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11-04-2008, 05:03 AM | #1 | ||
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Junior Member
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hi, i have had a vp shunt for an arachnoid cyst i was 14 months old, it was then revised when i was 4 and i had no problems up until i was 16, apart form the few odd series of strenous headaches & sickness for about a year and a half.
On the 5th of september, i was admitted to great ormond street hospital after papilledema was discovered behind my right eye indicating intercranial pressure, that day i had an ICP tap inserted. i went into the op feeling absolutely fine, and i came out feeling just as well apart from the slight sting from where the wire was in my head. That evening i became very ill and had a very horrible headache, i became very irritable and was constantly being sick, there and then i got rushed down to theatre and had an emergency shunt revision after going into a comatose state. After my op i came out feeling absolutely fine, no headache, no sickness...just a sore wound on my head and stomach. i got released two days after my op but continued to have a constant dull headache of the next five day until i came back for my post op check up. My headcahes should have resolved by now so i had a few scans and shunt series done confirming that my catheter in my stomach had spiralled form my peritoneal cavity. i was admitted once again and put into theatre about 2 hours later, where the opened up my previous scar and reinserted and repositioned the tube. An xray was done after my op and unfortunately the tube had done exactly the same once again and decided to spiral out due to scar tissue on a scar that had had surgery on so many times. so they operated the next morning and repositioned the tube about 2 inches below my previous scar. Since that night of the operation i have had these dreadful stabbing pains in my lower abdomen...so far its been EVERYDAY for 53 days and counting. Ive been back to GOSH, where they kept me in for 11 days doing numerous tests, ultrasounds, shunt tap procedure, stomach tap procedure, CT scans, Xrays and an MRI. The only thing they found was excess fluid in my abdomen due to my adhesions. the ultrasound showed this and also a collection of possible walled off ball of fluid (pseudocyst) on my RIGHT hand side by my hip. This is where my pain was hitting randomly during this time. over the next few days the pain hovered around as it does and on the morning of my MRI scan, i got the pain on my left hand side. MRI showed that i had a cyst on my left hand side. this was put down to an ovarian cyst. A general surgeon told my mum and myself that it couldnt be an ovarian cyst as i would be very tender in that area when he pushed against it, inwhich i wasnt. neurosurgeons say the shunt is a red herring and not related to this pain...just seem strange that ive had the pain everyday without fail since the catheter was moved into a lower positioning in my abdomen. They were discussing the possibility of the catheter irritating my abdomen and moving it to my left hand side of my stomach. but that plan went out the window after they found this 'cyst'. im now completely confused. i have to see my GP and get referred to my local hospital for more tests to determine if that 'ovarian cyst' has gone and whether its actually one atall.(which i say must be the worst hospital possible!!) i have to go back to GOSH in about 2-4 weeks for another ultrasound to see if the CSF fluid in my stomach has built up since my previous ultrasound. if so, this may detemrine the pain associated and they will have to cut out all my adhesions and do an exploratory op. Is there anyone out there with the same problem?? (pain in lower abdomen from a vp shunt catheter surgery, like EVERY day since...intermittant random stabbing and slicing pains) sorry its so long :| thanks guys for reading |
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12-05-2008, 04:22 AM | #2 | ||
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Hi Jadiee-x. I was just looking thru google to find an answer to my problem and I found your site and post.I have the very same problem!I had my shut surgery done on the 25th of Nov. A VP shunt for IIH.I have no problem from the head or stomach wounds just the pain in my side. I was rushed to hospital Monday by ambulance because they thought I was bleeding internally. I wasnt but they still couldnt tell what or where the pain came from.I would love to talk to you about it all if you have the time.I do hope you are feeling better.Cath278.
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12-06-2008, 02:20 AM | #3 | ||
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Junior Member
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Hey Jaidee, I had a big problem with pseudocysts back in 2006. I had had two surgeries in two months. One to place a programmable valve(in August) and another about 2 weeks later cause that valve was faulty(September). Anyways, over the next couple of months I had severe stomach pain. I was hospitalized in October when a pseudocyst in my stomach became infected. They drained the cyst and I went home but the pain only stayed a way for a short time before it was back. I went through December and the end of the year keeping a heating pad on my stomach almost 24/7 due to the pain. In January I had another pseudocyst drained(that was what was causing all the pain). My neurosurgeon decided that the scar tissue in my stomach (due to the 2 shunt surgeries I had had on my stomach because of the VP shunt) was the cause of all the pseudocysts. He said it was a problem that would continue to occur over and over and decided that the best course of action was to move my shunt from my stomach to the pleural cavity(around the lungs). I haven't had any stomach pain since he did that in January of 2007. Its been around a month so you may already know what was causing your stomach pain, but if you haven't its something to ask your doctor about! ~Melissa~
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12-08-2008, 09:00 AM | #4 | ||
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Junior Member
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hi cath, Ive since found the cause of the problem, well an appropriate way of resolving the pain anyways. im having my VP shunt converted to a VA shunt, my neurosurgeon spotted a build up of fluid in my abdomen (ascites) and this could have been what is causing the pain. Even if this is not what is causing the pain and it is infact the tube digging into the abdomen or organs, this will also resolve as the distal end will go into the heart instead of the peritoneum. perhaps you could suggest this to your neurosurgeon too will be happy to chat if you need to know anything. |
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12-17-2012, 12:47 AM | #5 | ||
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My wife too has ascites build up in the peritoneum and her doctor advised that a VA Shunt has its own complications. We had drained about 4 litres of fluid by the doctors tapping out the fluid. Has your doctor advised off why there was ascites fluid, or nobody knows why? Also is the VA Shunt better, any complications?
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12-18-2012, 09:29 AM | #6 | ||
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03-24-2013, 03:42 PM | #7 | ||
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My son is reporting consistent and uncomfortable stabbing-like pain in the area above his shunt incision in his abdomen. (He is 18 and has had shunt since age 1, several revisions over the years.) This is a new thing though...so we're concerned. No headache, fever (which is good) - but these posts make me wonder about a fluid cyst or a kink or deterioration of the tube or....?? Here is my question: will an xray of his abdomen (our hospital does these every few years, a "shunt series", head + stomach) show a cyst?? Or even a kink or the condition of the shunt tubing?? Thanks for any info you have. So excited to find this forum, so we may all help each other with 'real life' experience!!! |
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06-22-2010, 01:49 AM | #8 | ||
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02-27-2009, 03:56 PM | #9 | ||
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Junior Member
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Hello-
I have had a vpshunt put in 6 months ago. ever since then I have had problems after problems especially in the belly area- I have been to hospital to hospital ,cat scan after cat scan ,test after test and NO ONE can figure out why I have this HORRIBLE stomach pain. It would go away for a while then out of the clear blue come back in full force- so bad I cant even walk! It too is right where my scar is from my surgery. I am now not dealing with the stomach pain but now I have HORRIBLE headaches that last for up to 7 days constant then gone- So if its not my stomach bothering me its now a headache- they did ALL sorts of tests thinking it was even infected- but ThankGod that is NOT the case. I got this surgery thinking I would be better-and since surgery all i have been is sick sick sick I am soooo fusteratedand I don't know what else to do-please let me know what happens with you-Thanks & take care* Quote:
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02-28-2009, 09:35 AM | #10 | ||
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Junior Member
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hi glittergirl,
i found my answer, infact im in hospital now!! i had my operation yesterday afternoon for a VA shunt. im yet to have any abdominal discomfort atall!!! =D which is great. it wasnt a big operation either, the shunt itself wasnt changed, just the tubing was diverted. the tube was pulled out from my belly and put into an artery in my neck which lead to my heart, so ive now got 2 incisions on my neck, would normally be one but i dont know what happened to wake up with two? Ive just had a chest xray to make sure the tubing is where its suppose to be, if it is then i'm allowed to go home already =) I suggest you ask your Neurosurgeon about the possibility of a shunt conversion, as it seems to have the answers ive been looking for after suffering 6 months from abdominal pain. Since my shunt surgery in september i have had nothing but problems too, but i guess we need to take things steps at a time to eliminate things bit by bit, but this absence of abdominal pain is great! =D Hope you find your answers soon hun =) xo |
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