My Life With Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus Warrior

Hydrocephalus is a word not many people are familiar with. Here's Wikipedia's definition: Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurs within the brain. This typically causes increased pressure inside the skull. Older people may have headaches, double vision, poor balance, urinary incontinence, personality changes, or mental impairment. In babies, it may be seen as a rapid increase in head size. Because hydrocephalus can injure the brain, thought and behavior may be adversely affected. Learning disabilities, including short-term memory loss, are common among those with hydrocephalus, who tend to score better on verbal IQ than on performance IQ, which is thought to reflect the distribution of nerve damage to the brain. Hydrocephalus that is present from birth can cause long-term complications with speech and language. Children can have difficulties such as nonverbal learning disorder, understanding complex and abstract concepts, retrieving stored information, and spatial/perceptual disorders. Children with hydrocephalus are often known in having the difficulty in understanding the concepts within conversation and tend to use words they know or have heard. However, the severity of hydrocephalus can differ considerably between individuals, and some are of average or above-average intelligence. Someone with hydrocephalus may have coordination and visual problems, or clumsiness. They may reach puberty earlier than the average child (this is called precocious puberty).

I have what is called a TBI (traumatic brain injury) which was caused by hydrocephalus. I was 3 months premature and was born 1lbs and 13 oz. My twin brother was 1lbs and 11 oz, but he wasn't born with hydrocephalus like I was. As you can see in the definition above, it is caused by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that occurs within the brain. I struggle daily with severe cerebral palsy on the right side of my body, have trouble with hand-eye coordination (I'm almost in my 20's and I can't put my earrings in by myself), and have severe short term memory loss. If you tell me something, there's a 99% percent chance that I will immediately forget you told me and ask to hear it again.

I went to a school specifically for children with severe learning disabilities from kindergarten to the end of middle school. The classes were small (12-13 kids in one class) and structured, which was what most of us needed.

Thanks to QueenMimi96's Disabilities and Disorders book, this is getting more attention. Hopefully this book will give y'all a chance to learn more about it. I am a Hydrocephalus Warrior. Do you know someone who shares the title? If y'all have questions about this, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know in the comments or on my message board.