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| Collarbone Incision Almost completely healed |
Nausea, vomiting, and indigestion issues have all disappeared. I still get to see Rob gloating every night with the "I was right" expression on his face!
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| Neck Incision healed Where the actual tie was placed |
I have considered asking the neurosurgeon if perhaps it is time to consider replacing my current shunt with a programmable one. I seem to have about 6 months before adjustments that result in pressure changes in my head take full effect.
Approximately 8 months after my right side shunt was placed, my symptoms returned and eventually a second shunt was placed. 6 months after my left shunt was placed, I experienced over-drainage and low pressure. Already, I can feel the pressure building and I have the feeling that it will continue to climb.
A programmable shunt wasn't considered when I initially had my surgery. I had a pre-set valve placed both times and they seem to vary immensely between high and low CSF pressure levels. The magnets in the MRI cause programmable shunts to reset and require follow up to have the shunt flow rate adjusted. As I was going for frequent MRIs, I would also require readjustment after each visit. Currently, the number of MRIs have been reduced to an annual occurrence which means the frequency of reset would be much less, and this option may be the answer to the fluctuation in my CSF levels.
