metal plates and screws in head...???

[marg]

Hi,   A couple of days ago I got my surgical report from the hospital.  As I read through it I saw that the Neursurgeon had secured the replaced bone with Titanium plates and screws.  I had no idea that they were going to do this and he sure didn't tell me (do they not tell these things because they are afraid that people won't do the surgery ...or what ).  I had wondered why the surgery site felt different and why it sounded different there when I washed or combed my hair.  I feel like Frankenstein's mother  . 

    Anyway - here are my questions:   Is this metal plate thing something they do only for the middle fossa surgery.... or do they do it for all AN surgeries?   Have you read your surgical report and know if you have "metal in your head"  or are you like me and the doctor didn't tell you he/she was going to put  'plates in to secure the bone'? 
     I know they did a MRI after surgery so I guess that won't be a problem next time I have another one..... but I am also wondering if I will  "set off " metal detectors when I go through airport security ( I really don't want to draw more attention to myself    I already have people stare at my face ).   

     Thanks for the help.
Margaret

[Jill Marie]

Hi Margaret,  Can't help you with the AN part of having screws and plates in your head as I don't.  However, I do have them in my leg and don't have any problem at the airport.  I thought I couldn't have another MRI because of the screws and plates, will have to check that out, had my tumor MRI a couple of weeks before I broke my leg.  Jill

[marg]

Thanks Jill.  I'm so glad that I won't set off alarms .
    I think it depends on the kind of metal you have in your body as to wheather or not you can have an MRI.... I have some gold crowns and they were no problem when I had my MRI.  It would seem to me, now that so may people have MRI's  doctors would put the kind of metal that won't cause a problem. 
Margaret

[Captain Deb]

I have those lil suckers in my noggin, too. No problem with airport security or MRIs. However they do seem to be the starting point for many of my headaches and at times they "click" a little when I'm laughing hard or yawning.  My screw sites have formed pea-size lumps under the skin and now no one washes my hair but me including the beauty salon girls who like to scrub hard.  When I have a headache they really seem to be inflamed. Hopefully I'll get some answers at the Symposium headache workshops. I've had trigger-point injections around them 4 times (30 of them in one sitting once--YEOWWWW!)

As far as I know this is done only for MF approach--retrosigmoids sometimes leave the bone out, leaving a soft spot, but I may be way off with that one. Translabers go directly through the ear canal.

Capt Deb

[staypoz]

Retrosigmoid or suboccipital can have a plate too.  Mine is titanium and it doesn't set off any metal detectors. 

staypoz

[marg]

Thanks  for the information.  It just feels soooooooooo strange to have metal in my head .... and it seems to vibrate with some sounds too- depending on pitch especially when singing    (great  - one more annoying thing  to deal with  )  Hope I get used to it soon.
Have a great   July 4th everyone....
Margaret

Music please...............................   

"I'm gonna wash  that metal right out of my hair  ...... "