C-PALSY Archives

Cerebral Palsy List

C-PALSY@LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
"Kendall D. Corbett" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Cerebral Palsy List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 8 Dec 2008 11:31:02 -0700
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (134 lines)
Mag,

In it's simplest form, that is what a shunt does, but as people with
shunts have changes in their health and hydrocephalus status, the
amount of pressure (and the amount of fluid that's taken away) can
change.  This used to require a minor (by neurosurgical standards)
operation to reset the shunt.  There are now programmable shunts that
can be changed without surgery the way a baclofen pump can be changed.
 Since a cell phone is held against the ear, and the shunt valve is
often (usually) close to the ear, it can cause problems, apparently
specifically with the I-Phone

Here's a link to an FAQ from the Hydrocephalus Association's website
that explains them;

http://www.hydroassoc.org/education_support/faq#24

And one from NINDS that provides a similar explanation:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydrocephalus/detail_hydrocephalus.htm#125333125

On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 7:26 PM, Tamar Raine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> what does the shunt do? I thought shunts just take water away from the brain??
>
>  I don't use cell phones but my helpers all do.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://www.zazzle.com/TamarMag*
> Tamar Mag Raine
> [log in to unmask]
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Kendall D. Corbett <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Friday, December 5, 2008 10:57:16 AM
> Subject: Fwd: FW: [HYCEPH-L] VA Shunts Update
>
> Sorry for the cross-post, but for those of you with Baclofen pumps
> might also want to check into this...  Don't know if it's a problem
> specific to I-phones, but Janet's Nokia and my LG don't cause any
> problems with her pump.
>
> Kendall
>
>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [HYCEPH-L] VA Shunts Update
>
> I saw my neurosurgeon today at 6pm. I told him about my off/on
> problems last few months. I remember asking the neurologist if my body
> was compensating for the shunt and he has been as stumped as me. Well
> we are no longer stumped.
>
> When they brought out the Medtronics device the PA said he couldn't
> get a reading due to interference in the room. My Iphone was laying on
> the table nearby. He moved it 4 feet away and put his in the cabinet.
> The interference went away. But he could not get a continuous setting
> reading. So he went and got the older style Medtronics device. I
> turned off my Iphone. My shunt would not hold a setting reading. It
> would change from .5 to 2.5 to 1.5 to strange numbers and drop to 0
> and then go back up. So instead of changing the setting to a lower
> level, we decided to keep it at 1 since it probably has not been at a
> stable 1 in a long time. After he set the shunt to 1 and read it with
> both devices (the newer Medtronics and older Medtronics devices). He
> took his Iphone out of the cabinet and held it over the Medtronics
> device. Just holding it above the device and moving the phone slightly
> he could make the magnet move all around the medtronics device. He was
> very surprised - and I was floored. I have a hour and a half commute
> (each way) to work. So I always wear a bluetooth earpiece or if
> necessary use my Iphone. Also on the plane this past weekend I used
> Bose Noise Canceling headphones which operate with a battery and
> probably a RF field. They are going to try a variety of models of cell
> phones against the medtronics device - and let their patients know.
>
> I know now that I was the cause of the problem - and thus knowing
> that, I can now be part of the solution. Technology is wonderful, but
> I guess we have to use a little more caution than others.
>
> Lorene
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> Kendall
>
> An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)
>
> The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
> persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
> progress depends on the unreasonable man.
>
> -George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
>
> -----------------------
>
> To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:
>
> http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy
>
>
> -----------------------
>
> To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:
>
> http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy
>



-- 


Kendall

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

-----------------------

To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:

http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy

ATOM RSS1 RSS2