Hi all, its been a while since i have been on.. A busy few months for sure. I ended up in the hospital where I had a three day ICP bolt test and an Angiogram of my head. My pressure in the bolt test was high and the angio showed an "obstruction" in a vessel, so a month later I was back in the hospital getting a stent placed which they said would help fluid move and help the whoosing in my ear... sadly two months later I still have the whoosing, I still have the damn headaches..... the neurosurgeon now says the shunt is my last option since I am still having problems.
He is very concerned with the shunt idea because of possible infection and all the other potential side effects... he wants me to wait as long as possible, to try everything i can to last as long as i can withouut it, I feel like im not even living this way though, everyday is a struggle, everyday I wish I was healthy. I cant move on from it, its very overwhelming the whooshing is horrible and distracting and the pain is HORRIBLE as you all know.

I know lots of you have had the shunts, I know there are lots of opinions but does anyone regret it?
does anyone feel that it hasnt helped at all? Im thinking even partial relief will be worth it. Im also loosing hope that it will help 88,000 dollars and no relief later.

Also... I have never been a marijuana smoker, but my neurologist says it really does help the pressure!? has anyone tired that?

I have found a scientific paper that showed that marijuana (THC) reduces ICP. however my biggest problem is "brain fog" and all I want is a clear head, so smoking pot would not fix the problem for me.
I have not had a shunt but I agree it should be the last resort.
Deb

I've been having shunts since 2001, the VP shunht I have now I've had for 4 years without problems. I started with an LP shunt which I had for 5 years and worked well in that time, but it damaged my sciatic nerve and surrounding nerves, so it was revised to a VP shunt. I've also had a Lumbar subcutaneous shunt (LS shunt), as well as an LP and VP shunt together.
I don't regret any of them, not even the problematic ones because they have saved the rest of my vision, which is huge, because I only have tunnel vision now. I don't have the high pressure headaches, nor any of the other symptoms, although my head is now more sensitive to the weather than it was before.
They can be prone to infection and also malfunction, but it doesn't always happen to everyone. I think that you should read the information we have on shunts, as well as other members experience with shunting.
Weigh up the pros and cons and discuss it with family if you can, and we do have a booklet on talking to your Neurosurgeon about surgery with some helpful questions you could ask them.
We're always here for you, and if you have any more questions about shunts or anything we're only to happy to help.

I agree with Heidi. Even though there is a risk associated with getting a shunt, there are always risks with any surgery. I opted for a lp shunt because I was too scared to try a vp shunt. I figured if the lp didn't work there would be another option, the vp shunt. My shunt has required adjusting the programmable valve (so glad I have THAT option) but that's been all. My shunt was installed Nov 1, 2011, and I am glad I had it done.