“Is weakness after a brain surgery normal?”
My wife recently underwent a brain surgery to get a blood clot removed. But, she feels very weak right now, and it's been more than 3 weeks since the surgery. Is weakness normal, even after a long period of time?
8 Answers
Yes it’s very common to have weakness after brain surgery. Usually, improvement can be delayed or slow the first 6 weeks. Then improvement is more common but requires physical therapy and effort.
Yes, weakness can be expected, either generalized weakness or weakness that is caused by brain swelling or brain injury. It can be temporary or permanent.
Yes, it can take some people as long as months to 1 year or longer to get their energy back after Brain surgery.. like a computer, it requires rebooting!.. hope that helps!
Brain surgery is very traumatic to the system, creating a lot of stress and everyone reacts differently. I have had patients with large cystic hemispheric tumours go home the next day. Every person is different in their response. Might get a general workup to make sure she is not anaemic or some other thing slowing her recovery.
Unfortunately, three weeks after brain surgery is not "a long period of time." We usually allow 12-18 months for full recovery depending on how severe the weakness is. In some cases the weakness may be permanent. Physical and occupational therapy may be helpful in the recovery process but patience is necessary to allow the brain time to recover.
Being weak after brain surgery is not unexpected. Provided hypothyroidism is not a problem the weakness should improve with time. If the weakness continues, a follow up head CT is warranted.
Yes, fatigue is normal when the brain is healing, but you should address your treatment team with this question as medications, fluid shifts, and lack of sleep may affect her recovery.
Yes it can happen. It depends on the type of surgery and and what area of the brain underwent surgery, though I would recommend following up with the neurosurgeon and a scan of the brain to rule out any stroke or bleed or recurrence of pathology if the weakness continues or worsens.
