Hi guys...
Just wondering if anyone else out there who has been diagnosed also had some mild obstructive hydrocephalus??? If you did and went through with surgery , was it able to be managed without having a shunt put in ?
Any information would be greatly appreciated :)
Thanks x
Hey there. I had moderate CSF flow obstruction with my Chiari and boy did it cause me a lot of pain. I had surgery two months ago, I didn't need a shunt, and my symptoms have completely cleared up since then! I haven't had my follow up MRI yet to confirm that my CSF flow is no longer obstructed, but honestly I can feel that it's improved amazingly.
I was n.did have surgery but NO shunt! Thank God. I know sometimes they r very necessary but opening up more space allowed my CSF to flow ‘well enough’. I have yearly MRIs to make sure my ventricles r not swelling n there is no midline shift. Surgery was in 03 and so far so good! Praying it stays that way because I really would prefer to remain shuntless. I am having a trial sub occipital neuro stimulator placed on April 30. If the 7 day trial is successful then it will be permanently placed. They have improved the stim in the fact I.can still have MRIs with it in place. My understanding is its now made of plastic with titanium leads.
I hope that helps to answer ure question!
Take Care!
Hi,
Yes I did have it but unfortunately, no, I had to have a shunt. I know that you are looking for answers to not having to have a shunt....but thought I'd share my situation that unfortunately I did have to have a shunt - and still have it, almost 7 years later. I had it put in, in Sept. '05, just 4 months after having my cyst fenestrated. I have been very fortunate, however, with my shunt. Not at first....at first it gave me lots of trouble but they determined it was because I was living in New Mexico where the altitude is very high. We had been living in Florida up until April of '05 then we moved to NM due to my ex-husband's job. One month later I was having my fenestration surgery in Phoenix. I went through a lot over those few years and it was such a story, I decided to write it....my book "It's all in Your Head," which is by Maria McCutchen and it came out in October '11. It is now avail through Tate Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.
Anyways, just thought my story of what I went through with my cyst, shunt and Chiari may be beneficial and hopefully inspirational to others. Maybe you'll want to check it out. But to answer you.....I haven't heard of too many others, if any really, who have had the obstructive hydrocepalus without having it managed without a shunt. I'd like to know, too actually, if others have had the OH and got away without having to have a shunt.
Thanks for reading my post and hope everything turns out fine for you.
Sincerely,
Maria
What is the "sub occipital neuro stimulater" for? Just curious.
mary anderson said:
I was n.did have surgery but NO shunt! Thank God. I know sometimes they r very necessary but opening up more space allowed my CSF to flow 'well enough'. I have yearly MRIs to make sure my ventricles r not swelling n there is no midline shift. Surgery was in 03 and so far so good! Praying it stays that way because I really would prefer to remain shuntless. I am having a trial sub occipital neuro stimulator placed on April 30. If the 7 day trial is successful then it will be permanently placed. They have improved the stim in the fact I.can still have MRIs with it in place. My understanding is its now made of plastic with titanium leads.
I hope that helps to answer ure question!
Take Care!
@ Nicolee. It’s supposed to block pain impulses from damaged nerves in my neck/back of my head from getting to pain receptors in my brain. Supposedly it will break that cycle of pain. I’ll let you n everyone know if it works!
WOW! I hope it helps! Yes, please let us know how it goes and if it works! Good Luck!
hi tannis i had hydrcephalus before i had my surgery it was better after surgery did not have to have a shunt put in i still had a mild case of it because some of my muscles would not relax and let the fluid run down i rrecently had trigger point injections and a nerve block it was done on thursday of last week it has been 4 days and i can tell a big difference in the way my head feels i am a lot better i hope it keeps feeling like this it has been a long time since i have felt good and able to do things i want to do..