Ridge/swelling on forehead

I'm about to start my 3rd weak of radiation on Monday. Earlier this evening I noticed an acute pain on the left side of my head where my tumor was. After I came home I checked the mirror and sure enough there was a ridge there.

The ridge is such that it runs from about my scar line at the top of my hair line center of my forehead to 1 inch above the left part of my left eye. It swirls around a it. It protrudes out of my head maybe a 1/4 to a 1/5 of an inch. The disconcerting part about it is that it feels like bone. There is no extra fluid under the skin to speak of. But it can't be bone since it would hurt a lot more.

I called mskcc emergency and the doctor on call told me not to worry about it until the headache/ridge gets worse. (Currently the headache/pain has subsided). I sent her a picture and she will show it around. I will figure out someway to upload that picture now so you guys can see it.

Anyone experience anything of this nature before? It was a fairly sudden onset. Just when I thought I was tolerating radiation well.

f/R

I wonder if you are feeling one of the plates they use to fuse the bone flap onto the skull. They often use discs. After a few weeks, and the swelling over my husband's  incision went down a bit, we could see the line of demarcation around a couple of the plates, and in one place, you clearly feel a screw on his head (yes, it is weird.) 

Is the ridge you feel mobile?  You're saying it moves around under your skin?  That would definitely be disturbing. Is there redness, tenderness, or heat?

My husband complained a lot about discomfort after the surgery, it wasn't really painful, just annoying and uncomfortable, itchy and a little piercing,  while everything sort of knit itself back together.  The scalp has a lot of little blood vessels.

So, all in all, it might be more healing from surgery related than radiation.  I hope it resolves for you soon.

OMH

I wonder if it is edema from the radiation pressing outward on the cranium (it has no where else to go) and maybe the bone flap shifted a tiny bit which relieved the headache but created a ridge. Definitely would freak me out too.

My son can feel the edges of the bone flap and also the little titanium screws. If there is any severe local tenderness or general body fever you should get to an ER because of infection... but at this point a month after surgery I don't think infection would start up. 

Hope you can have someone take a look at it soon. There's so much stress around each new thing... we try to stay calm but come on!

Sarah

mother of Andy 27 dx gbm/pnet 1/09

No, the ridge isn't moving. The line just isn't straight is what I meant by "swirl".

Well, it has gotten better. Before it was visible without stretching my skin and now I have to stretch my skin to notice it. It is still about the same thickness though.

I'm not sure if it is a plate since it was well below my surgery line. But it could be. I will ask my surgeon where he placed those plates. Would they follow my scar lines?

Here is the promised pic: http://www.reyaz.com/photo.jpg

Looks familiar!  This is very much what my husband's crani scar looks like.  (Except his is a backwards question mark that curves from the back of his ear, to the front of his hairline.)  The two small bumps- I am almost positive they are titanium screws.  My husband has the same thing, so it seems normal to me.  (I can't even imagine how weird it must feel.)  The plates do follow the scar lines, yes.  Just a theory- but you might have been having some swelling after radiation. Some people get a sunburn-like irritation with radiation.  The swirl appears to be where the bone flap was removed for the surgeon to access your brain.  (That sounded gross.)

Of course you should consult with your doctor to make sure everything is as it should be, but I just wanted to reassure you that your scar and the strange bumpiness is normal and very much like what my husband's scar is like.  He has had no problems with infection or anything complicated, just some normal odd sensations as everything heals up.  Which takes months, from what I was told at the NO's office.

I hope that is helpful and that you feel less worried.

Gotcha, I get it. The bumps appeared after the surgery but I couldn't really ask about them at the time since I went through a week or two of expressive aphasia. I generally don't feel the bumps, but the random curvy line took me by surprise.

I did have mini-plates installed per my surgery report.

Yeah, less worried now. Thank you very much!

Do these things disappear over time?

Yes they do. I am sure you'll be able to feel the screw bumps but the skin will smooth out a lot. No fun but as Andy says it beats the alternative.

Sarah

Wow...deja vu about the appearing ridge!  My hubby Steve's ridge looks like something Jurassic!  Even has the same swirl at end, but yours is much more subtle.  I believe your bones are fusing and healing.  That's how it went for us.  His no longer hurts but it's tender if he bumps it.  I have to be careful when I shave his head (he's sporting the sexy bald man look).  Check out our caring bridge site and say hi...

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/stevecalloway

take care and relax about the ridge,

janni (wife of Steve gbm 11/07)