Patient Instructions (Post-Craniotomy)

Patient Name: [patient full name]

Date of Birth: [MM/DD/YYYY]

Procedure: Craniotomy for [indication]

Procedure Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]

Surgeon/Team: [surgeon name(s) and credentials]

Support Person: [name, relationship, phone number]

(Replace all placeholders with specific details before release. Use specific calendar dates rather than relative phrasing like "post-op day 3.")

When to Get Help Right Away

Call 911 immediately if you have:

• Seizure lasting more than 5 minutes, repeated seizures, or trouble breathing during or after a seizure
• Signs of stroke: new facial droop, new one-sided weakness or numbness, or new trouble speaking
• Severe trouble breathing, chest pain, or coughing blood
• Severe confusion, unresponsiveness, or fainting
• Uncontrolled bleeding from your incision

Call the Neurosurgery Team today if you have:

• Fever above [temperature threshold, e.g., 101.5°F / 38.6°C]
• Increasing redness, warmth, swelling, pus, or foul smell at the incision
• Incision opening or staples/stitches coming loose
• Worsening headache not helped by your prescribed pain plan
• Increasing sleepiness or confusion
• New or worsening vision, speech, weakness, or numbness
• New seizure activity
• One-sided leg swelling or pain

What to Expect and Wound Care

Normal during recovery: (If these worsen suddenly, see "When to Get Help.")

• Fatigue for days to weeks
• Mild to moderate headache or scalp discomfort
• Swelling or bruising around your face or eyes
• Scalp numbness or itching

Caring for your incision:

• Your closure type: [staples / sutures / absorbable sutures / skin glue / Steri-Strips]
• You may shower starting: [specific date] (Let water run gently over incision. Pat dry.)
• Keep the incision dry until: [specific date or instruction]
• Use mild shampoo. Do not scrub over the incision.
• Do not soak in a bathtub, pool, or hot tub until: [specific date]
• Do not apply creams, ointments, or lotions unless your team told you to.
• Staple/suture removal: [date and location] (Omit if absorbable closure.)

Activity and Safety

You can:

• Take short, frequent walks. Increase slowly.
• Do light daily activities as you are able.

Avoid until your surgeon clears you:

• Lifting more than [weight limit] pounds
• Strenuous exercise or activities with risk of head injury
• Driving (Do not drive while taking opioid pain medicine.)
• Swimming, bathing alone, or activities at heights if you have seizure precautions
• [Air travel restrictions if applicable] (Omit if not applicable.)

Use a stool softener as directed to avoid straining.

Your Medications

(List each medication with plain language. Include name, purpose, dose, frequency, and key warnings.)

New or changed medications:

• [medication name] — [purpose in plain language]; [dose]; [frequency]; [key warnings]
• (Add additional medications as needed.)

Stopped medications:

• [medication name and reason] (Omit section if no medications stopped.)

Pain control:

• [non-opioid pain medicine]: Take as prescribed. Do not exceed [max daily dose].
• [opioid if prescribed]: Take only if pain is not controlled by [non-opioid]. Do not drive. May cause constipation—take a stool softener. (Omit if no opioid prescribed.)
• [anti-nausea medicine]: Take as needed for nausea. (Omit if not prescribed.)

Important: Do not take aspirin, ibuprofen, or other NSAIDs unless your surgeon says it is safe. If you were on blood thinners before surgery: [specific restart instructions or "call the clinic before restarting"].

Steroid Taper

(Include this section only if patient is discharged on steroids. Complete the schedule with exact calendar dates. Do not write "taper as directed.")

You are taking [steroid name] to help prevent brain swelling. Do not stop this medicine suddenly.

Date	Dose	Times per day
[MM/DD/YYYY]	[dose amount]	[number of times per day]
[MM/DD/YYYY]	[dose amount]	[number of times per day]
(Add rows to complete the taper schedule.)

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at once. Call the clinic if you have questions.

Follow-Up Plan

• Post-op visit: [date, time, location] — wound check, symptom review, and activity clearance
• Staple/suture removal: [date and location] (Omit if same as post-op visit or absorbable closure.)
• Follow-up imaging: [modality and date, or "Clinic will call to schedule within (timeframe)"] (Omit if none planned.)
• Other appointments: [oncology / neurology / rehabilitation / primary care as applicable] (Omit if none.)

(If any appointment is not yet scheduled, state who will schedule it and how the patient will be contacted.)

(Final check before release: Confirm all contact numbers, dates, thresholds, medication details, and steroid taper schedule are complete and accurate. Remove all meta-instructions in parentheses.)