VP Shunt Malfunction #5: Back at the Hospital
I’m sad to say we were in the hospital yet again with sweet Ellisa over the weekend. She started to show symptoms Tuesday night (vomiting and headache without a fever), and I knew immediately, something was wrong with her shunt. Thank you hydrocephalus for showing us your many faces. After a good day Wednesday and [...]
VP Shunt Malfunction #4
I can’t believe I have another post about another malfunction. I feel like there is no end in site but I’m happy to report Ellisa’s gone more than a month without a malfunction, so things are looking better. And sorry this is coming so late. Malfunction #4 happened January 8th (surgery). I wrote this soon after [...]
The Battle of the ETV
I can’t help but notice as I write this post that the word “u lost” is within “ventriculostomy.” A feeling I can’t seem to shake and a much needed aid in pronouncing the word. Ventric-U-LOST-omy. All the feelings of bitterness, fairness, and resentment I felt during the peanuts birth have all come back. And all [...]
The Wonderful World of Hydrocephalus: Part 5, Shunt Malfunctions
Shall we start with a wee-bit of history. It’s just so interesting. To be brief, a guy had a son. The son was born with hydrocephalus. The father was an engineer and invented the shunt in order to save his son’s life. Unfortunately, his son passed away before they “perfected” the shunt. But his passion to [...]
The Wonderful World of Hydrocephalus: Part 4, How Shunts Work
Shunts. One of two ways to control hydrocephalus and the most common. – – – – – – – – – – – - The quick version. A flexible 1/8″ in diameter tube (ventricular catheter)–usually made of Silastic plastic well tolerated by body tissue–is placed into the CSF system via the ventricles, and diverts the flow of [...]
The Wonderful World of Hydrocephalus: Part 3, How Hydrocephalus Works
Let’s begin with your central nervous system. Your brain and spinal cord form your central nervous system. Your central nervous system protects your skull and vertebrae. Between the skull and vertebrae are membranes (meninges) that surround your brain and spinal cord. This space, the subarachnoid space, is where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows. CSF is basically salt [...]