Hi everyone. My name is Dave, and I am 22 years old in upstate NY. I have been diagnosed with Scheuermanns, about 8 years ago. I am now looking into surgery. I trust and like my doctor but want a very good 2nd opinion, so I am seeing Dr. Boachie at the HSS who as you may know is one of the best spine surgeons in the world specializing in spinal deformity. I am 22 so I have put off the surgery for years. I am in nearly constant pain. Sometimes sore sometimes just downright annoying, and I have been through some nasty depressions, a lot related to my back. I am now seeing this as an outsider perspective and thinking I need to consider my options. I wore a brace when I was younger. My curve is 74 degrees. I have heard nothing but praise about the HSS and Boachie. I will be honest, surgery scares me s*itless and while I do not like the way I look and feel, I have waited until it is interfering with my life to really do anything. My spine sticks out about an inch from my back..I guess the easiest way to describe this if if I was a girl, it would be exactly where a bra-strap would go..thoracic spine. Because of this I get bruises, pimples, pinched nerves, etc, etc all along the back of my rib-cage area. It is pretty bad. It looks bad, but the pain is the main concern, but I do not like the way I look either. Being 22 years old I of course want to feel confident about my looks. I am pretty muscular, but my back looks weird. I am guessing if I get the operation done I will be a few " taller. I had a girlfriend for almost 4 years, and hated her to see me without my shirt off. I hate beaches! lol. I am doing physical therapy. Other than this I am 120% healthy. Can anyone lend me any opinions or experiences?
I realize the dr. is the most important part. My uncle had back fusion and he said when you are being wheeled into that hallway/room, you WILL panic, so you will need to use all your resources and knowledge to find someone you trust. It is probably the most important decision of the ordeal.
My other concern is insurance. Has anyone operated on by Boachie...can you tell me about your insurance information? Mine is not accepted by Boachie but it is by the HSS. So I am confused. I know he has been known to do some radical things/write-offs if he feels appropriate.
I have had a fair number of injections, as well as months of physical therapy, which has indeed helped my pain significantly, though I fear that my baseline pain is increasing as I age. In other words PT helps (and being healthy in general), but I am still certainly not what I would consider to be 'pain free'. My doctor up here told me this would happen though. The longer I could put off the surgery the better I would be in the long run, but I am now learning how different opinions can be.
To make matters even more confusing, there are of course different methods of correcting kyphosis, each with it's own pros/cons and some of them are radically different in correction/recovery, etc. Specifically, my doctor here would do a posterior and anterior (front/back) whereas I am quite sure Boachie would do a rear only (from my reading around). BUT I am not the expert in this matter.
Finally, it will be comforting to get a 2nd opinion from such a high respected institution/doctor. It is not cheap, and I have to pay the consultation fee out of pocket. Luckily I am blessed to have parents who are willing to help me, emotionally and financially...because honestly I would be screwed without them.
But the point here is that what if this doctor says surgery is highly recommended, etc, etc. On the other hand he may just say the same thing my current doctor would say which is something like "I cannot actually recommend you for surgery or not, you are the one who lives with your pain, discomfort, etc". I think any educated, experienced, and compassionate surgeon would most definetly not recommend surgery for anything unless the benefits of course greatly outweighed the risks (often by many times)...it is an interesting aspect of all of this, and doctors gain experience as their patients age. I might be fine, but what about in 5, 10, 20, 30 years from now? Technology will improve. In 2050 if I need a revision, who knows what they will do. But this is the now. How do I feel today?
Which will be GOOD news in that I do not NEED surgery. But still, I would of course like a fixed back. I can have surgery any time I want, but I hope this doesn't add to my confusion. I need to gather some data, but after a while I need to make a decision. My uncle was explaining that after a while we subconciously gather data to become avoidant, and I think there is tons of validity to that.
With this said, if Dr. Boachie offers surgery, I am still in pain, and I can afford it, I am going to do it.
If Boachie offers surgery, and I cannot aford him, I will probably go with my current doctor, which is fine with me.
However, if Dr. Boachie says something like 'hold it off, techniques improving, you are not too bad, etc' I may have a different opinion. The man has done this many times before....
I'll be in touch..have a great day!
Thanks
Dave
I realize the dr. is the most important part. My uncle had back fusion and he said when you are being wheeled into that hallway/room, you WILL panic, so you will need to use all your resources and knowledge to find someone you trust. It is probably the most important decision of the ordeal.
My other concern is insurance. Has anyone operated on by Boachie...can you tell me about your insurance information? Mine is not accepted by Boachie but it is by the HSS. So I am confused. I know he has been known to do some radical things/write-offs if he feels appropriate.
I have had a fair number of injections, as well as months of physical therapy, which has indeed helped my pain significantly, though I fear that my baseline pain is increasing as I age. In other words PT helps (and being healthy in general), but I am still certainly not what I would consider to be 'pain free'. My doctor up here told me this would happen though. The longer I could put off the surgery the better I would be in the long run, but I am now learning how different opinions can be.
To make matters even more confusing, there are of course different methods of correcting kyphosis, each with it's own pros/cons and some of them are radically different in correction/recovery, etc. Specifically, my doctor here would do a posterior and anterior (front/back) whereas I am quite sure Boachie would do a rear only (from my reading around). BUT I am not the expert in this matter.
Finally, it will be comforting to get a 2nd opinion from such a high respected institution/doctor. It is not cheap, and I have to pay the consultation fee out of pocket. Luckily I am blessed to have parents who are willing to help me, emotionally and financially...because honestly I would be screwed without them.
But the point here is that what if this doctor says surgery is highly recommended, etc, etc. On the other hand he may just say the same thing my current doctor would say which is something like "I cannot actually recommend you for surgery or not, you are the one who lives with your pain, discomfort, etc". I think any educated, experienced, and compassionate surgeon would most definetly not recommend surgery for anything unless the benefits of course greatly outweighed the risks (often by many times)...it is an interesting aspect of all of this, and doctors gain experience as their patients age. I might be fine, but what about in 5, 10, 20, 30 years from now? Technology will improve. In 2050 if I need a revision, who knows what they will do. But this is the now. How do I feel today?
Which will be GOOD news in that I do not NEED surgery. But still, I would of course like a fixed back. I can have surgery any time I want, but I hope this doesn't add to my confusion. I need to gather some data, but after a while I need to make a decision. My uncle was explaining that after a while we subconciously gather data to become avoidant, and I think there is tons of validity to that.
With this said, if Dr. Boachie offers surgery, I am still in pain, and I can afford it, I am going to do it.
If Boachie offers surgery, and I cannot aford him, I will probably go with my current doctor, which is fine with me.
However, if Dr. Boachie says something like 'hold it off, techniques improving, you are not too bad, etc' I may have a different opinion. The man has done this many times before....
I'll be in touch..have a great day!
Thanks
Dave
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