***TRIGGER WARNING: This post touches on suicidal thoughts and death*** When you sustain a brain injury, in the prime of your life, things change in an instant. It hits harder still if you’re a high functioning person, independent and always doing everything for everyone else. Nothing can prepare you...
Articles with the Tag Trying to survive
Have you found your tribe?
When I was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus, 16 years ago now, I had to find my tribe: People who knew and understood what I was going through, because they shared the same diagnosis. Support groups on Facebook were great but, starting my blog, Skyewaters.com, was a step in the right...
Living with a VP Shunt is not new to me but, this time, it’s different.
For a start, I can hear my shunt draining CSF when I change positions or tilt my head a certain way. This is something I did not experience with my Medtronic programmable shunt. There are even times where I can hear the little ball inside the valve, rolling around...
Let your body be your guide!
This condition has taught me to be, not only resilient, but also resourceful. The things I’ve had to do and endure, over these last few years, cause me to feel both anger and admiration (amongst other things). As a result, it forces you to figure things out for yourself!...
Does the world turn its back on you, once you’re diagnosed with an incurable condition..?
I know not everyone will agree with this post, and I’m OK with that. But, I’d like to believe that some of what I have to say, will resonate with people who have actually experienced it. For those who have, I hope this gives you a voice… My humble...
Brain surgery cost is ridiculous. This is why.
This post is more about the total cost involved with care, treatment, surgery and overall recovery. I would go so far as to say; aside from the financial cost, there’s an impact on ones mental, physical and emotional state as well. And, under the right circumstances, can have the...
Unreliable witness
What are your symptoms? How long do they last? Are there any triggers? What brings relief? Have you had these symptoms before? What else do you recall? What’s different this time? Blah…blah…blah… I often think that if I had to be part of a criminal investigation, where Hydrocephalus is...
We are not faking…
I read a post on Facebook the other day in one of the groups I belong to, that just angered me more than anything else. It wasn’t even the fact that there seems to be a general belief that people with Hydrocephalus are faking their symptoms. It was reading...