Michelle - DW cysts can cause a backup of fluid in the brain. If it builds up, the pressure can cause problems w/everything the brain controls, depending upon where the pressure is. Shunting is a tube that drains the fluid into the body cavity and off the brain. There are several different kinds of shunts - the neurosurgeon can tell what will work best for each person. Revisions are when the shunt needs to be repaired or replaced. I learned that the spinal fluid which flows through the brain is not just clear. There is ‘gunk’ (how’s that for a medical term! LOL) in it and the tubes can clog. Oh - ever seen an aquarium tube? You got it - that’s about what they are and they are attached to a valve which regulates the flow.
My DD is of normal development and intelligence - perhaps maybe even a little smarter than normal, if I brag a bit! She does have health problems, though - people with shunts are prone to headaches and we have just discovered that perhaps the surgeries have done some nerve damage causing more headaches. She is going to a pain clinic at U of Chicago for nerve blocks and they seem to be helping.
Due to the headaches, she has had problems keeping up with ‘life’. It is hard to keep up with peers when you just go to bed for a week or two in pain. She did attend grade school, but we started homeschooling in jr. high. She attended high school off and on, but it was overwhelming for her ttrying to keep up with the time off she needed. She got her GED and if we can get the headaches under control, she hopes to take some college classes. She does have some depression problems because of missing so much in her teenage years - she spent her 18th bday in the hospital, recovering from the third surgery in 4 months - but she has dated, been engaged at one point, just all normal stuff.
Try to remain calm when you are reading about DW. There is a wide range of disablilities. We were told almost nothing when she was a baby, then when she started having shunt problems 10 yrs. later, we started studying up on DW. It was almost like learning about a totally different problem. She has no outward signs of DW and is not really effected by it except the need for shunting and the surgeries.
