We are doing a 3rd surgery (in just the last week) tomorrow (Weds)... This will be the 7th surgery since mid-Nov. Yikes!
Today Dr.Bragg tapped the VPL shunt and the VP shunt and with the VP shunt a blood clot came out w a bit of CSF fluid making her think this was left over from Fri nights surgery in which they encountered a blood clot I think she said when either removing or revising the VP shunt. She had thought this would help the headaches and get the VP shunt flowing better. I do think the VP shunt is working but she thought about re-tapping it tomorrow morning, I am unsure if she will.
The TPL shunt was basically not flowing and so she opted to schedule surgery for that for Weds and will either place back in a Strata-medtronic programmable valve or put the drainage back in to the peritoneum. I asked her to consider placing it back in to the pleural cavity as I think that worked so well at first and the stomach cramps are soooooo much less as in now occuring maybe once or twice in the past month and nothing like they used to be vs they where occuring at times almost every night.. I truly, personally think the VP shunt failed bc we didnt have an optimal placement and then the TPL shunt failed bc the VP shunt provides the majority of CSF 'support' and helps keep the TPL shunt catheter from over-loading in a sense and thus occluding. I cant help but think that if both shunts are working in their respective locations then we will be in a better, longer term situation... I know constipation IS sooo much less of an issue and seems like autonomic issues calm down incredibly well when we have both working well. Even now w just the VP shunt working w the 2nd valve support it seems like the constipation is improved. Ahhh I hope this works and LASTS!!! I would like nothing more than to be out of Dr.Bragg's hair for a while; she is fantastic but I still hate having to ask her for help so often, literally so very often! Cross your fingers, say a prayer, whatever it is you believe in!
Surgery will be in the afternoon as she will stop by in the early morning and then has an outside clinic till late morning. I imagine surgery will be middle or late afternoon. I know my parents are worried about the weather so I am hoping this time the snow will stay away. It has snowed I believe everyone of the last 3 or 4 surgeries making it crap for my parents as they live about an hour away. The one night 4 surgeries ago I believe it was they came in to post-op when I was still asleep to talk to Dr.Bragg and say 'bye' so they could get home before the weather got worse - that time I think they said it took them 2 1/2 hrs to drive an otherwise 45-min or so drive home.
I will post sometime after the surgery unless there is something to update about before hand.
Thanks for stopping by,
Erica
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