Surgery
Patients often have a headache or are uncomfortable for the first few
days after surgery. However, medicine can usually control their
pain. Patients should feel free to discuss pain relief with the doctor
or nurse.
It is also common for patients to feel tired or weak. The length of time
it takes to recover from an operation varies for each patient.
Other, less common,
problems may occur. Cerebrospinal fluid
or blood may build up in the brain.
This swelling is called edema.
The health care team monitors the patient
for signs of these problems. The
patient may receive steroids to help
relieve swelling. A second surgery may
be needed to drain the fluid. The
surgeon may place a long, thin tube
(shunt)
in a ventricle of the brain. The tube
is threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the
abdomen. Excess fluid is carried from
the brain and drained into the abdomen.
Sometimes the fluid is drained into the heart instead.
Infection is another problem that may develop after surgery.
If this happens, the health care team gives the patient an
antibiotic.
Brain surgery may damage normal tissue. Brain
damage can be a serious problem. The patient may have
problems thinking, seeing, or speaking. The patient
also may have personality changes or seizures. Most
of these problems lessen or disappear with time.
But sometimes damage to the brain is permanent. The
patient may need physical therapy,
speech therapy, or occupational therapy.
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