Sort of Glued

Went to see the new neurosurgeon today. He looked at my previous MRI's from 2014 and my shunt x rays from 2014. He also saw the x rays I had done last week. In the MRI he showed me how there was a patch of scar tissue on the left side of my brain where my shunt used to be. He said the pain I've been feeling could be nerves still repairing themselves from the injuries I had in 2014. I also have slit ventricle syndrome from the damage caused by the incorrect placement of my shunt for 5 years. He said the type of shunt I have, proGav is temperamental which is one of the reasons why he doesn't use them on his patients. He had said they're tricky to program because you have to wait and see what the correct number (pressure setting) is for the patient. The some of the other types of programmable valves, you know instantly what the correct pressure setting is for the patient. He wasn't sure if the pieces of my old shunt (which are still inside my neck behind my right ear and in my abdomen) could be removed. Attempting to take them could cause additional problems for my shunt or cause another stroke. Unless there's a reason for surgery (obstructed shunt, infection) then I have this shunt until it gets obstructed again. I have to continue and take medication for pain,  I've already decided I won't continue taking any medication after three months.

Pieces

At 1:30am this morning I was awake because I had shunt, scalp and abdominal throbbing and pain. I was up until 5am with my cat, Stella as we watched some early morning television. I went to sleep around 5am and the was up again at 7am for breakfast. Took a nap from 12pm-2pm and awoke with the same forehead, shunt and abdominal pains I've had off and on since 2014.

I had a much anticipated Shunt Series of X-Rays done after my appointment with the neurologist on Thursday. I received a phone call yesterday from the neurologist and she gave me the results. She had said the shunt system is in tack, except she noticed something: Pieces of my old shunt are still inside my neck behind my right ear and in my abdomen. I wasn't exactly happy to hear about this, as I thought these pieces had been removed from the inside of my neck during the surgery I had in March 2014. Not sure what the new neurosurgeon will say about this when I see him later this month.  Does it mean I will have another surgery again to remove these pieces?

In the meantime, I've looked at the different type of programmable shunts based on the one I have and there are different types besides the proGav one which I have. Wondering whether or not I can get switched to either a non programmable valve or to an Aescula shunt which doesn't have an anti-siphon device. The anti-siphon device is suppose to stop the shunt from over draining. It was doing this when it was on the wrong side of my brain from 2009-2014. It wasn't over draining when it was on the right side of my brain. Therefore, I don't believe I even need a shunt which is both a programmable and anti-siphon.  The anti-siphon device could be the cause of the shunt pain I have. The abdominal throbbing and pains could be from both the shunt and the fragments of the old one....