Starlings

Today I have barometric pressure headaches. Earlier this week like on Tuesday thru Friday my shunt was adjusting itself and I had nausea, eye and pain on the shunt valve and distal catheter at the top of my head.

The starlings outside my window are really loud and are a bit of a distraction from the throbbing in my head.

I've also rediscovered various movie soundtracks which have helped lighten my mood.  You can never go wrong with Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure or The Power Rangers Movie and Van Halen.

6 on 6

Today, March 6, 2020 marks 6 years since I survived multiple brain injuries during a shunt revision on 3/6/14.  Today is my golden brain birthday - six years on the 6th day of March.  I had two shunt revision surgeries during 2014.  The second was when the rest of my shunt was finally repaired in May 2014.

After my brain injuries on 3/6/14.

Overall, I had a great brain birthday today. I had no chronic or shunt pain issues. The whole day and into the evening.

During the day today, I tried a Virtual Reality simulation at my local mall. I was on a swing somewhere in Asia. Very cool experience there were times when I got a little dizzy going up high into the air.

During the holidays in December 2019. 

6 Years surviving multiple brain injuries.

I also enjoyed some arcade games today. Finally, I made some new characters at the lego store and then returned home and enjoyed my cupcake. I didn't use a number candle this year, just because of last year's experience.

Blowing out my candle today made me hope to have more pain free days and of course, no more shunt revisions....I made a film about my brain injuries in 2014.

109

I had five pain free days earlier this week. Kind of a small miracle, which should always be celebrated. Then about two days ago, all the shunt drama returned.  Shunt valve pain with dizziness, distal catheter pain, nausea ,pain in my right eye and scalp sensitivity where my shunt is located.  Last night, my balance was really off, I had walking issues and I was bumping into things.

I've read in the news that soldiers in Iran suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of an Iran Strike recently. The article can be reach here: 109 troops suffered brain injuries

I just hope these troops are getting the appropriate services they need to assist them in their recovery.

Symptoms of brain injury often never really ever go away completely.... A fellow survivor told me once, that recovery is a marathon and not a sprint.

In the meantime, I've re discovered word search puzzles, which I use to pass time when I'm not out saving the world through volunteering or drawing.

Grumpy with a side of tea

I've had shunt and forehead pain with a side nausea and right eye pain consistently for over a week now. The eye pain ( strabismus surgery eye ) happens at the same time as shunt and distal catheter pain. My shunt is probably adjusting itself or just being an unruly medical device or both. I've also had scalp sensitivity where my shunt is and am more aware of this when I comb my hair.

Either way, it's made me grumpy and I've been staying indoors when I don't have anywhere I need to be. Pain reliever's haven't been working.

I don't think the settings are have changed. Although, I wouldn't have anyway to check this because...

1. My neurologist doesn't know how to check my shunt's settings
2. The last neurosurgeon I saw in 2018, didn't know how to do this either. Because...

Apparently the shunt I was given isn't used anywhere nearby.

And this is just so helpful...

I can't go back to my ex neurosurgeon (who placed this shunt) because I fired him and he got animated into one of my films...

All I can do is wait for this to go away.

And there's always a little time for a tea...

3

I had three days of pain free no drama from my shunt this week. Yesterday, barometric pressure headaches returned.  Apparently, there is snow in the atmosphere expected later today.  I've had episodes of dizziness since yesterday. The shunt is adjusting itself again and I feel distal catheter pain in my abdomen yesterday and today. Saturday morning around 11am was when I felt light throbbing from my shunt valve at the top of my head. This happened while I was driving yesterday, which almost never happens. Today, besides the pressure in my forehead, there is some pain in the back of my head from the chiari malformation, I acquired during the shunt revision in 2009.

2010s

I've been pain free for two whole days this week. Which means...

X Ray image of my shunt 2014 to present.

No elevated csf pressure in my forehead.

No pain from the shunt valve and/or distal catheter in my abdomen and neck.

No nausea associated with the shunt adjusting itself.

No right eye pain (strabismus surgery eye)

No dizziness when moving my head or sensitive scalp.

I also haven't heard my shunt beep since 2016.

So for now, I don't feel my shunt at all. Something I haven't experienced in a while. I took this for granted prior to my shunt being moved in 2009.

Before then, I only knew the shunt was in my brain when it stopped working....

In the 2000s I had one revision in 2009.

In the 2010s I had shunt revision surgery in 2011 and two in 2014.

Having chronic pain makes me grumpy/irritable/depressed and there have been times when I wished I could remove my shunt myself. Obviously, this can't be done...My nervous system cannot survive without one...

It's a great feeling to not be in pain and not want to wage war against my medical device.

Here's hoping for less pain and no shunt revisions in the next decade.

1am

I've had shunt pain, nausea and pain in the side of my head since Tuesday starting at 1am. It's been very cold along with barometric pressure being low.  There are also moments of dizziness when I move my head or moving up and down.

This has gone on all week and various hours of the day.