Help needed, and greatly appreciated! :)

[Pea]

Hey All,

Haven't written here in a looooong time! Looking for some advice...I'm a 27 year old female who was born with Hydrocephalus...Had a VP shunt put in at 10 days old and had a revision done at 4.5 years old...Nothing since then, and my neurosurgeon says I'm a pretty special case! Anyway, I've had a really, really good friend for almost 3 years, she knows NOTHING about this...She knows I have health issues, but doesn't force me to discuss it(I guess because she senses that I'm uncomfortable discussing it...) I wear a Medic Alert bracelet and have my entire life...She's questioned this a few times, but I've quickly been able to change the subject...

Is there anybody out there who could offer any kind of guidance with how to approach talking to her about the hydrocephalus? How much should I tell her? How can I tell her this in a way that she'll understand, and that won't intimidate her? I'd rather she hear it from me, when I'm completely healthy, then have something happen to me in an emergency situation and have to have my parents tell her or something...Please help me out! :)

[UTC12]

You should not be uncomfortable discussing Hydrocephalus. Why are you uncomfortable discussing it with other people? Are you afraid that they may have a question that you do not know the answer to? I just tell people that your brain produces a fluid that cushions it inside the skull, and that my brain does not have a way for the fluid to drain outside of the skull, so a shunt, or tubing has to be placed in my brain to drain the fluid off, because if not, my brain would swell, and it is what is keeping me alive. There are many groups on facebook where people with "Hydro" can ask questions and just hang out and talk with other people who are going through the same things. If you would, please send me a private message. If you have a facebook, it would be great if you joined the group. I do not want to give out the name of the group due to people and spam.