[Japp]

My mother in law has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus. She has trouble with memory, walking, and vision, but the worst problem is she loses control of her bladder frequently. The doctor has told her that a shunt will be the only thing that will help, but she refuses to have it done. She won't tell us why, but says she will not have it done. Does anyone know the progression of the disease with no treatment? She still lives at home with my father in law, but he can't let her cook, iron or go anywhere without him. We are wondering how long before she will need 24/7 care from a professional. We can't find any information available.

[kdsears]

My mom has what WE (not the doctors) believe to be normal pressure hydrocephalus. She has had all the symptoms for 10-15 years now diffuculty walking, falling alot, vision difficulty, speech difficulty, short term memory loss, incontience...etc. The doctors ran the usual tests and found that she had fluid build up in the brain (the doctors diagnosis was Vascular Dementia though). She was 68 when the doctors finally decided she needed to have a shunt. She had the surgery Mother's day 2008. The doctors were optimistic and she had great improvement the first few months following her surgery. Now a year later she is in a nursing home because her symptoms have gotten so severe that my father is unable to take care of her. They have now given her 3 months. My point is NOT to freak you out but to inform you....if they are going to do the surgery.... do it sooner than later. The longer the wait the less likely it will make a difference. My prayers are with you and your family reguardless of the decision.

[prisold]

I see there is another response to your question and it agrees with what I've learned.... the sooner the better when it comes to treatment. Although a shunt is the most common method of relieving the pressure, there is another procedure called a 3rd Ventriculostomy. In our case, the symptoms had presented less than a year. The Neurosurgeon who performed the procedure said that in his experience recovery was much better if the symptoms had been present for less than 2 years.

I would encourage your loved one to get in touch with Neurosurgeons who perform both procedures (the shunt and the 3rd Ventriculostomy) and get some updated information. This is more common than is commonly believed and is often misdiagnosed.

Best wishes and prayers to you and your loved ones.