Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has had pain 2-3 inches from their scar, it has been there since the day after surgery. I asked the surgeon when I saw him in February and he kinda blew it off without a reason why.
Hi Heather,
I have pain near and around the scar and on the scar at 8 wks. It has been diminishing but I have on spot in particular higher up on my scalp that has been since day 1 and has not diminished much at all. Another band of soreness reaching from the scar over the top of my head to the other ear. I also have numbness with the painful spots along and around the scar. The bottom part of my scar has developed some infected type bumps like pimples. There is about 6 of them on both sides of scar near my neck. They hurt and sting when I touch them. So I have been putting antibiotic cream on the area.
When I discussed the pain spots and numbness with my surgeon he indicated it was normal and may take a year. We plan to discuss where I am at 6 months post op. Talk about what next? For the remaining neuralgia/neuropathy stuff I have. Which brings me to my next ? did you experience scalp type pain prior to MVD? If so maybe that's it. I had scalp pain prior to surgery that my surgeon did not think the MVD would fix. But he was unsure because it does have a TN component. 15 years ago when my pain started it began in my scalp. So probably gonna be stubborn to heal because I have had it so long.
They have cut open the scalp and pealed it off your skull to get in there, that's why the big scar. My surgeon says this cut is thru the occipital region of nerves in the scalp. So it takes a little time for the nerves to repair but they should.
If you can see a Physical Therapist specializing in Cranial Therapy it might help you heal faster. Have them show you how to work with the scar to prevent adhesion's. So your scar does not adhere to your skull with scar tissue. Mine has me gently move the skin around with two fingers carefully breaking up any adhesion. If you do not have access to PT try the internet or YouTube.
Healing Together, Tree69
Thank you for answering , my scar is still numb as expected, the pain is from the top of my head to my neck and about 2 inches wide. I never had head pain before developing TN, but I did get ear pain during flare ups which is still happening fairly regularly more then I thought would happen, my surgeon told me that surgery may not help the ear pain. I went to PT for lower back pain and thigh pain from a nerve injury caused by the lumbar drain ( my surgeons words), it made the pain worse so he told me to stop. I never had them touch my head, I go back to the surgeon on 4/9 I will have to ask about cranial therapy.
Tree69 said:
Hi Heather,
I have pain near and around the scar and on the scar at 8 wks. It has been diminishing but I have on spot in particular higher up on my scalp that has been since day 1 and has not diminished much at all. Another band of soreness reaching from the scar over the top of my head to the other ear. I also have numbness with the painful spots along and around the scar. The bottom part of my scar has developed some infected type bumps like pimples. There is about 6 of them on both sides of scar near my neck. They hurt and sting when I touch them. So I have been putting antibiotic cream on the area.
When I discussed the pain spots and numbness with my surgeon he indicated it was normal and may take a year. We plan to discuss where I am at 6 months post op. Talk about what next? For the remaining neuralgia/neuropathy stuff I have. Which brings me to my next ? did you experience scalp type pain prior to MVD? If so maybe that's it. I had scalp pain prior to surgery that my surgeon did not think the MVD would fix. But he was unsure because it does have a TN component. 15 years ago when my pain started it began in my scalp. So probably gonna be stubborn to heal because I have had it so long.
They have cut open the scalp and pealed it off your skull to get in there, that's why the big scar. My surgeon says this cut is thru the occipital region of nerves in the scalp. So it takes a little time for the nerves to repair but they should.
If you can see a Physical Therapist specializing in Cranial Therapy it might help you heal faster. Have them show you how to work with the scar to prevent adhesion's. So your scar does not adhere to your skull with scar tissue. Mine has me gently move the skin around with two fingers carefully breaking up any adhesion. If you do not have access to PT try the internet or YouTube.
Healing Together, Tree69
Hi, my pain was there for months. the numbness was there 4 years it went from the top of my head to my neck.. Had my surgery in 2008. My pain came back after a year of surgery. My doctor said it was because of all the nerves around the area, so it will take some time.
Yep, it takes time for the scalp to heal. Months actually, but with time, it does get better. Mine is still numb a lot of the time, and I get pain radiating from it that wraps around to my face, but not too often. My hopes of having all my TN pain go away with the surgery were dashed, but then I found some new hope in that the pain was less after the surgery (still have to take quite a lot od medications) and as time has passed, I have settled into a routine with life that minimizes severe pain. Most importantly, I try very hard to take care of my body so it can deal with the trauma of TN. Accupuncture, cranial sacral treatments, excellent medical care, and counseling, and as much activity (which is not much, believe me), are combinations that are working for me. I hope you keep hoping for the best. It’s so hard sometimes to do that when it seems all is lost. Focus on making each day the best it can be and tomorrow is just another day to do the same. I really care about you. I don’t know you, but I care. Sincely, Laurel