Finally an UPdate

The pics with me sitting is post op second op.Oxygen and staring eyes,still so drugged from theatre.Yes I went home about an hour after this was taken.
The blurry pic is the ER.70 beds jammed in an open space and everyone coming and going.No screens,no privacy and noise and screams and lights and that was an experience.
The other pic is my 45 bed ward where I went post op the first time after the shunt was placed.Side by side crammed in and in so dirty.Heaven for bacteria.Makes me wonder why they dont have more post op infections.I was glad to go home in many ways.





After my last post so much has happened.I have not been able to do this any sooner.I apologise for that.

5th March I had a Lumbar Peritoneal shunt put into my body.It runs from the lower spine to the front of my belly (on the inside) where it is supposed to drain. I came home after less than 24 hours and no drugs post op due to allergy and so slept a lot.No drugs anytime,I cant even have an aspirin or whatever your painkiller of choice is.

I had two days with NO headache and it was bliss.
My incisions were healing nicely and all seemed well.

Ok so on 18th March,Wednesday, I am back to the Dr. My head is set to explode again. A lumbar puncture that had me screaming in pain ( this is abnormal.Usually I dont move or make a sound.It was torture really) and the realization that the shunt is not draining.OMG what next.An overnight stay in the ER because there are no beds.

Back to theatre Thursday morning for a shunt revision.
I wake and he tells me , "The shunt drains outside of your body with no problems.I put it back and now wait and see'
Home after 6 hours because there IS NO BED.I was put on a hospital gurney and parked in a spare room.

Friday I dont have a headache and this is a good sign.By Saturday it is not happy again.And I cant do anymore.Yes this is the "I cannot " post for my status on Facebook.I am not able to do much on the computer for more than a few minutes at a time and so that is why I have not opened it much. It has taken me days to get this together.

Back to the surgeon yesterday.Stitches from the second op out and he says "Ok we can move the shunt to the other side of your belly" But what will that do? No idea if it will change anything .I said No
Ok so we can put one in from your head. This option was tossed out at the very start BECAUSE I dont have enough room in the area he would have to put it to not cause brain damage. I told him NO WAY!!!! He agrees because he know it will cause even more issues.He suggested it because he is running out of options.

Ok so next.........



And I got "I dont know".

Ok so this is honest.I can live with that.
So I tell him I want a scan of my lower spine to rule out other stuff and he agrees.
Yesterdays MRI is done and now I have to wait until Monday to know what is next.

My head.Well the pressure is off a little so it is not bad ALL the time BUT now I have these lovely headaches that are like a knife in the side of my head.....A bit like someone has grabbed your eyeball and is dragging it into the back of your throat.And they hit when ever and I find myself literally on the floor.A cough, a sneeze, even to go to the bathroom brings this one on.Crawl back to bed and wait it out.

Surgery is again on the horizon.I pray this one will be the last.I dont quite know yet what he will agree to do but I also pray that Someone upstairs guides the dear Dr to answers.They have to come soon.

Thinking of you all often even if I dont write

Light and Love
Tanya xxxx

The Neurosurgeon

This is a picture of the placement of a Lumboperitneal shunt.


After waiting for nearly 2 hours to see the Surgeon today and feeling the room spin I was so glad I waited. The Dr is a lovely guy who took the time to listen to me and to then tell me I really am not crazy when I talk about the "rain" sound I get in my head or when I tell him my eye feels like it is about 10 inches outside of my face.
And after he checked all my Xrays,(Yes all 15 packets of them) and looked in my eyes and tested them he said," So how long have you had this set of symptoms?" and "Why weren't they treated sooner?".
I nearly fell off the chair. I have been looking for a Dr to actually see what was obviously a problem and not tell me I am a neurotic housewife that needs to take anti-depressants and get a life.

And the verdict is that I am going to be treated for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (the idiopathic word means from no detectable cause) and have a lumbo-peritoneal shunt put in. 3 hours in theatre and then recovery after. After 48 hours if my symptoms are worse he will take it out and do a decompression. Yes what fun. Two surgeries possibly. Oh well as long as I dont lose any more eye sight.

The best news of the day is that I may get some of my vision back again. As we take the pressure off the optic nerve permanently it may function better.YAY!!! I will be able to see clearly.Hopefully.

So when? I can hear you all LOL
If a bed is available I will be in tomorrow night for a Friday procedure and if not then early next week.Yes that fast. It needs to be done now so my eyes can have a chance.
Its a teaching hospital ad so there are loads of upcoming med students that will come and check out my head LOL.It is quite a rare thing to see here so they come and look when they can and that is all good too.

So all good.I will be in hospital 3-5 days depending what I end up with and home after that.Business is closed but I may be able to check email.I may also be able to check FB which will be fun.Or at least post.We'll see if I am up to it all LOL

Ok lovely friends.I think that about sums it up. Any questions? Please ask.

Light and Love to all
Tanya xxxxxx