Shunt

To many shunt placement

[Matt2584]

Hi Bob,

I can relate to you there, I have a shunt as well and I have also had problems with it. From 1996 to 2005 my shunt worked brilliantly until I had to have surgery on my back and “somehow” the surgeon managed to dislodge my shunt. I have had problems since then but since 2010 I have been well and no problems.

My brother once told me to keep well hydrated and I know someone from my Headway who has a shunt and his doctor told him to milk the shunt, stroke it every now and then. I do this every now and then as well. I don’t know if it does any good but I haven’t had any problems yet.

I think that the biggest reason that has kept me well is that I have changed my diet around for the better.

When I was little I used to have a terrible junk food diet and rarely any fruit or veg. Now the tables have turned and I try to have as less sugary “foods” as I can and eat more REAL food like fruit and veg.

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

Hello Matt it’s been very hard for me and my family I think I’ve had about 25 surgery’s all ready

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

25 sugeries! Wow, that is a lot. And are they all on your shunt?

I have had a total of 11 ops on my heads but they aren’t all shunt ops.

I originally had a brain tumour in 1996 and because of the tumours location I had to have a shunt fitted. As I say that shunt worked well up until 2005 where it got dislodged and had a replacement. I had another replacement in 2006 another shunt op in 2008 and 2 in 2010.

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

Was hydrocephlus the reason for the shunt?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

It started as a Chiari malformation one

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

My shunt is because of hydrocephalus.

My tumour is blocking the flow of CSF causing water on the brain AKA hydrocephalus.

Tumour could not be fully removed and is continuously blocking flow so I have to have the shunt in all the time.

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

How did you know you had hydrocephlus? What were your symptoms?

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

When I was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1996, I had didn’t know about the hydrocephalus and doctors also at that time did not have a correct term for the blockage either, it was just a blockage.

I actually had to find out the term ‘hydrocephalus’ myself.

Anyway, as I was saying, I have had the shunt fail on me a few times and symptoms would/could be that you get headaches, your vision could be out of focus, vomiting or feeling nauseous, feeling very tired, balance could seem worse.

I have not had all these symptoms at one time, I mean one day my dad went out to do something, I went to sleep and woke up in hospital. Apparently I had been sick in my sleep.

Another time was when I was supposed to get ready for my Headway meeting and I was in a state of confusion.

Another time was when I was on holiday in Wales and the day I didn’t feel right I had a pounding headache and vision was way out of focus.

Ifever you have smptoms like this and you think the shunt may have blocked, go to hospital and get an MRI done.

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

I have a pineal cyst of 12 mm, most docs day it's asymptomatic... but I get these eye strains, light headed feelings, mildly nauseous, weak legs... Ear pressure... not sure what it is.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

They never told me I had hydrocephalus I had a chiari malformation and even since that surgery everything went wrong and all I had was bad headaches

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

Yes shunt I also had meningitis I had to have them reconstruct in my brain it started as a Chiari malformation one but I don’t know what the first surgeon did to me all I remember is waking up in another hospital

[lcd8]

Hi Folks. I have spoken to Mat2584 before. I also have a Shunt and am on my 4th revision. Not bad really since my first was fitted 30 years ago. I have an AV Malformation which is a mass but not the same as a brain tumour. It is large and untreatable without severe risk of deficit. So I'm living with it. As with Matt's hydrocephalus the position of the mass interferes with the normal escape route for CSF. This meant 2 years before my first Shunt insertion I started getting regular and massive headaches and vomiting. I will never forget the pain for the whole of my life.