VP Shunt

[TEC49]

I had shunt placement 12/2006.  Now I am having some problems, sevre headaches and my head is starting to lean to the side of the shunt noticebly, my short term memory seems to get worse everyday and I studder more.  Whats going on? does anyone know?  X-ryas show the shunt looks OK. Whats the life expectency after the shunt surgery.


This discussion is related to Abdominal pain after vp shunt.

[jadiee_x]

hi my CT scans and shunt series never showed any signs of malfunction or pressure on every ocassion ive had them done...even the day before i had to have an emergency shunt revision due to a shunt malfunction and the pressure that had built up.

i suggest you ask your neurologist about the possibilites of an ICP bolt monitor to be inserted into your head.
this in an external bolt with an internal wire going into your ventricles of your brain which will measure pressure...if any, in your head.

this was the only thing that worked for me. it was the only reliable thing out there in my case.
it was only when the surgeons drilled inot my head that they found so much pressure, the fluid shot out across the theatre and pumped out numerous times!
this werent the first time either! the exact thing with the same circumstances happened when i was 4 years old!!

what i mean to say is, dont rely on xrays and CT scans, they have never worked for me (well exept for confirming tubing disconnections or migrations), this may be the case with you too...maybe we just dont go well with scans eh?

good luck love xx

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Thanks for writing in.
VP shunts normally last up to years. However the shunts can get infected leading to headaches, nausea and vomiting. Since your X ray is completely normal it is possible that VP shunt is not responsible for your symptoms.
Excessive anxiety, sleep deprivation and fatigue can also cause these symptoms. If symptoms do not subside in the next few days, please seek consultation with a neurologist. Take care!