Tag Archives: Hydrocephalus

2010s

I’ve been pain free for two whole days this week. Which means…

X Ray image of my shunt 2014 to present.

No elevated csf pressure in my forehead.

No pain from the shunt valve and/or distal catheter in my abdomen and neck.

No nausea associated with the shunt adjusting itself.

No right eye pain (strabismus surgery eye)

No dizziness when moving my head or sensitive scalp.

I also haven’t heard my shunt beep since 2016.

So for now, I don’t feel my shunt at all. Something I haven’t experienced in a while. I took this for granted prior to my shunt being moved in 2009.

Before then, I only knew the shunt was in my brain when it stopped working….

In the 2000s I had one revision in 2009.

In the 2010s I had shunt revision surgery in 2011 and two in 2014.

Having chronic pain makes me grumpy/irritable/depressed and there have been times when I wished I could remove my shunt myself. Obviously, this can’t be done…My nervous system cannot survive without one…

It’s a great feeling to not be in pain and not want to wage war against my medical device.

Here’s hoping for less pain and no shunt revisions in the next decade.

Caregivers with fur

Scalp pain returned last night briefly and the last two weeks I’ve had dizziness when moving my head.

I had some walking issues earlier this week, almost tripped over my legs again in the living room.

Stella the cat 

According to my neurologist who I saw earlier last month, I have something called parasthesias, transient right leg weakness and slight dysmetria.

In October, my cat Stella turned 19. She’s helped me recover through four shunt revision surgeries (2009-2014) and multiple brain injuries in 2014.

11/2/19 – Right side of head scar from shunt
revision surgery in May 2014

This weekend, someone asked me about the scar on the side of my head. Most of the time it can’t be seen, it’s only noticeable when I get a haircut.  I don’t mind talking about my brain injuries sometimes, it is usually a good 30 to 45 minute story from start to finish.  However, yesterday, I chose the shorter version of the story explaining I had had surgery it was long story. Wherein the woman replied, ‘You’re going to be okay right?” and of course, I said, ‘Yes, I think I will be”

What a nice random encounter to have with someone on a cold and windy day.  A few days ago, the wind in the evening was bothering my forehead.

My shunt is behaving since then…. No pain for a week already, which is a small miracle in itself.