Surgery for brain and spinal cord tumours
It can take some time to recover from your brain tumour operation. Everyone takes a different amount of time to recover.
You might stay in hospital for around 3 to 10 days after surgery. How long you stay in hospital depends on your operation and how long you take to recover. As soon as it is safe, you will be allowed to go home where you continue to recover.
There is a risk of problems or complications after any operation. Many problems are minor but some can be life threatening. Treating them as soon as possible is important.
After any major operation there is a risk of:
infection
blood clots
chest and breathing problems
bleeding
wound problems such as the surgical wound opening
allergic reaction to medication or blood products
After surgery, your healthcare team monitor you closely to look for any signs of complications. They give you medicines to lower the risk of complications. And when you are well enough, they might encourage you to do leg and breathing exercises, and to move around when you are able to.
It’s common for people to feel worse immediately after their surgery than they did before. This can be upsetting if you are not prepared for it. Removing a brain tumour is a big operation so it might be a while before you feel the benefits from having the tumour removed.
Brain surgery can cause swelling (oedema) in the brain. Your doctors and nurses monitor this closely and will give you treatment to reduce the swelling. But it might still cause symptoms such as:
headaches
weakness
dizzy spells
poor balance or lack of coordination
personality or behaviour changes
confusion
problems with your speech
fits (seizures)
blurred vision
Your symptoms might be worse at first. And you may notice symptoms that you didn’t have before.
This can be a difficult time for you and your family. They might worry that your operation has not worked. But symptoms usually lessen or disappear as you recover.
You might need to have steroids after surgery, either as tablets or injections. Steroids can reduce swelling and pressure around the brain. This can help to reduce symptoms. It is also common to take medicine to prevent seizures (fits). These are called anti epileptics or anti convulsants.
Your doctor and clinical nurse specialist can give you some idea of what to expect about recovery. Some people recover completely from their surgery. Others may have some long term problems. It isn’t always possible to tell beforehand how things will work out.
Some people recover well after brain surgery, but this can take some time. Other people have some problems, or long term difficulties.
The problems you may have depends on the area of the brain where the tumour was (or still is if you only had part of the tumour removed). Problems might include:
difficulty walking
weakness on an arm or leg
difficulty concentrating or remembering things
behaviour changes
problems with speech
feeling tired (fatigue)
epilepsy
Depending on the problems you have, you might get help and support from different healthcare professionals.
Physiotherapists can make you an exercise plan to help you improve your fitness level.
They can help people with speech and swallowing problems.
Can assess you and help you find ways to manage your day to day to life. For example, they can get equipment for your house such as rails for stairs.
Find out more about how to cope with a brain tumour and the support available to you and your family
Recovery time depends on your situation. For example, how big your tumour is, where it is in your brain and what operation you have. It will also depend on your age and general health, and whether or not you have any complications after your operation.
You might stay in hospital for up to 10 days. You will then need to continue to recover when you get home. This might be for 6 to 12 weeks.
You will not be allowed to drive for some time if you have surgery to remove a brain tumour. This will depend on factors including:
your diagnosis
what surgery you have
whether you have had fits (seizures)
Your doctor will talk to you about this. We have further information about driving and brain tumours.
Read more about brain tumours and driving
You will need to tell the DVLA about your diagnosis and your operation. They will tell you how long a driving restriction will last. This will depend on your diagnosis and treatment, as well as any other complications such as fits (seizures).
You can normally fly 6 weeks after brain surgery. This is to make sure your wound has healed. It also helps to relieve the pressure inside your head after surgery.
If you need to fly sooner, please speak to your surgical team or specialist nurse for advice. They will also talk to you about travel insurance for any flights after brain surgery.
You should be able to play sport again when you recover from your surgery. But you should avoid sports that involve a lot of contact – for example rugby or boxing.
You should be able to go swimming when your wound has healed. But it is sensible to make sure someone is with you for the first few months. This is because of the risk of having a fit.
Depending on your job and the problems you might have, it can be hard to go back to work immediately after brain surgery. For example, if you have a job where your mental skills are very important, or if you operate heavy machinery. This can be very difficult to accept and adjust to.
We have more information about going back to work after treatment for a brain tumour.
Read about going back to work after treatment
After brain surgery, alcohol will affect you more than it did before. You might need to avoid alcohol with certain medicines.
Speak to your doctor or specialist nurse about safe alcohol limits after surgery.
You can have sex when you feel able to. There aren't any medical reasons for avoiding sexual activities after brain surgery. But you might feel less interested in sex due to tiredness or a change to your sex drive (l ).
Talk to your healthcare team if this is a problem. They are there to help.
We have a section about how cancer and treatment can affect your sex life
Last reviewed: 04 Apr 2023
Next review due: 04 Apr 2026
Surgeons remove all or part of your tumour. There are different ways of doing this.
You usually go into hospital the day before, or on the day of your surgery.
Treatment for a brain or spinal cord tumour depends on the type of tumour you have, where it is and your general health.
You have follow up appointments to check how you are and see if you have any problems or worries.
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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