Surgery for brain and spinal cord tumours
You have a pre assessment appointment 1 or 2 weeks before your brain tumour surgery. You have tests to check your fitness and you meet members of your treatment team.
You usually go into hospital the day before, or on the morning of your operation.
The length of your hospital stay depends on what operation you have. You might be in hospital for around 3 to 10 days after surgery.
You have tests before your operation to check:
your fitness for an anaesthetic
that you’ll make a good recovery from surgery
You might not need all of these tests if you had them when you were diagnosed. Tests include:
blood tests to check your general health and how well your kidneys are working
an ECG while you are resting and exercising to check that your heart is healthy
breathing tests (called lung function tests)
an echocardiogram (a painless test of your heart using sound waves)
a chest x-ray to check that your lungs are healthy
a test to check your heart and lung function when you're resting and exercising (called a cardio pulmonary exercise test)
a swab test to rule out some infections
scans such as MRI scan or CT scan
Depending on the type of brain tumour you have, you might also have some of the following tests:
A week or two before your surgery you have an appointment at the hospital pre assessment clinic.
Your pre assessment appointment prepares you for your operation. You meet members of your treatment team at this appointment.
Your doctor or nurse will tell you what to do on the day of your operation. This includes instructions about when to stop eating and drinking, and whether to stop any of your medicines. Do not stop taking your regular medicines unless the doctor tells you to.
Ask lots of questions. It helps to write down all your questions beforehand to take with you. The more you know about what is going to happen, the less frightening it will seem.
You can ask more questions when you go into hospital so don’t worry if you forget to ask some. At the hospital you might meet:
A member of the surgical team will tell you about:
the operation you are going to have
the benefits of having surgery
the possible risks
what to expect afterwards
The anaesthetist gives you the anaesthetic and they look after you during the operation. The anaesthetic is the medicine that keeps you asleep during your operation. They make sure you’re fit enough for the surgery.
Your specialist nurse is usually there to support you throughout your treatment. They can check what help and support you have, to see what you will need when you go home.
The dietitian gives you help and advice about managing your diet. They:
help you get as well as possible before your operation
explain how the surgery affects your diet
give useful tips on how to increase your nutrients and calories
They might give you nutritional supplement drinks to have before surgery.
Some people need a feeding tube in their stomach or small bowel. This makes sure you get the nutrition you need before your surgery.
The physiotherapist assesses how well you can move around. They let the doctors know if there is anything that could affect your recovery.
The physiotherapist also teaches you leg and breathing exercises to do after your operation to help with recovery. Learning how to do the exercises beforehand makes it easier afterwards.
Brain surgery can cause swelling in the brain. This can increase the pressure inside your head and make your symptoms worse for some time.
Steroids are drugs that can help to reduce the swelling and pressure around the brain. So your doctor might ask you to start taking steroids a few days before the operation. Once you have recovered from surgery, you slowly reduce the dose of steroids until you stop them.
You may also take drugs to stop fits (seizures).
Breathing exercises help to stop you from getting a chest infection after surgery. If you smoke, it helps if you can stop at least a few weeks before your operation.
Leg exercises help to stop blood clots forming in your legs. You might also have medicines to stop the blood from clotting. You have them as small injections under the skin.
You start the injections after your operation. You might also wear anti embolism stockings or have pumps on your calves to help the circulation.
Your nurse and physiotherapist will get you up out of bed quite quickly after your surgery. This is to help prevent chest infections and blood clots forming.
This 3-minute video shows you how to do the breathing and leg exercises.
You usually go into hospital the day before, or on the day of your surgery.
It’s worth sorting out a few things before you go into hospital. These might include:
taking time off work
care for children or other loved ones
care for your pets
care for your house
cancelling your milk or newspapers
Take in:
nightgowns or pyjamas
underwear
dressing gown
slippers
contact lenses, solution, glasses and a case
wash bag with soap, a flannel or sponge, toothbrush and toothpaste etc
sanitary wear or tampons
towel
small amount of money
medicines you normally take
magazines, books, playing cards
headphones and music to listen to
a tablet or smartphone for web browsing, entertainment and phone calls
chargers for electronic devices
a copy of your last clinic letter
Most people are in hospital for about 3 to 10 days. The length of your stay depends on the type of operation you have and your recovery. Everyone takes a different amount of time to recover from brain surgery.
Before you go into hospital, it might be worth checking:
whether the ward is allowing visitors
if they have set visiting times
the best number for friends and family to phone, to find out how you are
The letter you receive before your operation may contain this information. But if not, you can phone the ward or hospital reception to find out.
You can use your mobile phone in hospital. But there may be some time before and after your operation when you won’t have your mobile nearby. And you may not feel like talking.
It is natural to feel anxious and frightened about having brain surgery.
Talk about any worries with your family and friends if you can. They are probably feeling and thinking the same things as you. Together you can talk things through and make a list of questions to ask your doctor.
You can share your worries with your nurses too. They will be able to tell you what will happen and how it is likely to affect you. Some people find that the more they know about their operation, the less frightening it seems.
Find out more about coping with a brain tumour
We have information about what happens on the day of your brain tumour surgery
Last reviewed: 31 Mar 2023
Next review due: 31 Mar 2026
Surgeons remove all or part of your tumour. There are different ways of doing this.
You might have surgery to drain a build up of fluid on your brain (hydrocephalus).
You will have a few tubes in place when you wake up. You will might be in the high dependency unit or intensive care unit.
Practical and emotional support is available to help you cope with a brain or spinal cord tumour.
Primary brain tumours are cancers that start in the brain.
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