Any experience with NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus)? My 85 year old mother was just diagnosed with this, a treatable dementia!
When Mom started having dementia problems we got her started with a thorough workup at the large university Memory and Brain Wellness center near us. It has been a long process, but we finally got the result last week. The MRI shows enlarged brain ventricles, and that along with the neurocognitive tests and the fact that her walking problems started along with her memory problems have resulted in this diagnosis. I walked into the appointment expecting a diagnosis of vascular dementia (maybe mixed with Alzheimers). And I thought I would be told there wasn't much we could do. To find out she has a condition that may be treatable is blowing my mind - in a good way. So I have been busy doing research. This site has a good write-up on NPH, and I've read some other threads. But with all the reading I've done here I hadn't seen anybody else refer to this diagnosis before, until I searched for it. We will be seeing a hydrocephalus specialist soon and I know there are a lot of steps to be taken before a decision is made to do anything. Has anybody else had their loved one receive this diagnosis? Has anybody gone through the spinal tap test, or had the shunt put in? What were your experiences. I'm reading the statistics, etc., but I would love to hear some first hand accounts - good or bad. And thanks to this forum for making sure we moved ahead with a thorough work-up with specialists when Mom developed her problems. I doubt it would have been diagnosed without the complete work-up!
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This is a hard journey we’re all on and it’s a gift to your mom that you’re willing to help her on it.
My Mom had the lumbar drain test. Unfortunately she showed no improvement, when means that there was only a tiny chance that the shunt would make any difference at all.
After discussion with the doctor we decided not to move forward with the shunt. We are disappointed that it didn't work out for Mom, but grateful to her doctors for investigating the possibility.
Mom is going to be having the 3 day lumbar drain test this coming week, to see if she is a good candidate for a shunt. We are hoping for a noticeable improvement in her walking. I have read elsewhere about lots of good success stories, so we are hopeful. At the same time we are trying to take one step at a time and realize that no outcome is guaranteed.
That said, the surgery did little to nothing to improve her walking and balance. However, her walking had been severely impaired for years by this time, and she had complicating factors. Diabetic neuropathy and some serious muscle atrophy, including very weak hip flexors. The only benefit is that her mild cognitive impairment has not gotten much worse in the ensuing years. Her bladder incontinence improved some after the shunt also, but that's about it.
I'm encouraged to hear that your mother's problems are of recent origin. I think (and the doctors opined) that if my mother's condition had been treated sooner, she might have had better results. As it was, her mobility had already declined so much that there was no getting it back, except perhaps with extreme physical therapy which she wasn't willing to do. I hope your mother has better results if you do proceed with the surgery.