Ache in shunt.

[Wazza84]

Hi everybody..

Been gettin an ache/pain where my

VP shunt goes into skull/head.. I’ve told my GP and he has referred me to my neurosurgeon to get it checked out.

I’ve read stories here on HealthUnlocked about shunts being refitted etc and wanted to know what people’s experiences are.

I had my shunt fitted in 2012 and almost 7 years down the line I’m feeling aches and pain..

Is this normal?

Has this happened to you or anybody you know?

What should I expect?

Any info & feedback very much appreciated 😁

[lcd8]

HI Wazza84. I've had a shunt since 1987. I have not experienced the symptoms you are having. But I have had my shunt replaced 4 times when it became blocked. The first couple of times I got blinding headaches and vomiting - same as before the Shunt. But the last two times my only symptom was 'blocked ears', the sort of hearing you get when submerged in water. Both times I had an MRI scan which confirmed the blockage and needed replacement of the Shunt. Please do message me if you want more info. I would definitely follow this up even though there may not be anything wrong. Good luck.

[Wazza84 in reply to lcd8]

Hiya..

funny you should say about blocked ears as I have also had it (the sound of being underwater) now I’m thinking I have a blockage.. thanks for the reply..

what does the replacement involve?

Is it surgery?

Was your shunt a VP shunt?

[lcd8 in reply to Wazza84]

Hi Wzza84. Sorry to take ages to get back to you. Yeah, mine is a VP Shunt too. I suppose replacement depends on which part of it has blocked (if it is blocked). But certainly when mine blocked I had the whole thing replaced and that involved surgery again as if I never had a Shunt in the first place.

[Wazza84 in reply to lcd8]

I suppose I’ll soon find out.. I’ll be going for an MRI scan this Sunday and seeing neurosurgeon in June but they say they’ll let me know before if anything shows on scan.

[lcd8 in reply to Wazza84]

Very best of luck.

[Wazza84 in reply to lcd8]

Thanks 😁

[Leonard68]

Don`t mind me asking,what sort of pain,I had shunt inserted in 79,now I`m getting one or two discomfort pains,from that area.

[Wazza84 in reply to Leonard68]

Hiya..

It’s more of an ache than a pain unless I put pressure on it then it feels like a bruise being pressed & yea defiantly a discomfort

[Leonard68 in reply to Wazza84]

Thanks,for letting me know,may see Dr .

[Matt2584]

Hi,

I’ve had a VP shunt since 1996.

It lasted for about 9 years until some twat of a surgeon “somehow” dislodged it.

Then I had to have a replacement which only lasted me a year.

I had another replacement that lasted 2 years until it blocked.

2 years after this my shunt blocked again, I had an op to unblock that and I then had an emergency operation afterwards because during/after the first op I had a haemorrhage and blood got into the shunt so I had to have the shunt flushed out.

So quite a bit has gone on with my shunt.... as well as the other operations I have had on my head.

Anyhow, as for shunt aching. I have had shunt ache before or soreness where the shunt tube is riding along the muscle. I find the shunt ache around my neck area.

I have had a little soreness around the valve of the shunt before (the part that attaches to the skull) but it hasn’t been a worry for me.

[Wazza84 in reply to Matt2584]

Hiya..

Thanks for some info.

Seems you’ve had some bad luck with your shunt & 7-10 years seems to be the benchmark to have a re-fitting.

Gotta be honest I’m anxious about gettin a re-fit (not that I’ve been told I need one😬)

Did you have to stay in hospital for a duration for a re-fitting?

[Matt2584 in reply to Wazza84]

I remember my doctor saying that every 10 years or so a shunt could block/malfunction.

But I can’t exactly agree with this I mean the shunt I first had fitted in ‘96 worked brilliantly for almost 10 years until it was the surgeon in 2005 that dislodged it.

I wonder if the shunt would have been working still if the shunt was not dislodged.

The thing is, I had an operation on my back in 2005 and my mum says it was when they were moving my body around (transferring me from bed to table) that was what dislodged my shunt.

You would think that doctors/surgeons would take a bit more care while loading patients.

Kind of scary really, it makes me think that they load patients carelessly much like postal carriers that mistreat packages.

So I had a brand new shunt and that is when I had to undergo further ops over the years.

You don’t need to spend a lot of time in hospital for a refit, well I didn’t. Just a few days, I think.

[Wazza84 in reply to Matt2584]

My shunt was fitted 7 years ago.. maybe it’s time for a change 🤔

I guess they were a bit rough with you to dislodge your shunt.. I didn’t even know they could become dislodged.

Thanks for the info, I guess it’s just a waiting game until I see my neurosurgeon in June. Hopefully I won’t need a re-fit but I’ll be expecting one 🙄

[lcd8 in reply to Wazza84]

I was once advised that shunts only last for 7-10 years too. Although medicine has moved on and now they have valves (my original Shunt was just a very basic tube). My current Shunt was fitted in 2007 so its doing pretty well so far.