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Before I zonk out, I just wanted to give y'all an update of my 'the past two weeks'.
As I mentioned here, I finally saw my new neurosurgeon two weeks ago. He's a really nice guy, really knowledgeable...and was really upset when he found out that we'd been getting the brush-off for two months. Apparently, he had no clue.
Last Monday, I was admitted to the ICU to have my shunt externalized (basically, they took a piece of it out, connected it to a tube and connected the tube to a bag that was draining outside of my body). I spent two days in the ICU and I actually wish I could've stayed there the entire time. I loved the nurses there and my room had a gorgeous view of the mountains. The rooms in the ortho-and-spine unit aren't nearly as nice, though I'm told they're being remodeled soon.
After over 72 hours of IV antibiotics to treat my shunt infection, a few culture studies, and a check to make sure my CSF was infection-free, I went into the OR. They removed all of the tubing entirely and put new stuff in on the opposite side from where the infected hardware was. That last step, though, we weren't even sure was going to happen until somewhat the last minute. My shunt didn't seem to actually be draining all that much, and it turned out that there was a reason for it. My old shunt, which was in my right ventricle, had gone so far through that only a few places were draining. So while it *was* working, it just wasn't being allowed to work very well because it was too busy poking me in the frontal lobe.
I got home on Sunday and spent pretty much all day and the next day half-asleep on the couch. I have God-knows-how-many staples in my head and at least 2 dozen more on various places on my torso, my arms are scarred/bruised from the IVs (which blew out and I got fluid overload from it), and I'm wobbling like I'm on a freaking boat. That said, though, I am feeling much better tonight than I have since I got home.
One of the things that my neurosurgeon said when I was in the hospital was that all of this really should have been done by my old neurosurgeon a year ago and we're lucky it never got any worse than it already was. @_@
As I mentioned here, I finally saw my new neurosurgeon two weeks ago. He's a really nice guy, really knowledgeable...and was really upset when he found out that we'd been getting the brush-off for two months. Apparently, he had no clue.
Last Monday, I was admitted to the ICU to have my shunt externalized (basically, they took a piece of it out, connected it to a tube and connected the tube to a bag that was draining outside of my body). I spent two days in the ICU and I actually wish I could've stayed there the entire time. I loved the nurses there and my room had a gorgeous view of the mountains. The rooms in the ortho-and-spine unit aren't nearly as nice, though I'm told they're being remodeled soon.
After over 72 hours of IV antibiotics to treat my shunt infection, a few culture studies, and a check to make sure my CSF was infection-free, I went into the OR. They removed all of the tubing entirely and put new stuff in on the opposite side from where the infected hardware was. That last step, though, we weren't even sure was going to happen until somewhat the last minute. My shunt didn't seem to actually be draining all that much, and it turned out that there was a reason for it. My old shunt, which was in my right ventricle, had gone so far through that only a few places were draining. So while it *was* working, it just wasn't being allowed to work very well because it was too busy poking me in the frontal lobe.
I got home on Sunday and spent pretty much all day and the next day half-asleep on the couch. I have God-knows-how-many staples in my head and at least 2 dozen more on various places on my torso, my arms are scarred/bruised from the IVs (which blew out and I got fluid overload from it), and I'm wobbling like I'm on a freaking boat. That said, though, I am feeling much better tonight than I have since I got home.
One of the things that my neurosurgeon said when I was in the hospital was that all of this really should have been done by my old neurosurgeon a year ago and we're lucky it never got any worse than it already was. @_@
He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.
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