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Shunts


Guest deb

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Hi everyone: Does anyone have any experience living with a shunt? My aneurysm ruptured during coiling and I ended up with hydrocephalus and a permanent shunt. Anybody else experience this disconnect from your emotions? Thanks, Deb

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Hi Deb

I have a permanent shunt which was fitted folllowing my SAH and subsequent coiling. I used to think about it a lot but now I dont. I still have a few problems but none that I have put down to the shunt.

Happy to compare notes if you want to PM me

Take Care

Caroline

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Hi Debs my wife had a shunt fitted in may this year a month after her sah and at first she said at times it was uncomfortable to lay on that side at night and she was aware that it was there but she never mentions the shunt now so she must have got used to it, some one said to me when Merrills shunt was fitted she has a heart and kidneys that she's not ware of and the shunt will be just like that in time and i think that is proving to be true, hope that helps Best wishes Rod

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Caroline, thank you for your prompt reply. Will I have to be checked annually, and what does that entail? I live in the US and about three hours from my doctor, at Mass General in Boston. My doctors haven't told me what to expect, Are you able to work and do all the things you did before? Do you get momentary pressure heaches when you lean forward? I appreciate your caring enough to respond. In February I have to go back for an angigram to see how the coils are holding. Dreading that...had a rough go of it the first time round. Best wishes and thank you again!

Deb

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hi debs

lin has a shunt fitted permanently although lin is not able to do anything as such the checks you are having is to check its working ok lin has an adjustable shunt which maintains the correct flow of cfs fluid from the brain cavity if this stops working there are signs and symptoms the checking is not painful and therefore something not to worry about unduly it would be propberly a scan which is pain free lins is checked under angiography scanner and adjusted if necessary if you have an adjustable shunt so no pain take care debs

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I have to have a scan each year, but not an angiogram, also seeing the neurophyschologist next week. I am fortunate not to get headaches. i have had to take early retirement as I couldnt process the information and function to do the job I had, please PM me if I can help. There are lots of people on here who will offer advice, its a great site that has been tremendous help to me.

Caroline

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Thank you, everyone, for your advice. "You'll know if something goes wrong," the doc told me. So I guess there's no point in worrying. It's good to know you're out here with such great support and advice. I'll keep you posted.

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Hi again debs, i read somewhere on the internet that aquired hydracephalus is caused through the brains natural drainage systen becoming blocked,so they fit a shunt, but in many cases the brains drainage system clears itself after a period of time, and the shunt becomes redundant, so i rang the brain and spines helpline and they said that in many cases this does happen, i then spoke to Merrills n/s who also backed this up, no one has ever given me this information, except when i asked, and they can scan to check that the shunt is working properly so why can't they scan to see if it is still being used ? but anyway someone else on here may have the answer to that one

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