Migraine surgery is essentially brain surgery. Since migraines can have any number of causes, you will want to have a neurologist and a pain management specialist do a full work-up on you before you and the doctors make the decision to have surgery. There are few other things you should know about the brain surgeries involved with migraine surgery.
Checking and Blocking Weak Blood Vessels
Migraines can cause repeated damage to blood vessels in the brain. After a while, these weakened blood vessels can collapse or rupture, causing aneurysms and bleeding on the brain. If you are going to have any sort of surgery on the brain for migraines, your doctor will want to check for weakened blood vessels and possibly block them, force-collapse them safely or remove them to prevent problems during surgery.
Mapping out Nerves
Some migraines are directly tied to your nervous system and the nerves closest to the neck and head. Not everyone has exactly the same "map" of nerves because of body formation and extent of skin and muscle tissues. You may undergo a full MRI and/or CAT scan so that your surgeon can map out where your nerves and nerve endings are. Some migraine surgeries involve cutting these nerves so that you no longer feel pain, but the surgeon has to know where the nerves and nerve endings are, and be careful not to cut anything that should not be cut.
Wakefulness During Surgery
Unless some unforeseen accident or head trauma has you knocked out cold, most surgeries on the brain are handled with the patient wide awake. Your head is numbed locally so that you do not feel the surgical instruments. The surgeon needs you awake so that you can tell him/her what you are feeling and sensing as he/she probes different areas of brain tissue. Additionally, if something were to go wrong or go numb, having you awake to vocalize this helps the surgeon quickly repair what is wrong before continuing with the surgery or closing up your head completely.
Pain after Surgery
Pain after surgery is normal. Head pain after surgery is also normal. However, your body should respond well to pain medication now. Once you are healed, you should not feel that much pain again, and your migraines should be significantly reduced if not completely gone. If you experience ongoing pain after you have healed, be sure to check in with your doctor, or a clinic like Northeastern Migraine Surgery Center.
Share14 April 2017
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