My skull is now slightly indented post surgery, could this explain my symptoms?

[saccadiceye]

My skull is now slightly indented post surgery. I have compared my pre surgical MRI with my post surgical MRI.

Could this explain my symptoms? Before the surgery my skull was pretty symmetrical. Now it is not nearly as symmetrical where the incision was. My surgery was a posterior fossa crainiotomy (left side)

The incision was over 10 cm.

Symptoms include: dizziness, nausea and vertigo. However, 5 percent of the time I am close to symptom free.

Could there be a crack in my skull or some other issue that may need attention? About 3.5 years ago I noticed that my skull made a "crushing" sound in bed. It sounded like a bag of chips were being crushed. This was about 6 months post surgery.

I hate to sound like a hypochondriac, but it's been 4 years and my life is still about the same (maybe a bit better)

 

[sharonov]

Your symptoms are unusual.  My skull is also a trifle indented where the scar is from my retro-sigmoid surgery, but the placement is low enough so that I don't feel it when I lie down.  Since it's covered by my hair, it's not visible at all.  Was your surgery mid-fossa or trans-lab, which is higher on the skull?  Have you spoken to your surgeon about this?

[saccadiceye]

Thanks for your response. My surgery was for a benign cerebellar tumor  (not AN). They operated from the top of the neck to the middle of the back of the head.

So the left side of the lower half of the back of my head is slightly indented. I've been suffering from Migraine Associated Vertigo for about 4 years post-op. Often the back of my head gets pretty numb and sensitive to things. My neck also is generally quite sore.

[sharonov]

I'm so sorry for the pain and discomfort you've experienced for so long and at such a young age.  You do not sound like a hypochondriac at all, you sound like someone who has had a craniotomy!  When I had my surgery, I had to sign off on a laundry list of possible side effects, one of which was permanent headaches. The others--facial paralysis, permanent balance issues, death--were all frightening.  Even benign tumors can grow, so the younger you are, the more important is removal; so if you're regretting your decision to have it out, don't.  Otherwise you could be dead. 

I hope you've made an appointment with your original neurosurgeon plus one more as a second opinion.  There might be something going on with scar tissue that makes your neck sore.  Hopefully someone else on the board may have another suggestion, but only a doctor who has all your information and your head in front of him can really help.