Pain/discomfort in lower right-hand side...
 

I can't sit still with this I have to constently "fidet" to get comfy. (I know I am not "plugged up"..... I just know, that's as far as I will go with it. It hurts to take a good deep "belly breath" and exhale.

I'm worried because it's exactly where my shunt pump is... with a margin of 3 or 4 inches. I'm pretty sure the tube ends there, but I am not sure how the catheter/pump is set up. (My neurosurgeon said he put the pump in the belly region and I am not sure where the pump is compaired to the excessive pain I feel.) Needless to say, its a bit nerving.

I just can't deal with surgery right now because in 12 days I am going to be out of town nowhere near my neurosurgeon who knows all about me because I am going to be in a wedding, but I am going to be leaving a few days prior, so I am guessing I have a good week left.)

I don't have any of the obvious signs somethng is wrong, but geeze... it is not fun, it's painful.

Pokey tube
 

You are right - it's not fun. The distal end of your plumbing is probably just poking you in the wrong places. I know exactly what you're talking about. Try to manipulate the end by pressing that area of your belly with a couple fingers, and making small circle motions with your finger tips. That seemed to help some for me. Since my last revision and new plumbing, I haven't had the symptoms you mentioned.

David

Thanks!
 

I'll try that! Thanks!

it's me again......
 

I just thought of something..... while the manipulation really isn't working... I streatched (a few days ago) and rember a wierd sound sort like the sound your joints make when you "pop" them, but it wasn't a "pop" noise. Could that sound I have heard been a tear wich is a probably an obvious sign of desinegration. (I had a friend, who had a shunt that broke into pieces, so I assume it can happen.)

Please let me know, because it still is uncomfortable... :(

Sorry to hear that didn't help. Never heard of shunt disintigration, though I have heard of disconnects. I wouldn't think you would have heard anything though. I don't know what else to say.

David

Well thank you for caring... I really appreciate it.
Want to know something a little funny...... Your screename reminded me of an old friend I used to have who has hydrocephalus. Cooincodentially, the letters of your screen name are exactly like the letters (exact order of the first and middle name), but I think the number is off if it represents the birth year.

But who knows...... it was a long time ago. Have a god one! :)

sjp....
can you describe exactly where the discomfort is?

hubby popped a rib head out doing a stretch. made a kinda plunk sound/feel.

i hope you don't need any surgery.

It varies on my right side (shunt side) and ONLY on that side it all depends on how deep of breath I take, wrong move, I haven't hiccuped or coughed yet, so who knows.) But I am sitting still and sitting still absorbs the discomfort. It's when I am active it starts in again.

(I to don't want surgery.... It would be horriable timing!!! :( )
I'll let you know more tommorow if things are noticed. I'm sure I can "sleep it off". (I hope.)

BTW. I did feel slightly naucious for a split seccond, but I ALWAYS get that way. (No explanation.)

i hope you get a good nights rest.

i'll check back tomorrow.

( i read all th eposts...just haven't jumped in and replied. :o )

Curious and everybody! Thank you for being "curious" about my predicament. I hope a good nights rest will help. I probably just pulled something funny or streached something wrong (without knowing it)

However, I think my shunt pump may have moved (a long time ago).... That or I got a little "padded" without knowing it. :confused:

Mr. Pokey Tube
 

Thanks a lot SJP. I stated I hadn't had the discomfort you discribed since my last surgery. Well guess what. Mr. Pokey Tube was diggin' at my right side this evening when I left work. It stayed with me for my commute (all of 13 minutes) and while preparing supper, but I don't notice it now. P.S. the screen name is first and first three of last name. It should be morning by the time you read this. I hope you had a restful night.

Thanks for the nice thoughs.... I did wake up nice and refreashed, but the seccond I moved, the dull pain came went int effect.

And no, I am wrong to who you may have been...... I just thought I woulk ask because I found it pretty interesting.

Thanks again. (Twiddling my thumbs and trying to tame my dog and her cusins (my two sisters are here with thier dogs) as calm as possible... Thank goodness it's a day where they can't get into too much trouble because they are used to being indoors and outdoors.)

I'll keep you all posted. (BTW. If I lean in a little so I am not sitting entirely back in my chair, it's "tolerable".)

Oh yeah, of course, take care! :)
Thanks again!

vp shunt
 

hi,

ive been searching all over google the last few days looking up these symptoms as i have my shunt tubing replaced 2 weeks ago and since the night of the operation ive been getting horrible pains in my lower abdominal area, little stabbing from the inside and then it drags across. its nasty!
and i know it sounds crude but it feels like gas at times and the pain goes through me!

after finding a forum on a different website there were several people on there discussing all the same pains after having their shunts, && after them seeing their neurosurgeon they have all been advised that its their tubing poking them or hitting a nerve.

there were a few cases of a couple of them having to have their VP shunt converted to a VA shunt where the tubing goes into the heart instead of the stomach. others just hope for it to migrate itself and others have had surgery to have the tubing moved to another part of the peritoneal.

i would get it checked out though as it may not be the tube just poking you, its possible that the fluid has formed a pseudocyst where the fluid has built up in the same spot and made a sack causing a cyst...i dont mean to sound doom and gloom, ive just been thinking bout these possibilites about yself so thought ild share them with the people sharing similar disomfort.

im currently on holiday in spain for 2 weeks, so if my pains are still there as they have been for 2 weeks, then im off to great ormond street to see if my theory is correct. lol.

good luck hun xx

Does a psedocyst do that... cause intermittent pains?

tbh thats what i wanna know too, because my pains are intermittent aswell.

do your pains just occur randomly out of the blue and when they strat they last on and off for a few minutes?

my ward at great ormond street seem to be sticking to their guns about it being just healing pains

but surely they wouldnt be intermittant pains would they? and they wouldnt be affecting my lower abdominal areas like the colon and cervical area too...that nerves being hit on surely.

i must insist on a CT scan very soon, they always give me them when i dont need them so surely they should give me one when im requesting it!! lol.

will let you know if anything gets found =]

yes


Are you talking to me?

Ive just came out of hospital at great ormond street after 11 days of tests about this pain, i have still got it EVERYDAY since 13th sep (my last op)

ive had the whole series of tests done.
Shutn tap, stomach tap, stomach fluid extraction for infection, ct scans, shunt series, ultrasounds and an MRI.

all that showed up was excess fluid due to adhesions in my stomach...therefore my abdomen isnt quite draining as much as it should (although this may not be the cause of pain)

on the ultrasound they found a cyst like image on the area of pain at that specific time of day. a stomach tap was done under local aneasthetic into this collection of fluid and tested for infection which came back as clear.

now this is what puzzled me...i carried on with pain in that area as normal for a day or so...then over the next few days i got pain in the opposite side, i had an MRI done and some cyst had shown on on the site of pain. due to this shadowing my ovary...that have put this down to being an ovarian cyst.

of course im not satisfied with this because it just doesnt make sense!

neurosurgeons were happy to turn round and say these cysts are not shunt related and the shunt is a 'red herring.'
it was only days before this that they were saying 'this could be down to the tube irritating the abdomen' 'this may be a pseudo or benine cyst'

so im back in a month for another ultrasound to see if there is a build of of fluid and to see if that cyst has gone - if its an ovarian cyst it should have gone, if not im guessing pseudocyst is still on the agenda. if none of these seem possible then it could be the tube irritating.
if the fluid in my abdomen has built up then the pockets caused by the adhesions in my stomach will be cut out and an exploratory will be done to sort this out.

all this stuff if doing my head in. one thing to another.

Jaidee, I had a big problem with pseudo cysts that kept coming back. I had one drained and within 6 weeks I had another one causing stomach pain once again. My neuro told me it was due to the scar tissue in my stomach from the shunt related surgeries(there had been 2). He ended up moving my shunt from the stomach to the pleural cavity(Jan 2007) and since then I haven't had any more pain like that.

When any of you guys have this... do you have a rush of the need to use the bathroom.... I THINK there is a pattern here with this type of pain.

oh i see, im back at great ormond street next monday to finalise my neurosurgeons suggestion of converting my VP shunt to a VA shunt, due to my peritoneum not absorbing the fluid as well as it should do as shown up by mulitple ultrasounds, so into the heart the catheter will go. it comes with its risks of major infection of the blood stream, but im willing to take that risk because when this stomach pain starts, bloody hell i could cry my eyeball out!!
after reading up about this, i found that the excessive fluid in the abdomen is called Ascites. this is suppose to be a VERY rare complication caused by VP shunts but it is known. In most of these cases the VP shunt get moved into the Pleural cavity or the heart, symptons are suppose to resolve straight away.

i dont get the need for the bathroom, but i think ive noticed a pattern, although im not quite sure...but i think my pain starts to get a bit stronger on an empty bowel and bladder. although not always.

i cant wait for this pain to resolve, i have had this pain now for 90 days more or less. its a total joke.

:) hope you get sorted soon x

When you had your shunt converted, was it a whole shunt revision including the head side of things or was it just the distal end? xx

Hey Jaidee, when I had my shunt converted(Jan 2007) it was just the distal end of it. They had just put a new valve in in Sept 2006, so they left that alone.

hi melissa,
thanks for letting me know :)

im just wonderign wether it will just be my distal end that get revised or whther it will be the whole thing, as mine is getting put into my atrium so i guess the catheter will be shorter, im wondering whether they will trim the catheter or whether it will be a completely new one due to risk of infection :S
:confused:

Hi, I had similiar problem a week ago and fears were my shunt was blocked in the adomen. But I was surprised to learn that my shunt ends, not at the end of the incision in the belly, but way over by my right hip. The X-ray tech did an ultrasound of the stomach and then an X-ray to find where my shunt actually ended. I too, feel my shunt has shifted at the top end down a couple of inches. What I was surprised to learn is that it doesn't end at the bottom of the incision, but actually extends all the way to the far right side just about the right hip. X-ray tech and doctors now wants CT-scan of abdomen to investigate further. But I'm still getting the stomach pains. So, I, too, really don't know why...Jeff

:hug:Oh my goodness sweetie...I know I know...This belly pain is HORRIBLE! I too have had this pain, the last time I had it , it lasted for a whole month and 4 days:( I NEVER know what to do cause it hurts sooooo bad and is just soooo painfull. My NS also said it has nothing to do with the shunt either...But after finding this site and reading ALL of you that talk of the same exzact pain/problems now I kinda know. But it does still REALLY stink, and I pray that it NEVER comes back but I know it will. We need to find a way to understand why this happens... I wish I knew how to stop it-at least yours is not that bad enough that you can go & be in a wedding- when I get mine sometimes the pain is soooo very bad I have a hard time even walking-Well goodluck to you and hope it goes away soon!

i am over the moon to be able to say, i had my pain sorted out!!

I had mine everyday since september 15? up til Friday just gone!!

i want to know if the pain comes close to contractions, as i cant imagine as more intense pain!!

I had my VP converted to a VA shunt on friday at great ormond street, I havent had any stomach pain at all since! *fingers crossed*

Sorry but i raise my two fingers up at those NSurgeons that turn round and say its not the shunt, IT IS.
If youre happy to go ahead and have a small operation to have it converted then i say go for it, take the risk. If the stomach pain continues, then your NS can turn round and say they were right, but just assuming the problem isnt shunt related is just shifting the cause and really deosnt help, you will just go round and round in circles trying to look for a solution if the shunt isnt taken into consideration!

I knew from day 1 of the pain, that it was shunt related. My NS/NC, was sure it was pains from surgery. I knew it was not, weeks went by and he was still shifting the blame of surgery 'healing' pain. Almost 4 months down the line, he werent able to tell me it was healing pain anymore, thats when a more indepth study took place of what was causing the pain.

Whenever you have a problem with your health, its strange that we ALWAYS know when we have something wrong with our shunt, we suspect and 9 out of 10 times we are right! Keep pushing on thats all you can do, unless you want to perform the surgery yourself. :p

Goodluck xo

I wonder if at sometime I did have a VA shunt. I have a unnoticiable scar on my neck (wich may have been placement of the VP at one time... to guide it down or something) and one near my collar bone. The two I know of were VP's.

But this is off topic... I was answering someone. :grouphug:

I had similiar pains in the lower end where I THOUGHT the shunt ended. The doctor ordered an ultrasound of my stomach and the X-ray tech decided to take an X-ray first to find out exactly where the distal end of the shunt was. I was surprised to learn that the bottom end of the shunt was not where the incision is. In my case, the shunt tube was extended all the way to just above my left hip. I still get the stomach pains from time to time, but they are now determined to be NOT from the shunt.
Get your neurosurgeon to tell you where the tube ends and failing that, get your MD to order an ultrasound on the stomach. That's how I found where mine ended. I find I often blame the shunt for pain that's not coming from there, so I suggest you ask your doctor to get to the bottom of this. It could be from the shunt, but then again, it could be something entirely differerent.

Hi Jeff,
You get pains round your incision?
Have you been tested for any sort of infection?

But dont worry, it may well just be scar tissue, the skin has been cut and nerves have been damaged, i guess theres possibilty that nerve damage can be long lasting?

Hope everything settles real soon =)