain has subsided, but for about a year it was very sensitive...well after the nerves and sensation in that area started coming back about 2 month after surgery.  The doctors recommended that I rub it frequently as to de-sensitize it.  It seemed to help?  Or it could have just been the healing process.  Now the hairdresser's touch does not bother me at all.
Liz

[yardtick]

Yes this still happens to me.  My girlfriend is my hair dresser so she is very, very careful with me.  I am 3 years and 6 months out from surgery.  I developed a scar neuroma on my incision that was removed a year later.  The hair on the left side of my head above my ear and to the mid point of my head is very sensitive.  Christmas of 2008 I went from below shoulder length hair to a very short cropped spike do.  I have very thick heavy hair, I thought maybe be eliminating the weight would help.  WRONG!  Just put me in the dog house with my husband and four sons. 

Last week when I was in the Tampa Bay area visiting my snowbirds sister and brother-in-law I had to wear a hoodie at all times when out doors.  The winds were so strong, my hair whipping around my head was actually painful. 

Anne Marie

[NancyMc]

Yes, I'm one year out and that area is still painful.  Had my first professional wash and cut a few weeks ago, and it was torture.  I'm beginning to think it's a permanent condition.  I'll see my doc in a couple of weeks and ask about it.

[DR]

I did have pain, but it was not caused by contact but, instead, was seemingly random.  It began about 10 weeks post-op and continued for over a month.  It felt like someone was sticking an ice pick in my scalp near my incision.  The pain was very intense but thankfully would fade quickly, lasting approximately 5-10 seconds.

Other than the usual sensitivity I never noticed touch causing significant pain.  Well, other than the one time I dropped the blow dryer on that area!