shunt malfunction?? Not obvious symptoms.?

Question

My 2 year old has a vp shunt, and keeps getting severe headaches, especially on waking. she will not eat and pain killers(ie codiene, ibruprofen, paracetamol) dont seem to work. after a while of being upright she seems to improve. appetite returns tho not fully and headache goes or lessons. she had a ct scan the other day but appears normal. she also has a swollen lymph node right next to her shunt. Any advice would be gratefully recieved. thanks. P.s what other tests can be done, and how do i get the docs to listen, i am pretty sure it is her shunt. :(

Answer 1

Go for a second opinion at another medical facility. Your mother's instincts are probably correct and even if it is not the shunt there is obviously something going on that needs to be diagnosed and treated. It has been my experience that it is often hard to tell when VP shunts are not working correctly. Maybe it is working to some degree but just not working in an optimal manner - thus the headaches. Good luck with your search for answers.

Answer 2

Hi Jaxx, i have a vp shunt, i've had mine since i was 11 and i'm now 21. Well yes it does sound alot like problems with the shunt. Thankfully i've never had anything go wrong with mine but do know what to look out for incase of blackage or it braking. Have a look at this site called ASBAH. It tels you all about shunts and hydrocephalus. Ask your daughter to touch her chest with her chin next time she get head ache if she does take her to hospital. They can check if it's wirking by pushing on valve. Good luck let me know how you go. x

Answer 3

It might be a form of attention seeking? I am sure the 2 year old caused untold worry and anxiety for you prior to having the shunt and now that all is working, perhaps feels she is not getting the same amount of attention.

Answer 4

finished shunt failure many times provides with drastic and extremely complicated to forget approximately indicators. you will adventure extreme nausea, you will vomit lower back and lower back even without ingesting any meals or beverages. you will additionally adventure dizziness, disorientation, loss of stability or motor skills, and extreme, unmanageable problems. while you're no longer experiencing indicators of this sort, it relatively isn't any longer likely which you're experiencing an entire shunt failure. whether, it relatively is conceivable which you probably did injury, shift or clog your shunt. this might ensue by fact of trauma or unexpected circulation. engaging in severe touch activities with a vice chairman shunt isn't beneficial, and that i strongly propose you communicate alongside with your scientific expert previously persevering with your interest. Partial blockages and injury might reason intermittent indicators of the variety you're describing. you should a minimum of circulate on your ordinary care scientific expert to be appeared at. in case you have severe blood tension, or your scientific expert notices swelling of your optic nerves ( you will be able to observe spots on your inventive and prescient) then it's time to circulate to the emergency room. in the experience that your scientific expert does no longer see those indicators, and isn't any longer in contact, then you somewhat in all probability do merely have a chilly, or in step with probability some bruising as a results of your activities events, yet in all probability no longer something to stress approximately. In the two case, communicate alongside with your scientific expert previously you proceed your Karate. i won't think of that he/she could propose you to proceed with this.