Diagnosed with subdural hematoma after a fall: What to expect?

Claudiajoyce,
How long does the procedure take? I’m hoping the patient would be asleep?

Oh for sure the procedure is under general anesthesia. It was very quick (perhaps an hour) however I waited in the ER to be admitted the night before so it was performed the following day. Why did I go to the ER?....I was instructed to go by the radiologists because my scan showed that the SDH was not being reabsorbed as was expected after the diagnosis. My assigned neurosurgeon also was labeled an "expert" in MMA procedures. I was released the following day. One thing I will advise though is to really rest after this procedure. I did not, - While I was advised to resume my daily routines. I would strongly recommend to allow your body some slack to work on reabsorbing the current SDH. The MMA does stop the blood flow, but my POV is give it some time, and take it easy. Hope this helps. Please reply if I can be of any help further. All the best.

So, I saw the neurosurgeon today and he said that the blood had been reabsorbed into the brain and didn’t show up on the CT scan. Whew.
I’m scheduled to have another CT scan in February.

Also, the headache that accompanied the brain bleed had started to fade.
I understand that this could come back.
The neurosurgeon was really happy.

So glad to hear.

I want to share my experience for those who may be interested. I just had an emergency MMA procedure on Thursday afternoon. My original head trauma was 4 weeks ago, had bad headache, 3 CT scans that showed a subdural hematoma, and was scheduled for an MMA in 2 more weeks as a preventative measure to ensure future head trauma wouldn't lead to another hematoma. Thursday morning was a scheduled pre-op CT in preparation for the procedure. The radiologist called my Neurosurgeon immediately who called me and said to go to the ER immediately as the scan showed it was larger. Very Scary!
My Neurosurgeon's team was called in and I was on the operating table by 5 pm. There was no Anesthesiologist available so I chose to have the procedure done while I was awake with intravenous sedation. I had a bad headache during the night, was kept in the ICU and had vitals checked every hour. Another CT was done at 3 am. I was released from the hospital at mid day. I still have mild pain in the area of the MMA and am hoping it resolves!

@poco I am so glad everything was found in time. As I read your story, I immediately went back to when mine was discovered. It was one of the scariest times of my life, even more than my multiple TBIs and two months in the hospital as a result. Knowing that you MUST get to the hospital immediately or you will die is something you never want to relive. I had to have burr hole surgery because it was quickly getting to the point where it was going to be fatal.

For me, the issue became life-altering. Until that point, my wife patiently endured me pushing the envelope despite my epilepsy. I'd climb ladders. I'd do too much work outside to the point I'd seize. After the burr-hole surgery, she said. You stop it, or I'm leaving. I will never forget her honesty and I respect her even more because not only did she save our marriage, but she helped to save my life. Before then, I heard the numerous doctors telling me to watch myself because if I fell I could die, but when I did fall and almost die, I was just being selfish. Even now, I remain cautious and don't push too hard just to stay safe. I also am very careful about bending over too far when I stretch. Just be mindful of that brain. It's the only one you have.

Thank you! That’s so funny. I was pulling a ladder out to change a garage door opener battery when my husband saw and stopped me! He was so upset that I would even consider doing it! I realized he’s right and promised to behave!

I fell off a roof despite my wife's telling me, "Do not get on the roof while I'm away." Lesson learned.

Hello I’ve just signed up in order to be able to post on here as I’ve had a terrible time and your story is ringing lots of bells to me 10 weeks ago. I hit my head and suffered a subdural haematoma 15 minutes after that happened I got all numbness down the right hand side of my body and couldn’t stand. Everyone thought I was having a stroke so they blew lighted me to hospital where I spent three weeks They said I had a very small 4 mm bleed that had now stopped. I have had 9CT scans and 4MRI scans in the last 10 weeks but I’m still really struggling. I’ve also been diagnosed with sleep apnoea and I think the sleep apnoea weekend the blood vessels in my head , after I caused the Haematoma. Before this happened I used to work I used to love walking and doing lots of activities now I struggled to walk up my road and feel sick and dizzy trying to get back to the house. I’m so worried this is gonna be me forever. Any advice will be much appreciated am I expecting too much of myself after 10 weeks? I wonder if I should be resting more I’m at home every day resting and doing it. Walk around the house but sometimes I think now I have to go for a walk and I tried to walk up the road and I really struggle , still suffering with dizziness and feeling very weak is this normal? The weakness is terrible. Actually any advice would be much appreciated. I’ve been very low and confused. I’m 50 years old thank you Sharon.