AVCHARLIE-I am sorry for you, This same thing happened to me, I was so frustrated and scared, Every MRI I have had I have been told I had to been seen right after to make sure that the Machine did not adjust my Shunt, and every time I had seen the Dr. However one of my last MRI's I did everything like before and I get to the Dr's office and he is gone for the day... And gone for next 3-4 days, I was in Panick mode, They told my husband what signs to watch for, tried to reassure me and sent me away, However the next 3-4 days were nerve wrecking and Feeling like I needed a sitter to watch for certain signs, ETC>> However I made it to the 4 days to see him and it had been adjusted so he had to fix it, (Thankfully) It wasn't adjusted to awful much. Anyway, I have since found a little better system. One I have a couple people in the office that can check the shunt now, Being the Dr. The PA, and the NP, so I always check their Office Schedule, then Schedule my MRI for EARLIEST appt. on the morning of, and head over to their office, I know everyone doesn't have this ability. I wish you nothing but the best with this. God Bless
mhagele said:
AVCHARLIE-I am sorry for you, This same thing happened to me, I was so frustrated and scared, Every MRI I have had I have been told I had to been seen right after to make sure that the Machine did not adjust my Shunt, and every time I had seen the Dr. However one of my last MRI's I did everything like before and I get to the Dr's office and he is gone for the day... And gone for next 3-4 days, I was in Panick mode, They told my husband what signs to watch for, tried to reassure me and sent me away, However the next 3-4 days were nerve wrecking and Feeling like I needed a sitter to watch for certain signs, ETC>> However I made it to the 4 days to see him and it had been adjusted so he had to fix it, (Thankfully) It wasn't adjusted to awful much. Anyway, I have since found a little better system. One I have a couple people in the office that can check the shunt now, Being the Dr. The PA, and the NP, so I always check their Office Schedule, then Schedule my MRI for EARLIEST appt. on the morning of, and head over to their office, I know everyone doesn't have this ability. I wish you nothing but the best with this. God Bless
hi mhagele! Wow! ty for the tips but could you please explain further "certain signs" I am worried my codman adjustable shunt needs tweeking. My nuero nurse said i'd be sleeping all day but my canadian friend said she had a stomach ache? The last mra was very scary because they upgraded the machine and it vibrated my vertabraes, the tech kinda laughed it off " i dont doubt that" he blurted out--lol tc
acvcharlie said:
mhagele said:AVCHARLIE-I am sorry for you, This same thing happened to me, I was so frustrated and scared, Every MRI I have had I have been told I had to been seen right after to make sure that the Machine did not adjust my Shunt, and every time I had seen the Dr. However one of my last MRI's I did everything like before and I get to the Dr's office and he is gone for the day... And gone for next 3-4 days, I was in Panick mode, They told my husband what signs to watch for, tried to reassure me and sent me away, However the next 3-4 days were nerve wrecking and Feeling like I needed a sitter to watch for certain signs, ETC>> However I made it to the 4 days to see him and it had been adjusted so he had to fix it, (Thankfully) It wasn't adjusted to awful much. Anyway, I have since found a little better system. One I have a couple people in the office that can check the shunt now, Being the Dr. The PA, and the NP, so I always check their Office Schedule, then Schedule my MRI for EARLIEST appt. on the morning of, and head over to their office, I know everyone doesn't have this ability. I wish you nothing but the best with this. God Bless
Thanks for the replies(sorry about my earlier reply-not sure what I did haha). So far so good. I may feel a little more dizzy/tired, but that could also be from chemo. Guess I’ll see if there’s any change after my appointment this Thursday. I think the excess fluid dumps into your stomach so maybe that’s why the stomach ache-?
Acvcharlie, I am sorry to hear of all your troubles,
I would love to help you the best I can, The biggest most concerning signs to watch for are Confusion, Level of Consciousness changes, Slurred speech, Irritability, sleepiness and seizures. Those three are why it is important to have someone around that knows your normal. The stomach ache, I can't really explain, How long have you had the shunt? The drainage from the Shunt normally (Most drains anyway) drain into our abdomen, not really your stomach. The stomach ache could be more from nerves. Although another sign could be vomitting. Those are the important signs to watch for.
A couple other little bits of advice I have learned along the way, First and Foremost, I would Not be very KIND to someone laughing off, the vibration of the machine or anything that is a True concern or fear on your part. Also I always make sure they are confident in the machine and the Shunt I have being compatible, One big thing you should have is a Card that has all the information regarding your Shunt, I have attached a picture below of what my card looks like. Don't Ever let someone talk you into doing something you are not comfortable doing. It is YOUR HEALTH, always be 100% sure, More people need to SPEAK UP for themselves in their healthcare, If we don't speak up for ourselves who will? Ok, Sorry Back to what I was saying originally I am not sure where you are from and what type of MRI Machines you have there, I know here we have what they say are two types of Machines a 3 and a 1.5 (Not 100%) sure of what that exactly means, except one has better quality and can possible do more cuts (views) not sure if I am saying that correctly? Anyway, I have come to understand that it is important to know which you need to use for your type of Shunt. I hope this extra information helps, and please feel free to message anytime if you have additional questions, or I can help anymore at this time. 
Thanks so much. Since all of this happened(rupture, shunt, etc) when I was unconscious I’m trying to figure it out a year later. I don’t have a card. Think I’ll ask at my shunt adjustment appointment. Like I said earlier(I think haha) for the past year my number one focus has been dealing with the cancer. Kind of felt like the rupture happened and that’s all I needed to know. Obviously there is a lot more involved so I’m trying to learn as I go I guess. Not sure that makes sense…but thanks for the info!(I think when I scheduled the MRI/MRA they mentioned 1.5) the neurosurgeon would have preferred an angiogram but thought with everything else going on may be too invasive for me at this time. I am learning that speaking up for your health is a daily battle. Ironic since I generate a lot of income for the medical field at this time…
I Completely understand, can I ask when your rupture happened?
1year ago Mother’s Day…
Mine was a year ago 3/13/14 I will be back on and talk to you soon. I have to head out to an appointment.
hmmm mine drains into my stomach, it was cool the tech i know on a first name basis and he was ok, he was like heehehee i dont doubt it the machine is updated but gives way better pics......