I have a screw loose - literally

[lori67]

Timothy,

Maybe you should have stopped at the hardware store on your way to the hospital and picked up a few supplies - miscellaneous bolts, some chicken wire, spackle.  You could have saved your insurance company a bundle!   

Lori

[cin605]

 

[leapyrtwins]

Wendy -

from one bionic woman to another, can't wait to have you join our "group".

Jan

[wendysig]

Hi Jan,

It's like being a kid who's wating for Christmas to come again!   The big differences are that Dr. Choe will be bringing my present and of course. the insurance company and I will be paying for it!  That said,  I keep picturing him dressed in a Santa suit  in the OR -- pretty funny! (as you can see I got my computer to let me use the smileys!!)

Wendy

[Captain Deb]

When I'm at the hairdressers, I give fair warning about the dreaded "screws" in me head and BOY, do I get treated good! No one wants to hurt the poor lil ole lady who had the friggin brain tumor!  When I get one of my brainwrecks, those things just throb.  I think mine are surrounded by scar tissue and that irritates the nerves in my head.  I may have to get out Dr Loves belt sander someday!

Capt Deb

[leapyrtwins]

Belt sander   

Sounds like you could help Lori and me out at our garage surgery business 

Jan

[ppearl214]

*groans*

*ahem folks......*

[wendysig]

Michelle,
Now that most of the swelling from surgery is gone I can feel what I think is the titanium mesh and screws -- it does feel really hard and kind of  weird!   Now in addition to being a fat head I'm hard headed too!   

Wendy

[mimoore]

Wendy I think that is exactly what happened.. the swelling went down and I discovered the screws. It is where behind my ear where the arm of my sunglasses so I think my sunglasses may have slightly pushed in the strap which makes it easier to feel the screw. Strange but true.
Michelle 

[lori67]

Phyl,

Screws and belt sanders... that's still the same topic!   

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

Phyl,

Screws and belt sanders... that's still the same topic!   

Lori

I concur 

Jan

[wendysig]

Michelle,
I sent an e-mail to my doc and asked him if he thought it could be the titanium mesh.  He seemed a little surprised -- I'm not sure if that is because I said I could feel it or because I told him it felt a little lumpy at the bottom.  I'm seeing him on November 5 and will ask him more about it then.  I'm not concerned, just surprised at how obvious it is to me.  I made my husband feel my head to -- I think he was a little creeped out even though he knew about the mesh before.  My kids think it's cool and love telling their friends all the gorey details they know, especially my 12 year old.  She would still like to see my surgery on Gray's Anatomy.  She cracks me up!

Wendy

[leapyrtwins]

Wendy -

IMO, and as you know I'm not a doctor, it's probably just thick skin (scar tissue?) you are feeling.

I have titanium mesh in my head, but I'm fairly certain it's well under my skin, and in my case I believe it's covered by the "patch" of skull that my neurosurgeon removed and them replaced before my head was stitched back up. 

My AN scar is lumpy in places, but I think it's just the way my skin healed.

I'm interested in what Lori thinks about this; since as a nurse she's much more knowledgeable about medical stuff than I am.

Jan

[lori67]

Well, if you really want to know what I think - I think Jan has a lumpy head.   

Sorry, since I have no mesh, screws or spackle in my head, I don't really know too much about the whole thing.  The neuro patients I took care of when I worked as a nurse were pretty well put back together by the time they got to me - or they were in such bad shape that we didn't worry too much about their lumpy heads.

It could very well be a thickened area of scar though.  I know I had a raised area, like a ridge, I guess for a while after my surgery, but eventually it flattened out pretty nicely.  Now my 7-12 scar feels that way, but I know it's better than it was, so I'm sure in time it will calm down.

It's probably not a big deal and they probably won't do anything about it, but I think I'd probably want to ask the doctor what he thinks just for my own knowledge.  I think it would be hard to actually feel the mesh through the skin though - we're not talking re-bar that they use before they pave your driveway - it's a very lightweight, fine mesh they use. 

But let us know what the doc says.  I'd be interested to hear what is making you lumpy!

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks for the medical opinion. 

While my AN scar has flatten out a lot, I used to have a raised area like a ridge also. 

Jan - with the lumpy head