It starts quietly. Weeks before the surgery. Scans. Blood work. Physical assessments. Neurological tests. The goal is precision. Surgeons need a roadmap before anything begins. Every structure has a function. Every millimeter matters. They use MRI, CT, angiography—each offering a layer of understanding. Before the patient enters the room, a plan exists in layers. Images,…
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Immediately after brain surgery, patients are moved to a high-dependency unit. Nurses track vital signs hourly. Breathing patterns, pupil reaction, and consciousness levels are continuously assessed. It’s normal to feel drowsy or confused. The brain reacts slowly to anesthesia and physical trauma. Tubes may still be attached—for drainage, oxygen, or fluid intake. Family visits are…
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A neurologist examines patients with problems involving the nervous system. This includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. They evaluate symptoms like headaches, dizziness, memory loss, seizures, and numbness. Neurologists use physical exams, reflex tests, and imaging to reach a diagnosis. They often order MRIs, CT scans, or EEGs. Their work focuses on identifying the…
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It doesn’t begin with the knife Spine surgery starts hours before the first cut. You’re brought in early. Changed into a gown. IV lines are placed. Monitors attached. You’re asked your name, your date of birth, your reason for being there—again. It’s routine, but it’s not meaningless. Everyone needs to be sure. The surgeon marks…
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It starts before the hospital doors ever open Preparation doesn’t begin with anesthesia. It begins with questions. With waiting rooms. With signatures. Days, sometimes weeks, before surgery. Not everything is about the brain—some things are about your body’s strength, your blood, your heart rate, your lungs. Scans come first. Then labs. Then consultations. You repeat…
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It begins with something that doesn’t feel quite right A headache that stays too long. A word that won’t come. A hand that shakes without reason. Not always painful. Not always dramatic. Just strange. And it lingers. That’s how many brain tumors first show up. Quiet. Subtle. Easy to ignore. It could be pressure. It…
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The skull isn’t meant to be opened, but sometimes it has to be A craniotomy begins where most things shouldn’t. With a cut to the head. A window in the skull. Bone temporarily removed. The brain, exposed. It sounds extreme. Because it is. But for some, it’s the only way forward. The only way in.…
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They said you’re awake the whole time, but that’s not true for every case Someone told her brain surgery meant being fully awake.She imagined hearing everything.Smelling metal.Feeling cold air in the room.But the surgeon said,“That’s only in specific cases.”Some procedures require response.Others don’t.Many are done under full anesthesia.She exhaled for the first time in days.…
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I didn’t think my headaches had anything to do with surgery They came slowly at first.Tight behind the eyes.Then pressure started spreading across my forehead.I blamed screens.I blamed caffeine.I blamed stress.But nothing helped.The light felt sharper.The room spun more often.My doctor said it might be neurological.I didn’t expect a referral to a brain surgeon. He…
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They don’t start with the brain—they start with your handwriting She didn’t walk in because of pain.She walked in because her writing changed.Letters leaned, shrunk, or vanished.Some words looked foreign in her own hand.Her grip had loosened.But only slightly.Enough that she started using voice notes.Her physician sent her to a neurologist.And then, a neurosurgeon came…
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