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What Is The Recovery Period For Brain Metastases?

What Is The Recovery Period For Brain Metastases?

Recovery period of a brain metastases patient depends on the treatment method that he or she undergoes. These include stereotactic radio-surgery, surgical resection and radiation therapy of the whole brain.

Treatment Recovery After Surgery

Brain metastases surgery involves a highly invasive tumor treatment. Because of this, it has relatively long recovery period. For this, doctors may recommend for surgical resection procedure in case the tumor is large or it remain present at any easily accessible region.[1]

First Day After Your Surgery

You will stay in a special room of the hospital post your brain metastases surgery, so that you recover easily from the effects of anesthesia. During this time, surgeons will monitor any vital sign, like blood pressure and heart rate. Later on, they shift the patients to a recovery room for stabilization, where doctors prescribe medicines to make them comfortable.

Later Days and Months

You as a brain metastases patient have to spend many days for the complete recovery. You may increase your physical activities gradually, like walking while you stay in the hospital. Furthermore, doctors monitor any complication in you based on 24-hour care before they discharge you from the hospital. After you return to home, you will experience restrictions on your work and activities until and unless your body heals completely. Most of the patients may return to their regular activities, along with their office work within the period of 4 weeks to 8 weeks. However, the exact time depends primarily on individual circumstances.[2]

Timeline of Individual Recovery

Timeline of one’s personal recovery from brain metastases depends mainly on the individual condition and the treatment procedure recommended by the doctor. Surgical procedures require staying in the hospital for a relatively long time and at the same time, putting restrictions on exact numbers of activities.

Treatment Recovery After Gamma Knife Radiosurgery/Stereotactic Surgery

Stereotactic surgery is a type of radiation therapy for brain metastases that uses multiple focused energy beams to target a particular tumor site. Because of this, you will experience relatively less numbers of side effects after you undergo with the surgical procedure.[3] Furthermore, Gamma Knife Radio Surgery delivers a single big dose to reduce the required numbers of sessions for your treatment.

First Day After The Surgery

Doctors perform this brain metastases surgery in outpatient settings, because of which you may easily return your home within only 4 to 5 hours after your procedure. For 1 or 2-day period, you may feel tired or nauseated or experience headache. Doctors prescribe you medications to make you comfortable and achieve recovery at a slow and steady phase.

Later Days and Months

Most of the patients may return to their regular activities within one day or two days after this brain metastases surgery. You may experience irritation to some extent on the scalp, as doctors secure the head-frame. However, the problem is temporary and often resolves within a period of only 4 to 5 days. In case you experience symptoms associated with tumor, you may witness improvement during the first week, even though the actual recovery period depends on individual and may require some more time.

Timeline of Individual Recovery

Stereotactic surgery eliminates the requirement of your hospital stay and avoids surgical risks. Even the surgical procedure reduces your pain and lets you experience less possible side effects.

Treatment Recovery After Whole Brain Radiation Therapy

Whole brain radiation therapy for brain metastases has remained a gold standard treatment among patients for a long time. However, as it doses the complete brain, most of the patients experience various unpleasant side effects caused due to damage of normal and healthy tissues.[4]

Indefinite Recovery Period For An Individual

Timeline in case of whole brain radiation therapy is indefinite and not a straightforward one, as you find in any other procedure. This is because it requires you attending many sessions during an extended period. A majority of brain metastases patients may often undergo minimum 10 sessions to 15 sessions, 5 days in one week for complete 2 or 3 weeks. During this period, patients become tired and often experience headaches, nausea, irritation at the site of the treatment and hair loss. Once you complete with your treatment round, you will expect to go for follow-up visits with the doctor for monitoring your complete recovery and for imaging process. Even your doctor develops a particular monitoring schedule in accordance with your specific requirements.[5]

References:

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:June 8, 2022

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