Heavy Head

[kathleen anna]

Please, Please, Please.....any suggestions or advise on this heavy head feeling?  It is driving me crazy.  I am 13 weeks post op and returned to work and this feeling is making me miserable.  How long does it last??   Fatigue and heavy head.....hand in hand??   I keep thinking I should be feeling better than I do now.  I am feeling pretty down about this and my family is starting to get concerned.  I just want to feel better and move on.  I know that I have come a long way since surgery, but this heavy head thing and the fatigue is getting the better of me.  Am I always going to have this feeling?  It seems that the only time I dont have it is in the morning, when I first wake up and am still in bed.  I seem to be ok for a little while, then it hits like a ton of bricks.   And just gets worse as the day goes on and I get more tired. I do take vitamins and try to get enough sleep....(lucky me, the night sweats have started!!!)   I would love to hear if anyone has any magic that could make this disappear!!!!    Thanks...........Kathleen Anna

[nancyann]

Hi there Kathleen:  I know exactly what you're feeling.  You're only 13 weeks out - I'm sure it seems like a long time to you but it really isn't.  I'm 4  1/2 years post op, so it's hard for me to remember how long it took for that heavy head feeling to begin to leave.  I remember that keeping hydrated helped (& still does). 
You're right, sleep is very important, I also went through the night sweats at the same time - maybe you can see about a sleeping pill/aid.   I used them on the nights I had to work - would take it at about 7 - 7:30pm (yep, that early).   Now I only need it maybe once a week.
Hang in there,  you're going through alot with going back to work & all.    The healing is (unfortunately) a slow process.
Always good thoughts,  Nancy

[Syl]

Kathleen Anna:

Our recovery is a long and slow one. I'm 2.5 years post-op I still get the heavy head & fatigue at times. It's hard to say exactly how long these conditions last. One day I just noticed that I don't get them so much anymore. I also used to get the soar neck accompanied by the tingling that used to develop into headaches if not addressed with a heating pad. Just this week I noticed that I don't remember the last time I got that.

It is important to eat well, take vitamins or supplements, and to keep hydrated.

I always keep my heating pad handy around the house. And, in my purse I keep ointments with capsicum. Those have the same effect as the heating pad. When I begin to get that soar neck/heavy head, heat helps relieve it. Just recently, I noticed that I don't need my heating pad or the ointment as much. I used to resort to them several times a day.

Be patient. It takes time, but it does get so much better.

Syl

[kathleen anna]

Thanks for the responses.........Maybe the combination of going back to work and Christmas stress is just getting to me!  Its hard when your use to running around like a chicken without a head and then all of a sudden, everything is an effort.   Maybe my lesson to be learned.....patience!!!!   Wishing you all a Merry and Blessed Christmas!    Kathleen Anna

[painter]

Kathleen,
A Merry Christmas to you, too.  I'm exactly one year post op (came home on Christmas Day) and at times I start getting depressed because, like you, I think I should be further along in my recovery.  Now I'm into the whole "I should have done the Gamma Knife" thing, because I'm so tired of the wonky head and fatigue.  But I'm told that it will be at the end of two years that I start to feel normal.  So I'm just trying to live life as normally as possible.  But I relish those moments that I do feel somewhat normal.
Hang in there and know that it's a long and slow process, regardless of what the doctors said before surgery.
Painter

[AROBTEK]

  "I would love to hear if anyone has any magic that could make this disappear!!!!"   

Hi Kathleen,
How we all wished there were a magic ANYTHING that would make the recovery from AN surgery easier.  I am about to pass the 3 year mark/anniversary of my AN surgery.  Honestly, it just takes a long time to get over this surgery. Be easy on yourself, take naps whenever you get a chance, and don't try to live up to anyones idea of when you should be back to normal. 
Take Care,
Annette