Hello everyone. I'm writing for my friend, who had AN surgery a month ago, and in most respects has come through with flying colors. However, about two weeks ago she noticed a swelling at the base of the surgical site - almost the size and shape of a small golf ball. She describes it as feeling like a baseball hit it - sore but not horrible pain. It came after she had exerted herself - going camping, taking a lot of walks, etc. When she woke up the next morning, the lump was gone.
She had no more problems until yesterday when it returned - this time after being at the beach all day. She went to bed last night hoping it would go away like last time; however, it it was still there this morning, and has stayed throughout the day. She's concerned because she feels like it might have spread a little down the neck. In addition, there are two lesser swellings - one at the top of the incision point, and another at the back of the middle of her head where the head meets the neck. (These two are smaller, but have the same tender/sore feeling of the other one.) She is not having any dripping, which we've read is one sign of the spinal fluid leakage.
She plans to call her surgeon tomorrow to find out about this, especially because the first swelling came back and isn't going away that quickly this time. She is putting ice on the swellings to see if that will help. But I was wondering if anyone else has ever had this happen to them, or heard about it from someone else.
Also, she's in southern Virginia now (Norfolk area), and if someone knows of a good AN group in the area that would be helpful too. (Her AN surgery was in Michigan.) She knows that you just don't go walking into an emergency room with something like this.
Thank you in advance for your responses - this is a very supportive and knowledgeable group on here, and your advice has always been very helpful.
