[jeff179120]

I have hydrocephalus with a VP shunt and in the last week, I've noticed swelling on both sides of my face. I just returned from a trip to a neurosurgeon because I thought my shunt may need a revision. I was some 300 miles away from home when I visited his office and when I returned home, he suggested a shunt scan using radioactive dye. Well, I'm not feeling well enough for another 300 mile trip, but just in the last week, I've developed swelling on both sides of my face, just below the eyes. Now, I don't know what to do. I live in a remote community and although we have a good hospital here, they know nothing of hydrocephalus. They can refer me to the neurosurgeon, but even if they fly me by air ambulance, I'd be left to find my own way home. I'm not ready for that. What I really need to know is whether the facial swelling is a symptom of a shunt malfunction or possibly another problem in the brain.