Hospital stay last week

[StephN]

Been away from my computer and just catching up with everyone today while hubby does yard work, which I can't do right now (otherwise we are out there together).
Some of you know that I have a post-brain surgery (last Feb 9) problem that is a fluid pocket formed at the surgery site and around it at the back of my neck. It was increasing and getting more bothersome, so my brain surgeon suggested trying a minimally invasive procedure.

I went in on Monday midday and had a Lumbar Drain inserted late that afternoon. The purpose of this is to control a slow decrease in the excess cerebral/spinal fluid that accumulated. The drip is calculated at between 10 & 15 cc/hour. This necessitates a hospital stay as they have to constantly monitor this drip level and see how it may be affecting the patient. The tiny catheter insertion was about like a poke for infusion and I was numbed for that. They plaster all the tiny lines down with Tegaderm and I felt nothing and could lie on my back all I wanted.
They also take a 5" Ace bandage and wrap it wround my head for compression. I am still wearing that for a few more days. (I look like a woodpecker with my hair curling out the top ...)
This procedure has a less than 50% success rate in curing the pinhole(s) from the surgery that are allowing the leak. In my case the fluid pocket is much reduced and hopefully the scalp and muscle can knit back together and what fluid is left will be managed by the tissues there. I have 2 little stitches in my L4 area where the drain catheter was removed and other than some resulting headaches from the change in fluid pressue inside my skull, am doing fine.

This is not something I recall seeing posted about on this board and even when I did a web search for "tap & wrap" or "lumbar drain" there is not much info on them. Since a piece of bone was removed at the back of my skull, there is a depression for fluid to form. Not all brain surgeries need to put the bone back, but this is not the main reason for the problem.

Since I was not sure how it would go, I decided not to post going in to the procedure, as I may have had to stay and have another surgery on Monday if this did not go as it did.
For the resulting headaches they gave me Tylenol and suggested I take something with caffeine. As I have been off caffeine for 5 years, I am sensitive to this and it worked pretty well. ALso another reason to eat more of my organic dark chocolate! (An excuse like this I could do without!)

Am busy catching up on my lost sleep, and what a treat not to have to go for a CT scan at 4:15am this morning! They do all the tests and blood work that early so it is ready for the docs and residents when they make their 7 am rounds.
If you have any questions, let me know and I will keep you posted on follow up.