As it turned out, the catheters that were in Zach’s neck and connected to the shunts to prevent fluid from building up in his brain were broken.
He has a condition called hydrocephalus that causes fluid to build up in the brain.
Typically, according to Tori, shunts have a lifespan of two to 15 years, but Zach had his in for 16.
While he was in the hospital, prior to his surgery, his vitals reached critical levels and a cardiac specialist had to be brought in.
MOVING FAST
He was rushed into a three-hour surgery, and Tori revealed that the whole experience was “scary” for her.
The surgeon ended up replacing the shunt, valve, and catheter – the whole fluid removal system connected to Zach’s brain.
By removing the old catheter, Zach would have been susceptible to scaring and bleeding, so the doctors “abandoned” the old one in Zach, according to Tori.
Soon after the surgery, Zach was walking around – with a large incision on his head – expressing that he wanted to go home.
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After, Zach described his experience as “scary and chaotic.”
While he was in the hospital, his mother Amy Roloff was able to come over to their house to watch her grandchildren.
She has been dealing with her son’s shunt since he first got it when he was 16 months old.
Zach had to undergo another revision when he was in middle school when he suffered so much pain he vomited.
FANS ON EDGE
After seeing Zach’s experience on the show, fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, rallied around the TLC star to show him support.
One wrote: “Seeing Zach go through shunt replacement surgery bought back memories,” with a teary-eyed emoji.
“Homie was allowed to scream and cry he was almost,” with a skull emoji, said another.
A third added: “Heartbreaking to see Zach in the hospital!!”
“I’m glad Zach is doing better after surgery,” wrote a fan.
Other viewers wrote: “Poor Zach!” and “Zach,” with a broken heart emoji.
Since his revision surgery, there have been no other reports of Zach having health problems.
Zach’s wife Tori Roloff admitted that she was scared for her husbandCredit: TLC
Zach’s last shunt revision occurred 16 years prior when he was in middle schoolCredit: TLC