A life without limits: March 10th 2011 Blocked shunts.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

March 10th 2011 Blocked shunts.

I can not express my graditude for the last almost 6 years Avri has had with no shunt problems. She has not had any seizures and has been so healthy. It was this day that I noticed she was having small seizures again. She would seem fine and all the sudden she would go pale and start swallowing funny and zone out. She would have a strange, painful or smell something funny as it was happening and then she would be fine. She was becoming very agitatted over any noise. I also noticed she was repeating herself alot more than usual.
I called nero sugery and they said to bring her to the ER. Proto call was taken. They preform an xray to make sure the tubbing is all in tact and that her valves are still in palce and set where they are supose to be. Then they do a ct scan to look at the ventricals in the brain.
Nero surgery came in to deliver the results. Which were... The ventricals were big and her shunts needed to be replaced. They addmitted her to the hospital and took her in for surgery the next morning. Her left shunt had completely failed no fluid was get through at all. Her right side was stuck so they fixed it and replaced her valve. She came out of surgery in more pain than usual, but bounced back very fast and we were able to go home the next day.
We were home by 1pm. I had a neighbor that really wanted to come and see her. Avri felt so good that she saw her pull up and ran outside to greet her. A huge supirse to someone who knows Avri just had brain surgery. She came in and we talked. She was suprised at Avris strength and said she must have your high pain tolerance. I thought about that coment alot after she left and later told her I was not taking credit for any of Avris strength. I have been watching Avri for the last 14 years of her life. She had has 24 surgeries now. She over came staff infection in her brain. She bounces back and gets up and goes no matter what. How can I complain over my small pains when she gets up and goes over her big ones. She is my strength and my example. Everything I am I owe to her.

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What is Hydrocephalus?

The term hydrocephalus is derived from the Greek words "hydro" meaning water and "cephalus" meaning head. As the name implies, it is a condition in which the primary characteristic is excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain. Although hydrocephalus was once known as "water on the brain," the "water" is actually cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — a clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The excessive accumulation of CSF results in an abnormal widening of spaces in the brain called ventricles. This widening creates potentially harmful pressure on the tissues of the brain.

The ventricular system is made up of four ventricles connected by narrow passages.. Normally, CSF flows through the ventricles, exits into cisterns (closed spaces that serve as reservoirs) at the base of the brain, bathes the surfaces of the brain and spinal cord, and then reabsorbs into the bloodstream.

CSF has three important life-sustaining functions: 1) to keep the brain tissue buoyant, acting as a cushion or "shock absorber"; 2) to act as the vehicle for delivering nutrients to the brain and removing waste; and 3) to flow between the cranium and spine and compensate for changes in intracranial blood volume (the amount of blood within the brain).

The balance between production and absorption of CSF is critically important. Because CSF is made continuously, medical conditions that block its normal flow or absorption will result in an over-accumulation of CSF. The resulting pressure of the fluid against brain tissue is what causes hydrocephalus