Brookfield woman’s life transformed after hydrocephalus surgery

In 2024, Toni, a Brookfield resident in her early 70s, found herself managing a series of unsettling symptoms. What began as mild concerns— incontinence, dragging her left leg while walking, memory lapses and difficulty speaking—had worsened over the course of the year. “I was crawling up the stairs of my house, my handwriting was terrible due to my hands shaking and my husband noticed that I was having trouble driving,” she said.

Although she initially attributed these issues to the natural effects of aging, the mounting challenges pushed her to seek medical advice and open up about what she had been enduring. While at an appointment for her scoliosis with Dr. Andrew Beykovsky, a neurosurgeon and spine surgeon at Ascension Elmbrook Hospital, Toni shared her symptoms. Recognizing the seriousness of these concerns, Dr. Beykovsky’s team recommended a series of tests. After a comprehensive evaluation including a CT scan and MRI of her head, the results revealed an unexpected diagnosis: hydrocephalus. This condition, characterized by an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, was causing the symptoms Toni was managing. 

Dr. Beykovsky strongly recommended surgery to place a shunt in her head to drain the fluid, a procedure that would help relieve her symptoms. At first, Toni was understandably anxious about undergoing such an invasive procedure, but Dr. Beykovsky put her fears at ease. “As he explained the surgery to me, he held my hands,” Toni remembered. 

Although the idea of having a tube inserted into her brain was unsettling, Toni was determined to regain her quality of life and placed her trust entirely in Dr. Beykovsky and his team.

Dr. Beykovsky performed Toni’s surgery to place her shunt on August 26, 2024, and everything went smoothly. Toni recalled, “Within a week of the procedure, the incontinence was gone. It was the most disturbing thing I had ever gone through, and now it’s just a memory.”

In a matter of weeks, Toni saw more dramatic improvements. Her leg was no longer dragging and her ability to speak and think clearly had returned. She couldn't believe the difference— symptoms she had endured for a year were vanishing so quickly. The everyday activities that once challenged Toni have become easier: “I’m the best driver on the road now, and my handwriting is better now than it was when I was 30,” she said. 

But perhaps her favorite thing about life post-surgery is how much easier it is for her to interact with her beloved grandchildren. “My nine-year-old granddaughter just said to me a couple weeks ago, ‘Nana, I can't believe you are walking without a cane. You're doing so good.’ That made me feel just fantastic. I can now get down on the carpet to reach the five-year-old. We sit on the floor and we play.”

Thanks to the skill of Dr. Beykovsky and the support of the entire neurosurgery team at Ascension Elmbrook Hospital, Toni’s life is no longer defined by the limitations she once faced, but by the possibilities ahead. “I feel 100% better than I did six months ago,” Toni continued. “I can't express how over the moon I am. Dr. Beykovsky is one of the best doctors I've ever met.” 

To others who find themselves in a similar situation, she urges: “Don't procrastinate. If you need the help, search it out and do it right because my change was so significant.” 

Learn more about neurosurgery at Ascension Wisconsin by visiting Ascension.org.