This is being written not with the intent of putting anyone off having surgery for epilepsy  but more to inform anyone who wishes to know about what may (or may not as is the case with most of the experiences listed) occur.  Surgery has its risks as with anything but I would say that the risks are worth taking because of the quality of life that finally comes.  Also if there are any technical mistakes then apologies but I am not a medical student.   What has become obvious is that a good surgeon is a pre-requisite to positive outcomes and afterwards having a supportive network of friends and family is a necessity due to the things that require help carrying out during recovery which, as I have discovered through experience, will take six months to become optimal...:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com ffice ffice" />

I started having seizures at the age of seven and after 43 years of absences, out of the blue, I was given the opportunity last year to maybe change my life again irreversibly.  A forward thinking and looking Neurologist suggested surgery was a possibility if all tests confirmed this and asked if I would consider it?  The problem with temporal lobe epilepsy is that it is not well controlled with drugs and the one of the current ones, specifically Primidone or Mysoline, has long term side-effects like disorientation.  Unfortunately any new drug I have tried either did not work or had dire side-effects this being so I believe he felt that it was the best option also if it worked it would save the national health service a great deal of money due to the cost of the drugs.  Lamactal or Lamotrigen being the other medication is very expensive and the cheaper generic variety caused a rather untimely effect namely losing the ability to walk whilst crossing a road.

After some thought and having thus discovered that Temporal Lobe Epilepsy is not well controlled by drugs I said "Yes" and so the long road to the operation occurred. 

I had video telemetry to find the focal point of the seizures to confirm that it was from the Temporal Lobe.  This entailed a two day stay in hospital where I had to have as many seizures as possible over this period whilst being monitored.  The only privacy was a toilet and wash basin in an adjoining  room.  Results of the EEG's showed the scar on the right Temporal Lobe.

I then had MRI scans which unfortunately showed up abnormal white matter.  Consequently not only did I have to have psychological assessments prior to surgery but I had to have memory tests to discover how impaired my short term memory actually was at that point. 

(The former was to find out if I was a suitable candidate to stop having seizures after them being part of my life for so long.  I understand that some people find it hard to cope when they don't have seizures again after surgery.)

After the MRI results I looked into the subject of white matter and my Essential Oil supplier sent me a remarkable article on this because I could find nothing comprehensively written on the subject.  I had no idea what white matter did and it was an eye opener because you always think of the brain being little grey cells whereas it is a very incredible piece of engineering and evolution.

The Memory tests gave bad results.  Auditory memory poor and visual memory impaired which surprised me as I would forget the price of something when told or a meeting time within seconds rather than forgetting a face.  Also I suffer with de ja vu a lot but that seems to be quite normal for sufferes of temporal lobe epilepsy.  I used to have a brilliant memory when I worked with figures and routine information so had not noticed this deficit but there are several types of memory.  The white matter was altered I think due to having Meningitis as a baby although I know that is what actually caused the lesion on the brain which triggered the seizures so I am not sure about white matter abnormalities. 

It was in the hippocampus where Alzheimer's disease strikes and they were a little concerned that mine was thus changed because I was only 49 years old at that time.

I passed the intelligence test with flying colours and as the other criteria was passed I was able to proceed on the pathway to surgery but as they were a little worried about me losing more short-term memory following surgery I was offered a WADA test.  This would tell how much would be lost but as this test itself had some risks I decided against it and to just go for surgery.  The Neurologist made me smile as he said, "You could lose more memory and go from A to B then not know why you went there or, of course, you could die on the operating table".

The next step was an appointment with the Neurosurgeon wherein he gave me a brief explanation of the procedure.  He explained that they would remove a piece of bone to access the temporal lobe then replace it and the scar would be covered by my hair.  I thought I would have to have it shaved off but the surgeon said that it would be best to keep the hair for camouflage.

The surgeon also said that with waiting lists it would be about April 06 but my friend who had been in the room during the consultation said that it was more likely to be August.  My friend works in EEG for the Neurology department and has been a tower of strength to me.

Time went by and the appointment arrived stating 24^th April 2006.  This meant we would not get our Spring holiday but we had been to ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com ffice:smarttags" />India in February so it was not going to be a hardship.  Flying following surgery is not recommended for at least four to five months due to the air which enters the skull when the bone is removed.  My friend explained that it would be uncomfortable with this air pocket or bubble during a pressurized flight.  This air pocket does dissipate after two months.  A doctor did mention that following head injuries abroad most people are flown straight home to be treated and I surmise that it is safe to fly but uncomfortable just after surgery.

I went with my husband and friends for a pre-op curry in case it was the last.  Also I tried to get a point over to a professor in London about olfaction and Essential Oils in case I was not compos mentis afterwards.  This professor claimed that inhaling oils had no effects on the brain but I pointed out that they had stopped many of my seizures in their tracks providing I smelled the oils before they had reached the point of no return.  He was rather condescending and I have since found several experiments that prove that Essential Oils cross the blood/brain barrier when inhaled.  I gave up as he did not reply to my last correspondence stating that the smell of sage smudge sticks had induced the worst seizure my friend had witnessed.  Sage Essential oil induces fits but we had no idea that Smudge stick would do the same but they were rather potent thinking about it.  This may seem irrelevant but later will appear in context as the Professor said it was the Limbic System that actually worked in respect of stopping the seizures because it was a smell that must have had good associations so stopped the seizures on a feel good basis prior to reaching the trigger point of no return. 

My essential Oil supplier is a font of all wisdom and for some reason I actually struggled through his April Newsletter and read about Gingko Bilboa being a blood thinner therefore is good for the circulation in the brain.  I decided that if you had to stop taking warfarin and other blood thinning medication prior to surgery then it would be best to stop taking Gingko too.  At the MOT, which is given to everyone prior to major surgery these days, I told the Nurse about the Gingko and she said that Vitamin E came into this category too so I had to stop taking that.  The MOT was passed at 100% fitness rate.

My first night in hospital arrived and I had a very sleepless one due not to worry but to a truculent patient who could not sleep because of the phones ringing and general activity in the corridor from the nursing station.  Not satisfied with sitting there in silence she spent the whole night yelling out for everyone to "Shut UP and stop making a noise" or "Answer the phone."

Prior to bed time a young doctor came around and said he needed to do some things to save time in the morning.  He got a razor and cut off a long swathe of hair my hair then he stuck markers on my skull.  I looked like Hiawatha with these huge white beads on my head.  I gathered that these were to mark out where the cuts would be.

The next morning I had to sign consent forms and then had to shower and have the pre-op and anaesthetic.  I remember going down for another MRI scan and having to wait ages in a freezing corridor.  It did not help that I was very scantily dressed in a theatre gown.  I do not remember anything after that until coming around on the IC ward.  Being rather out of it I did not wish a visitor as it had been a four hour session in surgery.  I was just glad it was all over. 

I was hooked up to a catheter and the surgeon was concerned because of the risk of infection and wanted it removed ASAP. I also had what could only be classed as a brain drain because I had a tube from my head draining into a bottle.  The catheter went and I got out of bed feeling great but a little tender which was to be expected.  They were pleased with this quick progress because being 49 they were not expecting such rapid progress.

I did some Suduko puzzles and was pleased to find that my cognitive function had not been affected.  All went well and I was getting around, eating well and drinking plenty which is conducive to being released from hospital and one day as I was sitting on the ladies toilets heaving and straining when my nose burst forth all over the floor with blood.  There is no delicate way of putting that.  It was a little bit of a surprise to say the least and afterwards I was given a pot to catch any subsequent bleeds in order that it could be analysed.  At this time I seemed to have bats floating across the eyes rather than floaters and it was very disconcerting.

The surgeon came around and explained that the membrane surrounding the brain called the Dura had a slight tear in and that Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) was leaking out.  (They obviously have to cut through the Dura to get to the brain during the procedure.)  He then went onto explain that I had a hole in the front of my skull and that it was also porous there.  He also said that he hand only seen one before in his 22 years of being a surgeon.  Apparently I was born with this hole and normally when people have holes or porous skulls they are at the back and not the front where mine was.  I do not know the technical name for this or how many other people have had this condition.  The CSF was leaking through this hole to exit via the nose.  I took this in happily but had no idea of the headaches that were about to begin. 

Every time I sat upright from lying down it was just like someone had hit me on the forehead with a sledge hammer.  A Doctor said that I would have to raise myself very slowly as these were pressure headaches which occurred when pressure changed and from the pressure of the fluid leaking within.  He said that they had tried filling the hole in my skull during the surgery but as there was so much blood it was not possible to do it. 

I was in hospital over a period when there was a morphine shortage so that was not a great help on the pain control front.

The beds were electric so at least I could raise myself slowly.  The physiotherapist was sad at this setback but we managed to walk around if I got up slowly.  They were hoping the tear would repair itself and thus I was kept in for longer.  It was the most painful time of my life.  I was given anti-biotics in order that infection would not take hold because as the Doctor said "You know what happened when you got Meningitis" which was fair enough.  For some reason I was given steroids too.

The next knock back was the fitting of a lumbar drain to relieve the build up of pressure in the head due to the leak.  That was a messy procedure and an intern did it whilst being instructed by the Doctor.  The Doctor said it was easy but it all depended on the patient.  I was good but the blood on the sheet was phenomenal and so the sheets were changed again!

The drain was emptied into a stationary bottle and this was set at a height in order that it did not drain off the CSF too quickly but just enough to ease the pressure.  Each time I had to get up I needed to have the drain level raised so this was a palaver and at this point I think a catheter would have been easier.  However, with the double risk of infection then with one fitted, they said "No."

I walked around with the blood catching pot and had a huge leak into it.  The doctor thought that I had topped it up with water!  I said nothing – as if.  I just wanted to get home.  The CSF tasted awful just like you had been sucking on an iron bar but that was probably the haem.  It was unpleasant and not a taste you easily forget.  I had a leak prior to this in the night and the doctor asked what it tasted like.  All I could say was that it was acrid because that is all I could remember of it at the time and I was half asleep anyway.

The tests came back positive for CSF and as it should actually be clear it was a puzzle that there was also blood.  This caused further delay and so I suffered but happily I had no leaks for a while, just the headaches.

After surgery 11 days elapsed before I was allowed to wash my hair.  The skull was however still slightly tender at five months. 

As there was no leak for a few days the Doctors said I could go home.  The physiotherapist was doubtful because she used to watch me get up to get out of bed.  It was very slowly still and she wondered how I would cope at home without an electric bed.

I found it easier to eat lying down because it was such a palaver getting upright with the lumbar drain attached as it had to be adjusted all the time so I became good at eating in this manner in the end.  Fortunately there was a thoughtful tea man who always gave me a beaker with a straw and cool milky tea.  However I did go off food eventually and they were concerned but I pointed out that I was eating well until the drain insertion.  The afternoon before I was being allowed home I had another leak which meant that they would have to do more surgery to repair the tear and fill the hole in the skull at the same time.

When I think about it I was lucky to have had this hole in the head because otherwise the leak would have gone unnoticed and I would just have had some exceptionally bad headaches. 

The surgery was put off until the end of the day and it was not known until they actually took me down whether I was going to have it because it had been a long day in theatre for them.  At 4pm I was on my way to theatre again.  Being late in the day I was bit perturbed as brain surgery requires much concentration although they did not have a great deal to do this time.  I had to sign another consent form.

This session was over quite quickly and I was wheeled back to I.C.  Here I had a huge nose bleed.  I asked a young nurse to catch some in a pot for testing which she did.  The Sister said "You did this last time you were in my ward" and I told her that I did not remember – apparently I did and it is unusual because I never suffer with nosebleeds.  It explained why the Doctors kept asking me before whether I was prone to nose bleeds.

I slept well and next morning climbed out of bed as there was no catheter, brain drain or lumbar drain.  I went for a shower and bumped into the Surgeon.  He was so pleased to see me up and asked whether they had put a lumbar drain in.  I told him that they hadn't but that they had come around earlier wanting to put one in.  The surgeon said that if they had not already inserted one then there was no point now.  I asked him to pass this on to Sister because I did not want a drain and also told him about the leak in the night and that the pot was by the bedside all sealed.  He told Sister and also walked off with the blood pot so I went for a shower quite happy. 

I had a good day and the bandages were not as extensive as those from the first op where they did the envelope insertion because this time they just used the hairline scar to enter and folded the bone back to stitch the Dura.  According to the Anaesthetist they filled the hole with a form of resin similar to human tissue and it sets like bone thus plugging the hole although it would not have mattered about that as the repaired Dura was more of a worry to me then.  This incision was resealed using sutures as staples would not hold a pre-cut incision properly. 

Two days after this second procedure I was told I could go home and I was so relieved that I could have kissed the Doctor but as he was from the Middle East (I assume) I thought he would be offended.  I did tell him this and he shook his head and grinned.  He told me that if I had any sort of bleed then I was to go back into hospital immediately and I promised that I would. 

I had been up and about a lot since the operation on Monday and the physiotherapist hearing of my imminent departure informed me that I had to pass the stair test.  She took me to the stairwell and we had to walk through an area frequented by smokers.  It stank of stale smoke and was quite nauseating. 

The Temporal Lobe, being part of the Limbic System, controls the Olfactory System and the surgery altered my sense of smell in respect of smoke.  It was not a smell I liked previously but it never nauseated me before.

During my stay in hospital I had vital signs tests every few hours which was not conducive to getting rest but I suppose showed that all was well and proved that my mind had not been affected.  For instance I had to say where I was and what day it was as well as naming the prime Minster.  They also shone a light into the pupils each time to see their reaction.

Prior to departure an intern gave me a basic field test to find out is my peripheral vision had been affected.  He wiggled his fingers at the corners of my eyes and I had to say when I could see the wiggle.  This test was fine.

As I had passed the "stairs" test I just needed to phone home then get a stitch removed from the lumbar drain scar and have the bandage changed.  With this done I dressed, packed and bade "Farewell" to the lovely nurses. I had a lift home courtesy of a dear friend and he drove very carefully because my head was still sore from the lack of CSF surrounding the brain.

Once home I had a meal, a glass of red wine and pain killers then slept for England and stayed flat on my back mostly for about five days as it felt like my brain was sitting on a bed of rocks every time I moved around.  I had been told that the CSF would replenish itself quickly and movement hastened its refilling, as far as I could make out from the Internet.  I still had headaches and took painkillers for three weeks.  As they gave me weird dreams I plucked up the courage at the end of May, well after the sutures had been removed by the District Nurse, to apply a blend of Essential Oils.  I was dubious about this at first but as the skin had knitted fully I decided it would cause no ill-effects.  Fortunately it killed the pain.  I had great discomfort over a small dented area on the forehead which was presumably caused by the skin being taut over the indentation. I later discovered, much later I might add, that during the second operation they pulled the skin off the forehead to get to the bone.  They cut away a piece of muscle too in order to get to bare bone to fill the hole and this lack of muscle had caused the indentation.  I did not know this at the time, as I said, and thought I had a dent in the actual bone.

After the first week I started moving about more as the CSF had filled, not completely but enough to be able to wander around the house.  A further week passed and I started going light headed.  This was not on rising but after I had been upright for a few hours.  Consequently when I wanted to go for a walk I needed someone to hold onto for the times when my head went dizzy.  This went on for quite a while and I discovered courtesy of an Alexandra Technique practitioner that the spine supplies the brain with oxygen as well as did arteries etc.  I rather hoped they had not severed my carotid artery which runs up the side of the head and was relieved to read the information about the spine after which I made sure that I had good posture when sitting and standing. 

My lumbar area actually felt fused and during the second operation they had tried to alter the CSF levels and had put needles into the spine.  I gather it did not work because the doctor said that it was like trying to put grout in between tiles or some such analogy.  They had to do this when I was at an angle (I assume) because the needle marks were slightly off the line of the original lumber drain incision.  I just hoped this was normal and that it would return to normal but my spine felt fused for several months nonetheless.

My first real outing in a car was to a pub and undertaken very slowly.  I have never felt so strange in all my life.  This is probably because I had been in hospital for 17 days instead of the usual five and then flat on my back for another seven - 25 days being indoors is rather conducive to panic attacks.  The noise in the pub seemed unbelievable as my head felt like an empty chamber but I survived the night although I must have looked awful.

The next few days I did get out walking accompanied and a week after my first outing I was taken to Southwell racecourse.  The drive was a speedy one and I noticed then that my eyes were not focussing together.  Consequently the passing undergrowth out of the corner of my right eye made me feel seasick.  Actually I could not describe what it felt like but I found closing the right eye stopped this. My next ordeal came when climbing down the stand steps.  I went up them OK but looking down whilst climbing down them was very disorientation and luckily I had an arm to hang onto so made it to back safely.

I gather from my A&P book and the Internet that the optic nerve is very close to the site of the operation and can be affected by this.  This took six weeks to return to normal.

During this outing it also became apparent that my eyes were photo-sensitive.  At home during the first week I could not stand the bedroom light shining in my eyes but at least it had progressed onto only sun light bothering the pupil.  It took three months for the light sensitivity to cease.

My jaw on the right side at ear level was incredibly tender because they had to cut through the jaw muscle by the ear to do the operation.  During the first operation, as mentioned by the Surgeon, they actually removed a complete piece of bone.  It went from the centre of the forehead down the hairline, over the back of the ear and back up to the centre parting then down to the hairline.  They also cut along the centre parting back to the crown of the head then did a cut a of about two inches either side at right angles to the parting line forming a T shape.  This was all stapled together as well as having dissolving stitches after the first operation but during the second procedure they used sutures because staples would not have held together for some reason. 

My cheek swelled when I chewed food or when I moved my right arm about because the cranial muscles specifically those over the temporal area connect to the neck, jaw etc.  The swelling was most uncomfortable because it used to dig into the arm of my glasses. 

Some of the things which caused the swelling included hanging washing on the line, sitting at the computer typing, lifting things and washing the dishes.  Most things could be done with the left hand but ironing is not easy - it took too long thus and even so the cranial/neck muscles all interlink which caused discomfort over the scalp and face. 

On enquiring about this problem I was told that the swelling should cease after three months.  It did get better but even after four months it still swelled when I did work or for instance carried a handbag on my shoulder for extended times or lifting saucepans and buckets of water. 

Having enquired about the jaw because I could only open my mouth about two finger widths I was told it took six months to return to normal.  It was much better after five months and indeed back to normal by six months. 

My mouth did not seem to be watering properly on the right-hand side and I gather there are gustatory glands in the cheeks which I assume had been affected due to the nerves being cut during surgery.  It is also getting better in respect of saliva production.

At the three-month follow up the surgeon examined my skull and informed me that it was symmetrical.  He would see me in a year's time.  The Surgeon gave me permission to fly again and said that all the wounds had completely healed also that I could use anything on them in the way of shampoo etc.  I explained about using oils and he said that was OK.  I have an appointment again with him in a Year's time.

The dizziness went eventually after two months for which I was eternally grateful.  It occurred after I had purchased a magnet therapy machine and used it for a day.  Not wishing to take pain killers and worrying about the risk of sensitisation with constantly using Essential Oils I looked for another form of pain relief.  I looked into Ayurvedic medicine but never had a reply from them.  The English Herbalist Dr. Jan de Vries was most helpful when I enquired about assistance with healing and pain relief.  However just after I had written to him I came across the advertisement for the magnet therapy machine and have not looked back.  It was difficult putting oil into the hair all the time as touching the head was not pleasurable and still isn't because it is quite tender at times when the skin is taut from exercise. 

I enquired as to how long it would be before I could have cranial-sacral therapy in the hope that at that time it would relieve the tension around the skull.  The surgeon informed me that it would be six months before manipulations were advisable.  This tied in with the information I gained for a Plastic Surgeon in America who said that it took six months for a bone harvest to completely return to full integrity.  There is not much information on the Internet or wasn't because I could not find it until I had a discussion with a Doctor one day on a train.  He explained about the bone repairing itself and that cranial bone repaired differently to long bones because it was nourished from within by the Dura and without by the skin.  I looked at the Website he gave me and found the information about bone regeneration and much more.  The Website is http://www.medscape.com/medscapetoday.  I had to register and did so which brought a wealth of information to hand after months of fruitless searches.

I still do not know what caused the dizziness and went through many stages trying to fathom out what it was.  When I thought there was a dent in the bone I searched and came across one that gave information about malformed craniums and faces that caused many problems in respect of circulation to the brain.  I emailed an Italian paediatrician asking his advice and never had a reply which is as well because it was not a dented bone anyway.  I am determined to find out what the cause was though.

The magnet therapy machine worked on the principle of pulsing magnets which actually relieve pain and promotes cell renewal.  I used the 3 KHz setting which is compatible for the brainwaves as there are four setting the highest being 20 KHz.  Magnets affect the polarity of the ions in blood so any pain will alter the cells and the magnets draw them back to the correct polarity thus alleviating pain.

It was a long time before I could bend forward and touch my toes due to the pressure put on the Dura in this inverted position.  The surgeon said that the brain had the largest supply of blood in comparison to any other organ so it meant that it healed quickly.  This explained the pressure caused when bending over which was not advised by the Neurology department until the Dura was fully knitted.  One month after the operation I could bend forward but with care then

The scar down the cheek would pull painfully when I overexerted the muscles so at least I knew when to stop working.  However, by August this had stopped pulling and the feeling that someone was running a Stanley knife down the scar moved from the cheek area to the rear of the bone removed behind the ear.  This was great but unfortunately the area behind the ear up to the centre of the skull did not actually start reacting to pressure or exertion until after the event.  As I lost that early warning signal I had to learn to pace myself or suffer several days afterwards with a tight skull, and swollen face again.  I find also that if I overdo it that I get exhausted several days later and have to completely rest or do very little anyway to recover.

In October the feeling had virtually gone altogether thus work has resumed as normal.

My sinuses finally eased off and only require an occasional drain when a headache occurs on the forehead which is rare now.

The body's temperature control or hot/cold perception has been altered consequently in May when it was freezing and wet I felt cold around the scar area.  It was like a cold finger being dragged over the patch.  When I went outdoors I wore a headscarf to keep warm.  During this cold spell I woke in the night with a frozen head sand was unable to get to sleep again.  I tried wrapping a towel around the head to keep warm as the shower cap rather dug in on the scar line at the front.  This helped, so for days I went to bed thus and had the duvet over my face too.  My sinuses did not help matters as the main one must have become blocked although fortunately it never became infected.  Once we purchased a hat for wearing in bed problem of waking during the night ceased.

When we went out in the evenings I wore a scarf and carried a spare hat in case it got really cold as it often did.  Also a scarf covered a multitude of bad hair days and oily hair from the applications.  My hair was shaved over an area of an inch thick strip so whilst growing through it was unruly.  It did seem slow growing and there were actually two different areas of hair lengths from the two shaves.  By this time the first op shave was soft and downy and the last op shave was like a bristly mat but at least it held the scarf in place when I could not find a head band. 

I wore it bandanna style but it looked bizarre because I was wearing a four year old pair of glasses.  My current ones were in need of renewal anyway but somehow I could not focus in them.  By chance I tried my old ones and could see OK.  These were from the era obviously of huge frames as opposed to postage stamps so I felt a little self-conscious at first.  However I thought that what did it matter what I looked like because I was still alive and anyway at least they kept the sun out of my eyes. 

I was advised not to have eyes tested for a new prescription before six months and I would assume this is due more to the pressure problem rather than the surgery for Epilepsy.  I did not ask at the time of mentioning about needing a new prescription.  However, I did get a new pair a month after surgery and have not fortunately had any visual alterations.  The opticians were very good as it was an offer of three glasses for the price of one.  I asked if they would make one pair up then wait a while before making up the other pairs.  They agreed and after four months the final pair was made.  The eyes were retested at this point and had not altered.  They Optician himself was a Doctor so aware of the problems but the staff were so remarably helpful and understanding especially when I first went in to enquire.  They were very supportive all through and helpful.

The Hippocampus is in charge of moods as people with bipolar depression have problems with this part of the brain, as far as I can make out that is. 

The operation was called an Amygdal Hippocampectomy so they not only removed the scar tissue that was the focal point of the seizures they also removed some damaged white matter because apparently I did not need it. 

Everyone said that I seemed more alert and had speeded up.  Also my sense of humour had been very much enhanced.  My neighbour thought I had come off the drugs but I pointed out that it would be a year seizure free before I could come off them. Se said "God help us when you do then".  I was also told that I seemed to have woken up from a deep depression.  It is not something that I had noticed at the time but I suppose it must be so if everyone says so.  I always thought that I had a good sense of humour and my friend agreed but said that now I seemed to be able to vocalise this whereas before it was more a thought process.  I am still studying this area of the brain so do not know.

I noticed in the beginning that my hearing had been affected in the right ear but that had normalised after two months and I find I cannot stand silence anymore so have music on most of the day unless I am outside when the sounds of nature fill the space.

I wear an MP3 player most of the day the fill the silence of the house.  Whether this is due to the ear being affected or just down to a psychological thing I do not know.  Also, it helps to be in your own space and time especially in the presence of irritating people like football supporters on a train whose language and conversations are both offensive and intrusive.  The operation has not made me anti-social as I enjoy the company of intelligent and amusing people. 

Having read about the brain I stumbled upon endorphins for painkilling and discovered that endorphins are produced to kill pain and enhance the mood.  Singing is said to produce endorphins and specifically during meditation with the OHM sound.  It may account for the need to have music to keep happy!

My memory fortunately is no further impaired in fact it has if anything improved but that could be because I am more focussed and interested in things now. 

Had I not had a sense of humour still in June it would have been a crying month.  It turned warm after I had seen the Neurologist in June and complained about the cold head.  This was fine but when it was too hot we needed the fan blowing in the lounge to keep cool.  My body was warm so I wore a bikini but the moving air felt cold on my head and I was forced to sit wearing a hat too or suffer.

July came and then the heat problem kicked in.  The body's temperature control is the hypothalamus which is quite close to the hippocampus.  Although I know it was not touched during the surgery I don't know whether surgery affects the whole brain until equilibrium returns or whether it was hormonal.  I had gone 12 weeks without a menstrual flow.  This probably did not help with the feeling of overheating but when outside temperatures went over 80 deg my skull started to feel like it was exploding.  It was not just a sensation because the skull actually did expand.  I could tell by the tightness of the headbands and well as being able to feel a definite indentation all around the area of bone that had been removed originally.  Consequently I had to cool down rapidly by using ice packs and stay in a cool room.  Fortunately there was a cool room in the house and I never thought that I would long for the cold to return.  It is easier to warm up than cool down because icepacks are not easy to keep in place and carry on living.  During a trip across Country to a wedding it was unbearably hot on the train and the surrounding area.  At our destination my family had icepacks for the cool box which they had travelled with so I used those and at the wedding the catering section also had icepacks.  It rained and that helped to cool temperatures especially standing in it.

We had travelled home from a Christening in June and the train was set so cold that we virtually alighted with hypothermia and it was quite cold in June on occasions anyway. 

In July then I finally contacted my Reiki master and he spent two hours clearing my head and doing other things that enabled me to withstand higher temperatures before swellings occurred.  I did not enjoy the period up to this point as I could not cook due to the heat in the kitchen we ate a lot of take aways.

The plastic surgeon had explained that the feelings of cold on the skull were due to nerve endings and tissue repairing which were quite normal and nothing to worry about.  She also added that they would dissipate after a year when full skin integrity would return.  Her website was very informative and said that any surgery on the face should be covered with a high factor sunscreen as there was no protection in the skin at present.  It was easier to wear a scarf though due to the scars on the scalp because at least this afforded UV protection all over.

I am not sure whether bone has any nerve endings thus feels pain at all or whether the pain was all due to muscle, skin and nerve renewal/repair.  It has been a lot to research and I will find out eventually I hope.

Also the website said that the hairline can be altered following surgery.  As most women or people having plastic surgery would all be in their middle ages like me, not all of course, the healing times stated would generally apply.  My hairline has altered especially over the patch where the muscle was cut away.  This is a permanent indentation now and has a little hair growth at the top of it.  The rest is covered by my hair which has had to have a change of parting to cover the now very unruly new growth.

I have now purchased thicker scarves for the onset of winter as it has come early this year although we do get hot days still and my head still expands when temps reach 90 as they do inside the house especially in the kitchen with all the electrical appliances going.

Whether it has just been an exceptional year weather-wise or I am just getting old and have noticed it much more than perhaps other people who have had this surgery have noticed I do not know.  I am not a hypochondriac by any means and it annoys me when people who are able-bodied do not bother to do anything when I so much need and want to do things. 

As I said my person

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