EDIT: surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 12
I met with my neurosurgeon this afternoon for my post-op appointment and it turned into a pre-op appointment. My "new" shunt got old really fast and isn't working correctly. We just aren't positive WHY it isn't working...
(1) The shunt system might be clogged somewhere in the valve itself or in the catheters. My neurosurgeon will know when he inspects the shunt system in the OR. If it's clogged, I'll get a new shunt and be on my way praying that we can wait a little longer before that shunt fails.
--OR--
(2) The shunt system might just be at the wrong setting preventing enough CSF to drain. If this is the case, then I'll wake up in post op with an external ventricular drain (EVD) coming out of my noggin and it will stay there anywhere from 2-10 days while we try to figure out the pressure setting that gives me the least amount of pain. Once we have that number, my neurosurgeon will "install" a shunt with that pressure and then I'll be good to go!
So... yeah. We don't have a surgery date yet thanks to the initial insurance red tape we have to cut through, but it better be soon because these headaches are getting pretty psycho. It's most likely surgery will be this Wednesday, but I'll let you all know soon. Sheesh.
