Not cheeky at all.

Shunt malfunction is very rare?? If your surgeon said that then he's seriously misleading you. The average life of a shunt (according to various sources on the web) is 7-10 years.

I would say that most people, in a lifetime, would have at least half a dozen surgeries.

However, that's based on the current design (which has been in use for over 50 years) and doesn't take into account any advances in technology and treatment that may happen in the future.

I've been lucky in that I've had 4 surgeries in 41 years (had hydrocephalus from birth).

The reason some people have had many shunt revisions is that it can be difficult to get the right shunt. Low pressure, medium, high, programmable, VP, VA. Different shunts suit different people. Also there is always (usually within the first year after surgery) the risk of infection / rejection of the shunt as a foreign body.

Shunts, also, can become occluded. Bodily material (cells, scar tissue) can block the shunt and cause a malfunction.

I'm not scaremongering here, just being realistic.

The bottom line is, the need for shunt revision is down to luck. You can't control whether blockage, infection, disconnection or breakage happens.

On the bright side, you can go for quite some time without a shunt revision. My third shunt lasted 27 years.

I wish you and Orlaith all the best.

Mark.