Neurosurgeon stopped by and said she'd like to just wait and see how the weekend goes, see what PT recommends and if we get to a point where we all feel like I can make the same improvements at home then we'll make arrangements for home rehab w/my own PT who I see and the in-hospital therapists just wrote down their info so my PT can contact them re cautious, slow rehab. My neurosurgeon just said she'd stop by again tomorrow and we'd decide what we think is best - she emphasized that if needed she'd keep me in-patient but we also do want to get to the point soon of going home and hopefully PT here can help me figure out how to modify some things at my parents and at my house till I no longer have to use the walker for support. She took the dressings off of the incisions and said the right side where the valve sits is all dissolvable incisions and the back incusions (which they changed the dressing but still covered) is all incisions under the skin that will also dissolve on their own. Their is an impressive amount of bruising yet along the shunt tract but this too will improve. Otherwise ir's just a matter of getting normal bowel and bladder function (ie sensation) as right now I can go to the bathroom but have no sensation of going unless I hear it hitting the cup inside and no bowel since last monday =/ Such joys. (sarcasm)
I do still feel like there is slowwwwwww, sloooowwwwww progress despite this turning into a much longer stay then I ever anticipated! My Nsg said yesterday while her, the Pain Coord and the PT where in here that she was sorry to have traded me one big issue (the headaches/shunt) for another big issue but I dont hold anything against her bc in the long run she has probably saved me another spine surgery at that L5-S1 area of levels (which we knew from previous imaging was abnormal to begin with). and as long as this shunt doesnt malfunction my headaches are sooo improved and really just a little residual nausea which isnt bad compared to the headaches, nausea and vomiting + with the vomiting always came bladder loss of control... which I now wonder probably was related to that neuroma/spinal nerve bundle she found scarred together as that is the area of the spine thatcontrols all the functions and is why she thinks I am having issues now with sensation along the one leg/foot and whole behind. If the symptoms would have been present right after surgery we would have had more to be concerned about ie regaining that sensations/normal functions but since the problems didnt start till 3-4-5 hours after surgery when I was already laying flat for the 24 hrs that she thinks it is from swelling and inflammation as those nerves try to heal now.
More soon,
Side and back incisioms - sjunt track/catheter/valve/ HV device and reservoir
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