Encouraging Neurosurgeon Visit

My office visit with the neurosurgeon went very well on Friday. Oh my gosh, my opinion and perspective of the man has totally changed. First, he was impressed with my weight loss, and he was not in a hurry to go back into any surgery.

In fact, he said I am doing well as far as the psuedotumor/intracranial hypertension condition, and he said whenever I feel ready, he will order a venogram test (I had one prior to my shunt surgery) to measure the pressures around my heart, and then potentially remove the shunt! Back when I first became his patient, he ordered the venogram to measure these pressures, and it turned up as high pressures around my heart as being the direct cause of the psuedotumor cerebri illness. He said being overweight had caused it. I am getting my weight under control, so my pressures should be coming down, so the need for the shunt should be gone.

I told him I still want to lose another 20 pounds. He said when I am at that point to let him know and he will order the venogram and get the ball rolling to get it ordered, and then get the shunt out. I was so happy I almost started to cry. I never thought I would get the shunt out. He thinks I am getting better.

As far as still having the head pain, he said 4% of the popular has a headache at any given point. I just have to work with my regular neuro for pain control. Works for me.

So no intracranial monitoring, no new shunt, no lumbar punctures, just keep going on the weight loss and keep going with the current pain meds and eventually the shunt will be removed.

He was reading my chart and refreshed his memory from 2 years ago when he did the orginal surgery for the shunt. He was kind, took time with me, gave me his complete attention, and shared details of my chart with me. I trust his course of treatment for me, and would trust him to do the shunt removal surgery in the future.

I am very motivated to lose the next 20 pounds, both for general health and to get the shunt out. Hooray. I want to get well. I want to feel better. I think this is going to be ok.

I just to get my regular neuro on board with this plan. They (the neuro and the neurosurgeon) kept bouncing responsibility for managing the psuedotumor onto each other. I guess once the shunt is out, the neurosurgeon will be out of the picture and the regular neuro will just manage the left over chronic daily headache.

Regardless, I am so very pleased with how the appointment went!

Great to hear! we need all the good news we can get here.

well done what wonderful news, how we need positive input from medical pracitioners!! ... my son chose santa!!

Hooray! So glad that appointment went well for you and the doctor was much better than you remembered.

I remember how nervous you were at this appointment, so I am particularly glad that it went well for you, Lynelle! Good luck at losing the next 20 pounds!