ME&MyHC

Living with a shunt in your head

Your story matters

Participate now

ME&MyHC

Living with a shunt in your head

Your story matters

Participate now

ME&MyHC

Living with a shunt in your head

Your story matters

Participate now

ME&MyHC

Living with a shunt in your head

Your story matters

Participate now

TELL YOUR STORY

Give Hydrocephalus a Face

Hydrocephalus is a condition that profoundly affects the lives of those affected – yet it remains invisible to many. Through our #MEandMyHC photo campaign, we aim to collaborate with you to raise awareness of living with a shunt in the head and of personal experiences with hydrocephalus. Because behind every shunt is a person with strength, hope, and a unique story.  

Friends, family and the wider social circle play a vital role in coping with hydrocephalus. That is why we have created the new #WeForHC category, enabling relatives and supporters to participate in the campaign too.

Let's make a difference together! Everyone with a shunt deserves to be seen and heard, and every person is unique. 


Participate now

Photo generator Supporter Patients

Become a part of the campaign

Step 1/4

overlay-img overlay-img

Drag your photo here or select it

Max. File size: 7 MB Supported file formats: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png
  • +
  • -

ME&MyHC

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN campaign photo

1. Select photo

Your photo, your story! 

Upload a picture that represents you and your journey.   

2. Personalize

Design your image, share your message! 

Personalize your photo and tell what matters to you: What should others know about Hydrocephalus? 

3. Share your photo

Together for more awareness!

With your consent, we will publish your photo in our online gallery. You can then download it and share it with others.

Hydrocephalus

An individual disease

To understand hydrocephalus, it is helpful to first consider the structure of the brain.

The brain is surrounded by a clear fluid, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which circulates around the brain and in fluid-filled spaces within the brain (ventricles). Cerebrospinal fluid is continuously produced and reabsorbed, so that in healthy people there is a balance between production and resorption. The amount of cerebrospinal fluid therefore remains roughly the same. In hydrocephalus, more cerebrospinal fluid is usually produced than can be absorbed. The excess cerebrospinal fluid causes the ventricles to enlarge, leading to increased intracranial pressure.

There are various causes for this imbalance. Some people with hydrocephalus are born with it, while others develop it later in life, for example after a brain hemorrhage, as a result of a brain tumor, or due to encephalitis. Hydrocephalus can also develop in old age, known as normal pressure hydrocephalus. The cause of hydrocephalus and the time of diagnosis can, of course, also influence life with hydrocephalus, as it is often accompanied by various comorbidities and symptoms.

 

Hydrocephalus Treatment

A shunt in the head

Hydrocephalus is often treated by implanting a shunt.


This shunt drains excess cerebrospinal fluid from the body. The most common type is the ventriculoperitoneal shunt, which drains excess cerebrospinal fluid from the head—more specifically, the ventricles of the brain—into the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) via a silicone tube. A valve regulates how much fluid can flow through the catheter.

 

 

My life with a shunt

EXPERIENCE REPORTS FROM HYDROCEPHALUS PATIENTS

Every case of hydrocephalus is unique. And yet, life with a shunt also has parallels. Common symptoms of acute increased intracranial pressure include headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

However, when these symptoms occur is very individual. Some people live for years without any problems with their shunt, while others need to have the valve adjusted more frequently or need a new one. In their testimonials, patients report that headaches often serve as a warning sign for them: Are they normal headaches? Or are there problems with the shunt in their head? When talking to other people with hydrocephalus, they realize that other people with hydrocephalus understand this situation because they know what headaches caused by intracranial pressure feel like and can empathize with these uncertainties. Talking to each other can help them feel less alone with their condition.   

 

patient reports

 

OUR PARTNERSHIP
WITH B. BRAUN

B. Braun and MIETHKE - Together for a better life with hydrocephalus

We have a long and intensive partnership with B. Braun in the field of neurosurgery. We are driven by a common vision: to improve the lives of hydrocephalus patients around the world with innovative solutions.

Our partnership is an exciting combination of B. Braun's nearly 180 years of expertise as one of the world's leading medical device and pharmaceutical companies and our agility as an innovative company and technology leader in gravitation-based shunt technology. 

 

Our Strong Partner in Neurosurgery:

www.bbraun.com