Hi I went programmable in the fall of 2003. I have been wondering how long programmables have been in use and how many here have them. What have your experiences been with them? Does anyone out there know the general ifespan of a programmable these days? All the bionics seem to make it possible for more to go wrong than in the older shunts.

I am one of the older ones in here with a shunt. Mine was first placed in October of 1955. I have had 8 revisions and am doing well considering.

Your input would be appreciated.

Regards
Mister

I think prgrammables were around in late 90s, early 2000. Hayley has one, not helping her slit vents though.

1955 WOW! I didn't think they were around then. I have a Medos programable, which was installed in December 1998, replacing the previous set-pressure one. I have fallen on my back at work (slipped on a wet floor), smacking the shunt on the concrete , and no damage occured. MRI was A-OK, I don't recommend it though. MRI's or strong magnetic fields will mess with the settings, and re-set it to the lowest level. You will want to have the calibration checked by your neuro after a scan. They are pretty darned durable.

David

The first shunts were developed in the mid 1950's by a man whose sone died from hydro. They have advanced a great deal sinc that point and as suecr says the programmables have been around since the 1990's. There are currently at lease 26 different types of shunt in se around the world for many different types of problems. Many of us are alive today as the result of them.

I wish you all the best in your adventures with hydro and any of the other problems that sometimes come along with it. It is hard sometimes but we just keep plugging along and deal with what we have to when we have to.

Sue you made me smile when you remembered that I was a patient at BWH. We haven't talked in months. It was nice to see that you remembered.

Be talking in here later no doubt

Regards for now to all

I was the first person in the UK to recieve a programmable shunt in...I think it must have been '92, it didn't last very long and the circular device carried by the hospital to change it looked a bit silly....It was also a bit silly not being able to go through metal detectors in airports.

I am so glad to finally find another person who knows the real life experience of having arachnoid cysts, fenestration, burr holes and now shunt!
I am concerned about all of this because of 4 year old has already gone through this and I need to know what to expect in the years ahead. Can anyone advise?

Hey,

I had a programmable shunt for only a few weeks then it failed like previous VP shunts. I had to have an MRI done; which caused the setting to be off so my neurosurgeon put me in a fluoroscopy machine to re-adjust the setting, as he dialed the device behind my right ear I could hear every click... It was very strange.

In December 2002 I have the ETV procedure done and have been shunt free for almost 7 years now. During 2006, I had four procedures as a revisions including a 4th craniotomy with fenestration because I have dandy-walker syndrome also. My last surgery was August 4th 2008 right have I flew to Utah then went to the beach the following weekend. I wonder if flying had anything to do with the complications? Before I had no problems with flying.

Haylea

I have been programmable for about two years... and I wish I weren't! Ever since I received this shunt, I have had blurred vision, and a constant low-grade migraine. I've basically been told I have to just deal with it... after a plethora of medication cocktails have been tried and failed.

no kidding in the Fall of 2003, around Halloween. In 2006, I had 4 revisions of a programmable shunt in 6 months, and in 2009, I had 7 revisions of a ProGAV gravitational VP programmable shunt in 3 months. This type of german model shunt is to prevent overdrainage, but obvious not meningitis, in which I was in the hospital for-- for 5 weeks. The only downside is that it causes headaches every 4 months, which could be temperature/weather related, as we have gotten smacked with feet of snow out here and my head really hurts! I was born with a Dandy-Walker cyst that caused my hydro btw!

I got a programmable shunt March 2008. No problems so far... other than getting MRI's & bluetooth worries. Both can change the settings... one guy I know it sets off alarms in stores! Best wishes!