Shunt Free
 

So,
All those that have read my previous threads and posts will be aware I've had quite a few problems with shunting over the past 10 months. :(
But I can now say, that I wont be having anymore, well at least not Shunt problems anyways.

2 weeks ago, I woke with the beginning of a possible shunt headache...I kept this to myself for two hours before telling my parents...as it was early hours of the morning. After those 2 hours with no such luck of it getting any better, i knew it was a shunt blockage or malfunction.
Amazingly, for the first time ever, I was rushed to my local hospital by ambulance...my first ever time in one. I got there spewing my guts up and also my eyes hurt and of course the horrible headache, was clear my shunt has packed itself in but my local hospital doesnt deal with anything like it, so I was transported 2 hours in an ambulance to my specialist hospital. By then I was in agony, put into High dependancy unit and seen to straight away. My pain was reliefed for a brief 15 minutes by a shunt tapped, but the pain was then back again. I was given another tap for the duration of my first ever MRI scan.
That evening I was put under the knife to have my shunt tubing pulled out from my neck and and put on an external drainage until the weekend was over.

My NS wasnt on call that weekend or that day, so i was signed over to another who offered me the possibility of going shunt free due to so many shunt problems as of late. To be honest, i wasnt too keen, as all my life ive had a shunt, the thought of my body being without it would be like living without an arm or leg, you just don't know how your body will adapt to being without it. I had always been told i was shunt dependent for life and nothing else could be done.
For the weekend, I was in agony, my head played up so much, the weekend couldnt end soon enough!
But on Monday I was given a craniotomy and my arachnoid cyst was chipped away at and ETV type procedure was done, the swelling from the operation was hideous, and the headaches...corr blimey, they were dreadful...still are 2 weeks on. The first couple of days after the op were unbearable, to the point where I wanted to take the 'cowards way out.' I suffered my first few seizures too, beginning with pins and needles spreading up one side of my body and face and then spreading to both hands feet, crippling my hands temporarily. Also had my first fit followed by spewing.
The swelling on the side of my forehead meant i couldn't hear from my left ear, i still cant open my mouth much and the headaches are very violent.
It isnt something I wish to go through again. Infact I still wish I had a shunt, I would rather go through a shunt malfunction than go through the recovery of that operation again.