Hydrocephalus Awareness

Hydrocephalus is a brain condition (no, it's not a sexually transmitted disease) where there is a build up of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on the brain. People can be born with it, or they can be diagnosed with it later in life (like me). This is what Hydrocephalus looks like:

This is my brain before my surgery, since then it has gotten a lot better than what it was, but it's still not normal. In my case, this was caused by a brain tumor. Now, there are two ways to treat Hydro, but there are no ways to cure it (so this will consume my life). The first way to treat it would be to get a shunt in place. A shunt is a tube which, in this case, runs from the brain to the stomach. I am currently not shunted but there is always a chance I can be in the future. The second way, which is the direction my surgeon decided to go with, is called a third ventriculostomy. I know, I'll give you a moment to process that word. In simple terms, it's basically a procedure in which there is a hole made in the third ventricle. All of that black space is definitely NOT normal in case you were wondering ;D 

Lesson of the day:

 No matter what you are going through, even if the forces of destiny try to restrain you with burning ropes that tie your hands together, you can always make it through. But the only way you can make it through your struggle, is if you NEVER. GIVE. UP. Because when you’ve hit the darkest point in your journey, that’s when you know you’ll see the light again.