Shunt and Ears

Touching noses with the pig that the MRI team gave Cayman.

Cayman's MRI scan yesterday showed definite improvement in her ventricle sizes!

That was the most relieving news to hear!

The scan gave us tangible, reassuring results that her shunt is not failing.

There is still a significant pocket of fluid accumulated around the shunt. While the doctor does not like to see that, he feels confident to say that the shunt is working well. Likely, the build up of fluid around the shunt is due to something called back pressure.

I'll try my best to explain. It took me a couple of rounds before I finally got it.

It is a type of pressure than can resist the flow of fluid within the shunt. During the last shunt surgery (5.10.10), the programmable shunt which had been set on 1.5 for over a year, was replaced with a fixed shunt at that same setting. However, it seems that there is a difference of pressure within her blood vessel (VA shunt) versus her belly (VP shunt). The setting that regulated the flow perfectly while it was in her blood vessel might be too weak of a setting for it to drain the fluid properly in her abdomen.

Since the pressure on her brain looks healthy though and has even improved since last week's scan, the doctor wants to wait to take action just yet.

This back pressure will do one of two things:

1.) It may improve and eventually balance itself out. By waiting to see if this happens would spare Cayman of another shunt surgery.

or

2.) It may just remain as it is. Not getting worse. Not getting any better. In which case the doctor would then schedule Cayman for surgery to change the shunt's valve setting.

Overall, I am relieved about this.

Her shunt is not failing.

Her brain is not under pressure.

That takes a lot of worry off my mind.

I slept more peacefully last night. It was the reassurance I have been hoping to hear and I praise my Jesus for receiving it!

That might sound a little off the rocker since we are potentially looking at another shunt surgery but the difference as to why I am at ease about this all has to do with the level of seriousness. The back pressure would cause Cayman to be scheduled for surgery.

'Scheduled' is quite a different kind of stress than an emergency surgery over a failed shunt.

I can handle a scheduled surgery over a shunt that is not getting worse but should be working a little better.

That, that I can handle!

What I don't ever want to "handle" again is another shunt failure like the last one.

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Checking out her ears with the toy otoscope.

Cayman also had her appointment with the Ears, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor yesterday.

We have been trying to get this appointment accomplished since April. It's been rescheduled for so many different reasons that kept coming up. It's also the appointment that we have been 'practicing' for with the toy otoscope at home.

At her last Audiologist appointment Cayman hated her ears being messed with. She had to be restrained and that brought her to tears of fear and frustration.

I hated seeing her like that.

So I bought her a toy doctor kit, specifically one with a otoscope in its collection.

And we played 'doctor'.

So on this appointment with the ENT, we took along that toy otoscope. I gave it to Cayman to hold while the doctor examed her ears.

She cooperated beautifully!

I wish you could have seen my smile. It stretched from ear to ear. It gave me such a good feeling to watch Cayman sit there unrestrained in that chair and calmly let the doctor look at her ears.

The toy otoscope idea was a success and my little Cayman braved what she once feared so greatly!