My Brain Shrank!

Today I was back at the hospital for yet another CT scan. This time, the scan showed that the swelling in my brain had completely gone. But, to my surprise, there was another problem. The ventricle space had reduced in size, but it had actually shrunk so much that you almost couldn’t see it! This was an indication that the brain fluid was now draining out of my brain too quickly, causing that part of my brain to contract - which can be just as dangerous as swelling.

The good news is that the new shunt they gave me in my last surgery is a more advanced, programmable version. This means it’s possible to adjust its flow settings using an external handheld device. The doc simply placed a plastic gadget against my head, turned a few dials and hey presto, it was done. No knives, no surgery, no pain.

Without a programmable shunt, making this adjustment would have meant going through yet another surgery and lengthy hospital stay. As it happens, the procedure took about 10 minutes and was completely painless.

This is the shunt valve. It sits under my scalp, and goes into my head just behind my right ear. Ask me nicely when you next see me and I'll let you feel it.

One thing I now need to be mindful of is that the device is sensitive to magnetic fields. This means I now have to be careful near strong magnets, such those in some types of headphones and scanners. MRI scans are now out of the question because they emit strong magnetic fields that could reset my shunt settings without me knowing.

But hey, it's a minor inconvenience compared to the prospect of having yet another surgery.