Hi, my name is Nelda and I have a son who was born 26 weeks
premature, has hydrocephalus due to a grade IV interventricaular
hemorrhage during birth. He has a VP shunt placed when he was 10 mos.
old. He's now 4 yrs.old. He had 2 shunt malfuncyions once last Dec 05
and the second one last Jan 06. The only symptom he had was he cannot
walk. At first we thought it's because of his weakness in his body
(He was dx as hemiplegic and wears a brace on his right foot.) The
2nd time it happened (after a year) we know where to bring him, to
the ER. What the Neurosurgeon did was to adjust the strata valve with
a magnet and it's now in the lowest. I'm kinda concern because it
happens every year and the NS told me that if it happens again, they
might change the valve which means surgery. I'm scared 'coz the first
time they put the VP shunt, he almost died. I'm so glad I found this
site because it helps me to vent my concerns and also it educates me
about what hydrocephalus means. I also want to know it having a VP
shunt due to hydrocephalus or having hydrocephalus itself considers a
person as disable. Now he is considered disable because of his
prematurity and having developmental delays. I don't know if it is
also because of having a shunt. I know some of you doesn't have dev.
delays but did they consider you as having a disability of some sort?
(I don't mean to offend anybody). Thanks and hope to get some anwers.