Do anyone else every experience this? I have shooting pains up the length of the shunt catheter from my abdomen up to my neck/chest area. It worries me terribly! A year and a half ago I had a shunt revision and a month later I was in the ER with what I thoguht was appendicitis. It happened that a staph infection worked its way if from one of my incision sites, under the scab, got into my brain and staph infected fluid was leaking into my abdomen. I was in the hospital for 21 more days and had three more revisions and nearly kicked the bucket... so I am scared, and without health insurance. Is this something that any of you commonly experience? I've had a shunt for a long long time, not necessarily this one, but my first shunt I had for a long long time. But if this is something to worry about I don't want to just sit and play with my life. With no health insurance I am just thinking don't head to the ER till it's really an emergency.