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Old 06-21-2014, 08:57 AM
mdiane630 mdiane630 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Houston area
Posts: 21
10 yr Member
mdiane630 mdiane630 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Houston area
Posts: 21
10 yr Member
Default Setback? Headache after general anesthesia

I got my concussion just over a year ago, but it wasn't diagnosed until ~5-6 months later. Last week I got discharged from the neuro/vestibular rehab - I'm no longer making "significant progress" but they felt I could continue to progress on my own (which is a "normal" course from what I understand). My main symptoms were headaches and dizziness, but by last week, my headaches had a baseline of about 2 on a scale of 0-10, and I was having days where I went for 4-6 hours without any noticeable headache.

On Monday, I had oral/sinus surgery under general anesthesia - I'd put it off as long as I could, but my concussion Dr said I'd be fine. (He didn't site any research, just ok'd the procedure.) I was in the OR for 1.5-2 hours and spent about 5 hours in recovery trying to get over the dizziness. I went home that afternoon and by that evening the dizziness was under control, as was the pain. I slept most of Mon-Tues, but Tues when I got up, I had a headache that won't go away. I couldn't read, watch TV, or spend much time on the computer - just like months ago. The pain has been at a 4-5 (the point where I normally start thinking about taking an Aleve) since Tuesday - over the last 6 months, I've probably taken Aleve 3-4 times. I'm still on pain meds - I took 1/2 dose of hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/325 Monday and Tues nights w/ promethazine for nausea, and I was taking 400 mg of ibuprofen during the day. Yesterday I switched to just taking the ibuprofen. I've had to sleep in a recliner, and I've been putting heat on my neck - I'm sure it was in an uncomfortable position during the surgery, but that's a different headache than my "concussion headache."

I tried to research PCS and anesthesia before but maybe I should have tried harder. I have an appt with my PM&R/ortho doc on Monday to go over some other results- I finally had an MRI for lingering shoulder pain and found that I have a labral tear, but now I'm more interested in getting this headache under control. I'm supposed to go back to work on Monday.... I've been trying to keep up, which probably hasn't been the best idea, but my boss isn't exactly sympathetic after putting up with my "issues" for a year.

Any tips or shared experiences?

Diane
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