Close to home, close to care: Jesse's shunt revision journey
January 29, 2025Categories: Neurosciences Patient Stories
Tags: Hydrocephalus
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Jesse Bolinger’s story begins in March of 1983, just two days after he was born.
At birth, Jesse had unusual swelling, bleeding and other concerning symptoms. And although initially unsure about Jesse’s condition, a nurse stepped up and diagnosed him with hydrocephalus, an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain.
So, at just two days old, Jesse received a shunt -- a tube that’s surgically placed to redirect the fluid from one part of the body to another. The shunt helps relieve pressure in the skull and lessens symptoms of hydrocephalus.
Fast forward 40 years, a battle with stage 3 cancer and a move to Mason City, Iowa later, Jesse begins to experience major headaches.
“My fiancé had an injury a couple of years ago and Kelli Badker, ARNP was her provider. So, when I began to experience headache issues, I went to her because she specializes in headaches.”
During his visit with nurse practitioner Badker, she scheduled Jesse for an MRI, a CT scan and other imaging tests. However, before he was able to get any of these tests done, Jesse noticed something felt off.
“Something felt wrong, but I wasn’t seeing the signs I needed to say, ‘OK I’m going to the ER,’ but I knew something wasn’t right.”
Despite not seeing the “obvious signs,” Jesse headed to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Emergency Care late one night. Several scans found nothing abnormal in Jesse’s brain. Instead of being referred to a larger hospital for more tests, Jesse knew MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center had a neurosurgeon and insisted on seeing Solomon Mugisha Ondoma, MD. At 8 a.m. the very next day, Jesse met with Dr. Ondoma.
“I had an immediate first impression. I just instantly trusted him. He then told me, ’Since we didn’t find anything obvious, we are going to have to explore.’ And I’m glad I trusted him instantly because it takes a heck of a lot of trust to agree to let a guy you just met cut your head open!”
The next morning Jesse has exploratory surgery, and Dr. Ondoma discovers he needs a revision of the shunt that was implanted in his brain at just two days old. Jesse undergoes a shunt revision, a major brain surgery.
Jesse had a long recovery ahead -- three weeks at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, as well as some unexpected time in the ICU, then three weeks recovering at home.
“The communication throughout the whole process was great. And Anna, my nurse aide, was awesome. Not 10 minutes after I arrived on the floor, Anna was there asking what I needed. She is 100%. And after my procedure and time in the ICU, she caught right up to speed.”
While recovering at home, Jesse noticed vision problems and grew concerned about potentially losing his sight. Fortunately, he had access to a low vision specialist and stayed in touch with Dr. Ondoma during this challenging phase of recovery. A few months later, Jesse took a vision test and discovered his eyesight had improved compared to a test from six years earlier—a remarkable outcome, especially given his history of double cataracts.
“I’m very thankful for my experience at MercyOne and Dr. Ondoma, who I now have a great relationship with and will sometimes even run into him around Mason City which is always a nice surprise. He has made great, very helpful, recommendations that I've never received before, and I know if I ever need anything, I can call him. MercyOne North Iowa is so lucky to have a neurosurgeon and neurosurgery staff that they do.”
Now, including the four surgeries in Mason City, Jesse’s had 17 revisions and the initial shunt placement and feels the best he has in years, despite the inherent ups and downs of having hydrocephalus. Moved by his experience, he has even offered to be a source of connection for new parents to kids with hydrocephalus, adults with adult onset or anyone else experiencing this “weird condition” (his words).
“Because connection helps, both in and outside of health care.”