Well, I used to spend time outside, taking walks a couple of times a day.
But, since my spinal problems started, I just haven't been able to get out
as much as I used to. Maybe, if this procedure is successful, I can start
walking around more...oh, wait, that's right, I'll be doing more housework.

I bet you wished you could speak up to your mother and tell her how you feel about handling all the housework. (I bet if you did that, there'd be severe consequences....)

I have said that to her. The response is: "You live here, too. There's no
reason you can't do (whatever it is)." Except for the fact that I can't
breathe, of course.

Geez..... That's just horriable. The more you tell me, the more it seems that your MOTHER resents you because of all the things you deal with. (Wich caused her to spend money. Sort of sounds like my dad, but I think he's chilled out now to some degree. (Thank goodness!!)) I know that is a terriable thing to say....

Hey, I was just thinking, since your mom smokes and I think the "surgon general's warning label", you DO NOT need to respond to this part of the message, but is it at all a possibility that she'd smoke while pregnat with you wich may explain all the problems asside of hydro (My mom never smoked, but had contact with a former smoker, and a current smoker (somone who still smokes, but didn't see them on a daily basis, while pregnat.) you have. I know it's absolutely crazy to say, but many things happen to babies IF the mother smoked while pregnat.

So if the answer to theese questions (wich you don't have to respond to on here, of course) is yes, it's a good chance your medical issues are largly your MOM'S fault.

Good luck to you, once again, I am here if you need to "vent". (I just wouldn't bring this post up with your parent. I don't want you to get into trouble because of me.)

She claims that she didn't smoke while she was pregnant with me. As far
as I know, it's the truth-at least, my father hasn't told me otherwise. The
thing is, I was born in '66 and I don't know if the warnings were on the
cigarettes packages back then. So, even if she did smoke, she may not
have known what it does.

Yeah, I think the surgeon general warnings we manditory sometime arround the 1980's.

However, if she started back up AFTER you were born, the asthma thing is pretty much explained.

(BTW. I think my dianosis of hydrocephalus was a cruel way of nature. My mom doesn't smoke or drink. I'm not sure, but it was obvious at birth I had it.)

I've been reading on a couple other sites that porencephalic cysts (the
cause of my hydro) are hereditary. But, I don't know which side of the
family it could have come from, because I'm the only one in my family
with hydro. And, I don't know a lot about the medical history of the
family lines. I know that there are a couple of medical conditions
that are in different family lines, but not all of them are hereditary.
And, the ones that are hereditary, not all of them are neurological.

Ouch, you have a lot on your plate, don't you? I hope you don't develop any more of the problems in your family line.......

Oh, I am the only hydrocephallic person in my immediate famly (1st cousins, aunts, uncles....) However, a distant relative (younger than me) 3rd or 4th cusin, has hydrocephalus and SB. Me, I just have hydrocephalus... oh, I am not sure if once you are diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, no matter what is done, it's there forever.... I have had one of thoose.

Well, the degenerating discs are hereditary-they come from my grandmother's
(my father's mother) side of the family. But, that's the only condition that
I know for sure where it came from. "Maybe" the spinal stenosis, too.
But, the epilepsy and vision problems are definitely hydro-related.

I agree with epiliepsy and the vision things, you know what... thoose things have improved greatly. (I used to wear glasses.) The last time I had a seizure was either in the very late 1980's or really early 1990's. (A GM.) However, I think there was a small speculation of weither or not I had a, I guess, a simple partial (As Lizard would say) I get thoose feelings a lot, but very far appart wich only lasts less than five secconds. (It seems, I can't really time them because the feeling is gone as fast as it came!)

This might be the only reason I don't drive is because of the seizure history and the fact I usually don't get signals things are wrong with my shunt.