Hi, all! My name is Nicole and I have a ten year old son with Spina Bifida, Arnold Chiari II malformation and hydrocephalus. He had a VP shunt that needed nothing done with it until September 2017 when he had his first revision done. By May of this year, his shunt tubing had broken again and was in for another revision.

In June, he was vomiting and complaining of stomach pain, so he was taken to the ER and it was found that he had appendicitis. We took him up to the childrens hospital to have the procedure done and the neurosurgeon came in to check on him and on a hunch, he decided to tap his shunt and he had a non-resistant staph infection! So, they externalized his shunt for almost two weeks and decided on placing his shunt in a different part of his head, now on the left side.

So far, he has been doing great at two months post op. The neurosurgeon was thinking the May breakage of the tube may have had to do with his shunt being placed by a different neurosurgeon, in a different state, using different hardware and is thinking that having a fresh start will lead to him having good luck with it. His only complaint, albeit a very mild one, is that sometimes the tip his shoulder on the new shunt side will sometimes feel a little sore when he moves it in just a certain way. It doesnt seem to be constant, but more that it will come and go and only last a couple days. It's not anywhere near the same symptoms he has when he has a malfunction, there is no redness or irritation along the shunt tubing, no fever, it's not really stopping him from doing his usual things and he likens the soreness to maybe having a bruise.

I was worried that it may still have something to do with his shunt but the doctor doesnt seem to be too worried about it. And I do have to admit, he not only sleeps on that side but to my utter irritation his sole calling in life is video games, LOL. So, I'm not sure if maybe it has something to do with his sleeping position or his repetitive motions while playing his games or if it can be an irritation from having this foreign tube in a new spot and that over time it will go away. I was wondering if anyone else had this type of problem or has heard of it? He seems utterly fine but of course I cant help but worry, especially with it being on the same side as his shunt! Thanks everyone!