Post Lumbar Shunt Revision X-Ray

Below are pictures taken today (9-6-11) of my Lumbar Shunt during a X-Ray. Since I am still having swelling in my abdomen and around the valve my surgeon wanted to get an X-Ray to ensure the tubing has not come loose. According to him the tubing looks good and we just need to continue to watch swelling to see if my body will "adapt" to this foreign object or not.
So since I begged the tech for the disc I thought I would share these images with you.

This was taken from the side (Right to left) and as you can see there is ALOT of swelling in my stomach and the tubing itself appears to just be under the skin of my belly button. I must say I was surprised at the amount of "shunt" inside of me.

This image is taken from the front and the shunt shows up a little clearer here. This picture now explains why my right hip has been hurting so bad as it appears the tubing is very close to my hip bone. Again, can not believe how much tubing there is!!!



And last but not least is another side view (left to right). Here you can clearly see how big my back bulge, I call him BOB, really is. This image of the tubing is not very clear.

I know must of you probably think I'm crazy (this post I'm sure has nothing to do with that perception) but I really am a visual person so being able to see what's inside of me has really helped to understand it's purpose and meaning.

However, at this point whether I understand it or not I do not think my body likes it and I really afraid that even after 10 revisions my body will not accept it. While I continue to pray boldly that this is not the case I am also a realist, so if I do not show signs of improvement quickly then I think it will not be long before I'm checking back into my sterile resort for revision #2!

Thanks for continuing to let me share my story with you all!

Many Blessings,

Jessica