I am 49, with a diagnosis of PseudoTumor Cerebri. I had a LP Shunt placed in July 2008, and revised twice in August 2008. The LP Shunt failed again, and April 13, 2009, a VP Shunt was placed. My recovery from this time around, so far, has been excellent. BUT, here is my problem. My Neurosurgeon is not the most informative guy. He does the surgery, then does not tell me anything afterwards, ie: What to look out for, special precautions, no-no’s, etc. I really want this one to stay in place, and continue to work good. All I can find is what I am finding online. HELP!!!! Is it true, no more roller-coasters? I need an antibiotic before dental procedures? The shunt breaks easily? Air pressure in planes can damage it? What else do I need to know? He said it is a shunt that is programmable by a magnet. Any time before that I have asked him a question, he says in his most thoughtful voice “Hmmmmmm”… “I have never heard of that before.” Then, I find people on the net who have experienced it. One example was, when I was first post-op, I could hear a whooshing, ticking sound with my heart beat. Then, a couple of days later I placed my hand on my dressing on my head and it made like a gurgling sound, and the ticking went away. When I had my LP Shunt put in, I told him I felt like I had some swelling in my stomach. He palpated it, and said he didn’t feel anything. The next day it started draining from the abdominal incision site. He acted like it was no big deal, but suggested we check it in the OR for placement. He still said he didn’t feel anything, but that the drainage was CSF. My satisfaction was that when he cut into me ( I know the OR Nurse) it gushed out all over him, and the OR. Maybe he will listen better in the future. Sorry for rambling on. Any advice those of you with a VP Shunt can pass along to me would be tremendously appreciated!!!