Nerve damage after neurosurgery

Question

I am a very healthy and fit "young" 56-year-old woman who had neurosurgery one month ago to remove a benign meningioma with middle cranial fossa origin.  The tumor was invading my ear canal so I had two surgeons:  a neurosurgeon and a neuro otologist.  The surgery went well but I have questions about nerve damage after surgery.  I was told I would have dry eye syndrome and that the taste buds and spit glands on the right side of my mouth would be damaged.  These are minor problems I can live with. 

However, apparently a retractor stretched a nerve in my forehead.  I am unable to raise my right eyebrow (which is now about 1/2 inch lower than the left one) and the lid is droopy.  My neuro otologist told me this might not start to improve for six months and could take 12 to 18 months to return to normal.  It bothers me when I look in the mirror but I guess I could get a haircut that covers my eyebrows! 

When I got home from the hospital, I also developed a delayed facial paralysis, much like Bell's Palsy.  Thankfully, this condition started to improve last week.  I still can't blink my right eye but my smile is returning.

My major concern, however, is that three fingers and the thumb of my LEFT hand are "tingly," like the feeling you get after your hand "falls asleep" and is beginning to "wake."  The fingertips are especially sensitive and it also affects my palm, just below the fingers, not in the middle.  (I'm left handed, too.)  I noticed this as soon as I woke from the surgery (even though I was given strong pain medications) but all my doctors seemed unconcerned and ignored it.  So I assumed it was no big deal and would go away in a few days.   

During a follow up visit to my neuro otologist, he said a nerve may have been nicked or pinched by the IV...or it may be a result of the way my arm was positioned during the eight hour surgery. 

It's been a month now and there's no sign of improvement.  The only pain medication I'm taking now is Gabapentin 300 mg, four times a day. I switched from Percocet to Gabapentin about ten days after the surgery and it did not affect the pain in my hand.  My head hardly ever aches now so I plan to start weaning myself off the Gabapentin tomorrow. I'm wondering how/if this will affect the pain in my hand.  

I guess my question boils down to this:  Is all this nerve damage common after surgery?  One, or even two problems...but three?  I do not see the neurosurgeon for follow-up for another two months.  I see my neuro otologist this week and he even answers emails...but I know nerve damage is not his specialty.  Should I press him to send me to another doctor?  Is there a test to see how extensive the damage is?  Do you think it could be permanent?    If not, how long should I expect before I see some improvement.  Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I am thankful to be alive and I'm not a complainer...I'd just like some honest answers.  
Thank you!

Lola2u · Answer

Hi,

My issue seems to be resolving with time, albeait slowly.  The top of my pointer finger is numb, and if something presses against my wrist (even a watch that is too tight), I get that tingly sensation down the top of my hand.  But at least the pain seems to be going away, and it doesn't ache as much when it gets cold.  That was a killer.

Hope yours resolves itself soon,

nanal800 · Answer

Congrats for being brave enough to go through with the EMG.........I think it just proves how desperate you are to find some real answers........I hope you do........and I'm glad the test wasn't so bad........some of us are braver than others.........again.......my very best to you in finding answers that will help you with the quality of your life...........peace and love.......Norma

oscarabbie · Answer

I am sorry to hear about your problems. I had scarring damage after spinal surgery and it is no fun at all. I have tried all sorts of medication tried with varying degrees of success. I am sure that your doctors will find a solution for you, and I'll keep you in my prayers.
XX

Lannylucy · Answer

I decided to have the EMG test...it wasn't bad at all although I don't know what it will prove...we'll see...

kiwipie · Answer

Hi, my name is Mollie. I was diagnosed with small fiber polyneropathy and rheumatoid arthritis this past June. My tingling pain is in my ankles, wrists, forearms, thighs and calves along with muscle weakness. I have been taking lyrica since Aug but stopped on Oct 13. I do not see any difference. I have fond mold in my basement that probably was there for 8 years. i'm trying to find a doctor who deals with mold toxins and some of the symptoms that might come with exposure to the spores. My pain will intensify when I am near any kind of mold (wet moldy firewood, paper and clothes that have mold spores on it). I also take methrotrexate for the RA-this seems to be under control with inflamation down. .

Lannylucy · Answer

Hi Norma, 
Thanks for your input  What you're saying about the EMG is exactly what I was wondering...what's the point?  I think the hand surgeon wants me to get tested to see if the problem could be improved with more surgery...but it's highly unlikely.  I'm guessing that this problem will take at least six months to improve...I think I'm better off to just leave it alone...!

nanal800 · Answer

Hi.....my name is Norma......I won't go into all the neuro stuff I've been through........just wanted to share with you that the EMG they want to do......is an awful test......that.....let's face it........does absolutely nothing to improve your situation with pain......or anything for that matter.......it simply tells them the extent of your problem........does them having that information help you in any way at all ? For a test that, in my opinion.......is completely painful.....even tortureous.............it's not worth it just so they know a little more..........just my opinion.........if it helps you decide......I'm an RN who's been around the neuro block......a few times.......I hope some of your post-op problems resolve themselves.......with time ! Good luck..........peace and love.......Norma

Lannylucy · Answer

Thanks for your reply.  I saw a hand surgeon yesterday and he was rather noncommital.  He thinks the tingling and oversensitivity may have been caused by an IV or compression during surgery.  The good news is that he thinks the pain will resolve itself but he has no idea how long it will take.  He wants me to get an EMG to determine the extent of the damage.  However, I know this test is very painful and I'm not sure what good it will do.  Frankly, I'd rather have my forehead tested!  I cannot move my eyebrow at all and my lid is droopy.  I guess I'd like to know if this problem is going to take 6 or 18 months to return to normal...or maybe the damage is permanent.  If so, I think it would be better to know.

Good luck with your hand...let's keep in touch.  I'll let you know when I start to see some improvement and whether or not I get it tested.  If I go for the tests, I'll let you know if the pain was worth it!

Lola2u · Answer

I am not a doctor, but have the same hand symptoms.  I too recently underwent surgery and know for a fact that they knicked a nerve in the top of my left hand when they inserted an IV just below my wrist on the top of my hand.  My three fingers and thumb lit up with pain and went straight, like I had touched an electric wire.  I was awake while they did this and screamed.  I have had a lot of IVs and donate blood and am not afraid of needles, so this was a complete surprise.

Now it is almost 2 weeks later and I still have numbness, the tingly feeling and pain.  I cannot tell you how long it will last or if it will go away, because I am not a doctor.  I can however wish you luck at getting a truthful answer.  Your own doctor or anyone at the same hospital or facility will be reluctant to confirm that the IV is the cause and/or make any predictions.  Your best best would be to get an independent evaluation by a neurosurgeon unaffiliated with where you went before, but good luck getting him/her to tell you the first facility did anything wrong.

In case you wondered, I'm a lawyer.  I don't plan to sue, but I would like real answers.  I understand how in today's litigous society, doctors are reluctant to give them.

Good luck ... I'm dealing with this as well.