Take a breath. You don't have to read everything today.
Whether you just heard the word "hydrocephalus" for the first time or you're on revision number five, there's a place to begin. Pick the one that sounds most like you. Each path has a few posts to read first, a printable to grab, and questions to bring to your care team.
Before anything else
Is something wrong right now?
A sudden, severe headache, repeated vomiting, unusual drowsiness, confusion, vision changes, or a seizure can mean your shunt needs attention. Call your neurosurgeon or go to the ER. This site can wait.
I was just diagnosed
Your brain makes fluid that isn't draining the way it should, and someone just said "shunt." It's a lot. Start with the basics in plain English, then get your questions ready.
I'm facing surgery
First shunt, revision, or something else entirely, the waiting is often the hardest part. Here's what I wish someone had told me before, and what recovery really looks like after.
I'm living with a shunt
The surgery's behind you, and now there's the rest of life. Fatigue, weather headaches, airports, theme parks, work, a glass of wine. A full life is possible, here's how I do it.
Something feels off
Not an emergency, but not right either. Headaches that feel different, being more tired than usual, that "something's not right" feeling. Learn the signs, track what you notice, and speak up.
I love someone with a shunt
Parent, partner, friend, or coworker, you're here because you care. These posts show what this life feels like from the inside, and how to actually help without hovering.
Shunt words, decoded
The words you'll hear in appointments, in plain English.
CSF
Cerebrospinal fluid. The clear fluid that cushions your brain and spinal cord.
Hydrocephalus
A buildup of CSF in the brain's ventricles that raises pressure inside the skull.
VP shunt
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt. A thin tube that drains extra CSF from the brain to the belly, where the body absorbs it.
Programmable valve
A valve whose setting can be adjusted with a magnet from outside your head, no surgery needed.
Revision
A surgery to repair or replace part or all of a shunt.
Over- / underdraining
When the shunt drains too much or too little fluid. Both can cause symptoms.