Poetry Oasis Blog

Therese Atkins with a help of a shunt, her journey without Physical and occupational therapy, living a normal life with the symptoms associated with normal pressure of hydrocephalus.

For Therese, her condition started a while back about six years ago December 20 th , 2016, she visited the Bellin Health Physical Medicine Neuro Consultant, for severe pain in her head, the attending physician Dr. Brian A Knapp, evaluated her and his diagnosis was that she suffered from Cerebrovascular Accident due to Thrombosis of left Anterior Cerebral Artery. Therese is a patient of Hydrocephalus, before recently I did not know what that is much less knowing my wife is a patient of this illness. However    I    have    taken    the    liberty    to    research    its    meaning,    Hydrocephalus    is    the    buildup    of    too    much cerebrospinal   fluid   in   the   brain.   Normally,   this   fluid   cushions   your   brain.   When   you   have   too   much,   though,   it puts harmful pressure on your brain. THERESE SURGICAL HISTORY BEFORE AND AFTER NEXT SIGNS TO LOOK FOR AFTER A SUCCESSFUL VP SHUNTING Therese Atkins Story DAILY LIFE Folks    the    illness    Hydrocephalus    affects    the    brain    of    the    patient    in    ways    unimaginable,    the    patient    has aggressive   moods   that   develop   as   a   side   effect   of   the   Shunt   placement,   they   have   short   or   none   at   all   verbal conversation,   and   they   tend   to   have   memory   blockage,   those   moods   affect   the   communication   between   you and the patient, but to the patient their actions are normal. Six   months   later   more   vivid   signs   are   shown   by   the   patient,   depending   on   which   side   the   implant   is   placed   in the   head   the   patient   tends   to   lean   heavily   on   that   side,   sometimes   they   will   clutch   the   head   and   rub   vigorously or they will quench straightening the leg the side of the implant, One   eye   the   one   on   the   side   of   the   implant   will   water   all   day   long,   bowel   movement   becomes   harder   to   perform and   most   time   they   soil   the   bed,   they   are   not   able   to   get   up   and   urinate   so   they   come   as   they   please,   walking becomes a burden to them so you will need a wheelchair for a short commute. More   signs   to   look   for   but   before   we   move   further   ahead   if   you   are   the   caregiver   that   action   will   annoy   you because   you   expect   normal   behavior,   if   so   please   don’t   frustrate   yourself   be   patient   use   your   charm   instead   of your   anger.   Continue.   There   will   be   times   eating   and   chewing   and   swallowing   their   food   they   do   it   at   a   rapid   pace,   you   got   to   carefully watch them when feeding them. For   reference   sake   let's   say   the   placement   of   the   VP   Shunt   is   on   the   right   side   of   the   patient's   head   like   it   is   in   Therese's   head,   you   will notice   a   stiffness   in   the   patient's   right   arm,   and   a   continuous   shaking   of   the   hands   this   is   normal   for   the   patient   is   an   uncontrolled   reflects, be patient it stops after a while. During   the   hours   of   the   evening   you   may   notice   the   patient   rubbing   the   head   it   is   natural   the   patient   may   be   having   a   slight   headache,   I   was instructed   to   give   her   Tylenol   as   needed   Therese   started   showing   signs   of   memory   loss,   she   looks   straight   into   your f  a  c  e  but   does   not   comprehend   simple   instructions,   and   her   reaction   is   to   smile   at   you,   yes   she   is   having   short-term memory   loss,   more   like   intermittent   memory   loss,   after   a   long   while   she   regains   her   composure   and   performs   the instruction as ordered. The   very   first   three   weeks   after   taking   Therese   home   I   witness   quite   an   episode   of   continuous   vomiting,   after   every meal   Therese   would   eventually   vomit   everything,   refrain   from   giving   the   patient   greasy   foods,   starchy   foods   like potatoes, red meat, and so forth it is better to feed them bowl of clear soup broth, cereal or pureed mix fruits, Avoid   feeding   them   at   night   anything   passes   six   is   big   trouble   for   you.   You   will   have   to   stay   up   late   into   the   wee hours   of   the   morning   monitoring   the   patient   in   her   sleep,   that   is   if   you   are   lucky   the   patient   falls   asleep,   believe me   staying   up   is   better   than   having   the   patient   choke   on   the   slime   that   comes   out   of   her   tummy.   Yes   Sir   I   did have a rough three to four weeks of late-night monitoring. Grooming:   The   patient   will   show   signs   of   vertigo   after   eight   months   of   living   with   the   shunt   it   will   be   necessary   to take   over   the   grooming   in   my   case   I   took   over   her   grooming   on   week   one   after   she   came   home,   get   the necessary   equipment   stuff   like   a   bath   chair,   large   basin   or   portable   tub,   I   do   not   recommend   taking   the   patient   to the   shower   even   though   you   have   a   walk-in   shower,   a   fall   is   the   last   thing   you   want   to   have   to   happen   to   the patient,   then   its   all   over,   if   you   must   take   the   patient   to   the   shower   make   sure   you   have   the   right   amount   of   help to   support   or   carry   the   patient.   In   grooming   the   patient   there   are   some   uncomfortable   things   you   the   caregiver will have to perform 1 . After every bowel movement wipe out the patient's bottom, and clean after every sponge bath 2 . Brush   the   patient   teeth   after   every   meal,   and   make   sure   you   have   the   patient   shake   water   in   their   mouth   after   eating   anything, believe   me,   the   patient   is   not   able   to   empty   the   mouth   of   the   excess   food   particles   so   their   mouth   cheeks   are   full   of   unwanted   food, shaking water will clear it out 3 . After   every   sponge   bath   and   lotion,   the   patient   to   maintain   a   soft   skin   complexion   and   avoid   bed   sores,   during   the   patient's   sponge bath make sure to dosh her private parts. 4 . Her   head   is   most   important   first   to   witness   if   there   is   any   redness   in   the   shunt   area   or   bleeding,   next   is   to   avoid   dandruff   on   her scalp that is to avoid complications and also for comfortable styling. 5 . A change of pull-ups would be advisable every four hours and check for any signs of formality or severe order other than urine. This   is   a   small   sample   that   needs   to   be   done   to   your   patient   it   will   help   you   to   make   her   living   as   comfortable   as   possible   under   the circumstances   of   having   to   live   with   a   placement   Shun.   Make   sure   the   patient   is   being   fed   on   time   choose   the   right   menu,   the   right   diet,   but most   of   all   the   right   time,   make   sure   the   patient   is   changing   clothes   daily   or   as   needed   of   course   this   will   eventually   mount   up   your   water and   gas   bill   but   to   your   love   ones   I   am   sure   you   will   agree   its   worth   every   penny.   Last   but   not   least   you   need   to   follow   the   recommended doctor checkup that is scheduled for your patient, which I am going to tell you more about after the posted Therese six-month checkup.

THERESE MEDICAL HISTORY