Question:
has any one had bad headaches after surgery

I cut my caffiene out two weeks before surgery and I had surgery almost 3 weeks ago.I have had two headaches that last all day untill i go to bed,has this happened to anyone?I did not have this before.    — Sandy Hanson (posted on April 3, 2007)

April 3, 2007
hello you could still be going through caffiene withdrawls, but a lot of people grind there teeth at night and this can cause all day headaches. Ask someone if they have ever heard you grind your teeth, or if your jaw or teeth hurt also this could be the problem.
   — danosteve

April 3, 2007
I am not surprised if you went cold turkey on the caffiene. I was a big tea drinker so I went half caff for a couple of weeks and then cut it out to avoid the head aches. I had heard it was a side affect. I hope you feel better soon. If it persists I would let my Dr. know. I had not thought of the teeth grinding thing but that certainly is a possibility. Good Luck and God Bless, Norma
   — njkbutton

April 3, 2007
Yes I also had sugery about 2 and a half weeks ago and I like you stoped cold turkey and just started Monday to allow my self a acup of coffee every morning decaf and I have had 2 headackes also they didn't last all day but I had to take liquid Tylonol 2 times to get it to go away and they seem worse than a normal headack but I thought it was because any other time I would have just take 3 or 4 pills of tylonol. but maybe you are right to be concerned in fact I woke up today with one and I thought when I woke up I slept wrong. I go to the Drs on next Monday I am going to metion it. Good luck with your's and I will keep you in mind of all these weird things happening. Bye for now Shirley
   — Shirley H.

April 3, 2007
I had the same thing happen to me. I was told it was my caffeine withdrawls or it could be from the anesthesia. I had those headaches last for about a week after surgery. Hope you feel better!
   — LaLa -.

April 3, 2007
Hi Sandy..I'm five months out and headaches were a big part of my life. As a matter of fact, I had a headache as I was being prepped for surgery.The nurse said it was caffeine withdrawal. Since sugery I still get headaches on occasion, just less intense.As another writer suggests, I limit myself to just one cup of coffee a day.Check with your surgeon though.Also I take one "Excedrin Tension Headache" and it does the trick. I just chew it. Again.. Double check with your surgeon. I'm just letting you know what worked for me. Waking up with a headache can make for an "ickky" day.Good luck to you..I promise you, it gets better.
   — purnellj

April 3, 2007
Hi Sandy. Sorry to hear about your headaches. This could be related to caffine, and it could not. Only two headaches in a 3 week period of time doesn't really really mean a symptom of anything I don't think. I think you probably just had two really bad headache days. It could have contributing factors of weather and allergy conditions in your regional area. It could have a caffine reaction that was delayed, it could be a cold, or a reaction to lack of fluids at different times in your recovery. It is really important that you stay off the caffine, and that you consume a good amount of water to hydrate your body. Tylenol can help with the headaches, but if you need something stronger, seek advice from your surgeon. I used to take Motrin, and then tylenol when I had a horrible headache, but we cannot take motrin any longer, so if I get a horrible headache I do something different. I won't way what it is because your doctor may advise you something different. Take a look also, at your anxiety level. How are you handling the head issues associtated with surgery and losing weight? This is enough in itself to cause a headache. You have enough choices for why this could be happening, but the real conclusion is to talk to your surgeon on how to get through them when they come on, up the water and be determined to stay off caffine and soda products, and hopefully breathe easier to lower your anxiety if you have any. The headaches do pass, and with each passing week, you will probably do better. I stopped caffine and soda about 9 months prior to surgery, and it made a world of difference in my recovery I think. Two weeks prior to surgery may not have been enough time to fully recover if you are used to caffine for many years prior to surgery. I wish you well, just be patient with yourself. You are going through tons of chances in your body and some in your mind as well. You need to be patient with yourself as you adjust and learn this new success in your life. Take care, Patricia P.
   — Patricia P