Update and question

[jenniferk86]

So I'm in the hospital for it's now the 9 th day...I went home in the  4 day originally and came back 2 days later due to extreme lightening headaches...when standing up and horrible pounding headaches when spying up and normal awful headaches when laying down that I didn't have after the surgery...and finally after like 5 more days is testing found I had a pressure of 23 -24 which is very high according to dr.oro...

[jenniferk86]

Good to know...he put me on a steroid called prednisone for 10 days then taper off. because he says since I have all this inflammation  my body and the surgery it could cause a sudden climb in the pressure. He said if steroids don't work he still try diamox then shunt I an already on topamax. I got my medications adjusted correctly because  of it, so it was a blessing in disguise.

How dangerous is a shunt? What additional complications does it bring? What are the odds of say death from the shunt? How many of uu have had a shunt?

[horselip]

When I had my last CSF leak surgery to my skull base, my pressure went up to 30 something and I was diagnosed with Pseudo Tumer Cerebrii. My docs put me on Diamox, which I did not tolerate. Now I am on Topamax and am ok with it. Both meds lower CSF volume this lowering pressure.

[*Stormy*]

My pressure didn't get bad enough that I went to the hospital for it but I do remember having the headaches you describe for quite awhile after the surgery. For MONTHS I had the stand up and almost pass out pounding feeling in my head...I still get it sometimes and I"m 11/2 yrs post op. As Selma says that seems to happen to many of us, I think it's because your body is so used to producing a high volume of CSF to push it through the herniation that it doesn't adjust quickly enough after you have the surgery. Only your NS knows if it is something to worry about but I find myself hoping that they will give it a few days to see if it will level out. It seems that once you have a shunt placed there is more complications...so if you can possibly avoid it that would be best.

I hope you feel better soon!
Stormy

[selmaS]

  Sorry to hear u r back in the hospital....there is no reason or rhyme as to who develops PTC  and it is possible that meds may help and it just may be u need to heal a bit more in order to this all to calm down.

I am not sure about if there is a number for  when they will choose to place a shunt. From most I have heard it is usually over 30...for an opening pressure and a shunt.

Does he have u on Diamox? Have they ruled out a CSF leak?

   "selma"

[jenniferk86]

So I accidentally hit the post button early..I meant to ask...what pressure do u get a shunt? How bad are they, what other options ana how risky are they? An I likely to get a shunt?