HI Kp, and welcome back from surgery.

It can be normal, for a short period of time, to still have a headache.This is due to the fact that your body must have adjusted to the higher pressure and now must get use to the lower levels.
This can take a week or two but if you dont feel an improvement by then, call your NS to have a chat ,

As for the staples, I would think they could benefit from some clean water. Just make very sure to dry the area properly. You could use a hair dryer, on its lowest speed to do it as a towel might hurt you.

When you shower, try to keep away from any perfumed products, including shampoo.Or at least turn away from the shampoo suds running over the site. It could irritate the would.

I hate to say this but,,its early days yet. Time for resting and letting your body heal.
How are you doing with the extra csf in the abdominal area? No bad cramps or sharp pains? this is usually the bigger problem, so hopefully you have escaped it!

I am glad its all over and you are back home. Take your time, and enjoy the time off! Cath.

Hi cath

Thanks for ur advice! As for the stomach pains its more like heavyness and yes stabbing pain that goes down to ( the area ) I'm pretty sure u have an idea what im talkin bout..totally uncomfortable! When I walk I have to hold my belly..I hope I didn't catch an infection from this foreign body inside me cuz now I'm running a low grade fever...oh miss cath I'm so nervous its driving me crazy

Its ok KP. This all sounds normal, I am afraid. They dont warn you as to how hard the recovery can be,

The pain you are feeling "down there" yes, is normal to. We all get it whether we have a VP or LP shunt. Not sure really why, unless it is referred pain and just "feels " like it is there.

What do you term a low grade fever? If it is higher than 99 degrees F, go and see your dr. It could be an infection or maybe , just the stress of the surgery. We all react differently to stress. When I was younger, I always had a low fever from getting over tired or stressed. But dont take any chances.
If you feel something is wrong, straight to the drs with you.

Are the sites, clean,, dry? Any signs of weeping, pus, redness, particularly sore?

You are still very early post op. Your body is very busy healing and getting used to this new thing inside it. That's why the resting is so important. Of course, you must also get up and about, but do not overtire yourself in a bid to get better quicker. It wont work I'm afraid.

Try to relax and yes, rest. If, you feel the fever is significant, call the dr. What harm if its nothing? Better safe than sorry.
I would put bets on , that, we all have called the dr, in the first week after surgery! I did!. So, calm yourself, relax, ok? Cath.

Hi KP,
It took me a good 2 weeks to get through recovery.. Oh yes, the pain in all the wrong places! Its been 5 weeks for me.. and I still get the wonderful pain. Friday, I was in a meeting at work, discusing a process with other department heads. Right in the middle of my conversation.. ugh.. I got the worse pain down low..that I closed my eyes and made a funny noise..it only last for a few seconds, but man it hurt.. when I open my eyes everyone was just staring at me...lol..I apologized and finished my comment. ..It does not happen everyday.. I am pray'n that it stops soon..
Just take it easy, and don't rush things.
Im back at work and lovin it..no headaches.. I can fit into my jeans again..All my family and friends tell me I look normal now.. I tell them I feel normal..Even though it has been only 5 weeks..I am so happy I made the decision to move forward with the shunt. I have learned to take each day and enjoy it..I will never take a pain free day for granted again...
debi

Bless your heart! Take it easy and let yourself heal.. I don't have a shunt (as of yet) so I can only imagine what you are going through. Hang in there!

I'm feeling a lot better still sore n my back n belly though...is there a difference between how the vp shunt works verses what I have which is the lp ? I noticed the majority of people here has the vp..I hope I didn't waist my time gettin this done

I had the lp shunt put in on the 22nd of December and yes i felt like crap for almost 2 weeks. I am now 3 weeks into recovery and i still am slow on getting back to my daily routine but each day gets easier. You should really just lay down and not do anything for the next week. I mean only get up to go potty and that's it. Yes i was dizzy and i had terrible spasms in my back all the way up to my neck. i had to take Flexeril 10mg twice a day to help. What you are feeling is normal and you will slowing start to feel better. If you need anything let me know i will check in on this page as much as i can to help you cause i totally know what you are feeling. Please just remember to rest and stay laying down. Everything will get better a little each day. The docs really need to tell people how hard this surgery is on a persons body.