Eating aftery Surgery and crookedness

[Mandy]

My soon to be Step Daughter just had surgery 2 weeks ago. She is doing VERY well.. we are all very excited.

I just have 2 questions for the group. She is eating much less then she used to before surgery. Is this normal? She has lost about 10 pounds so far. Has this happened to others?

Also, she looks a little crooked to us. It looks like she is slanted to one side. Does this go away or something we should be concerned about?


Thanks.

[susannajon]

Hi Mandy,

It is very normal for kids to have a very reduced appetite after surgery. She probably couldn't eat anything at all for 3-5 days after surgery, and whn she started back to eating, she had to go slowly. Her stomach's capacity is reduced. Also, pain meds reduce appetite.

The crooked thing should be addressed with her surgeon at her next check up. I would guess, however, that her body is getting used to it's new position, and the crookedness will work itself out.

[jc3]

I'm sure her appetite will come back. It is very common for children to loose quite a bit of weight after surgery. My daughter gained hers back quickly and then some. She wasn't allowed to eat for about 5 days in the hosptial and was starving, so when they let her eat her appitite came right back.
About her looking crooked. My daughter after surgery wasn't crooked looking, but she looked very hunched forward. She never had kyphosis, so i was very worried about it. I thought she was going to stay like that. But by three months it was gone and her posture is beautiful. I would ask the dr. about that, but like susanna said her body is probably getting used to it's new position.

[Lura]

Hi Mandy,

My 12 yr. old son, Alex, is 3 weeks post-op, and his appetite is just now getting to where it was before surgery. Alex is also a bit crooked, which totally freaked me out, but Nikki (mom of Crystal) told me that it is normal and will straighten out. I also called the hospital and they indicated that it is normal. He seems to be less crooked now than he was last week, so hopefully all is well!
Best wishes to your family!

Lura

[nikyergen]

Hi Mandy,
I was so scared when I saw Crystal walk for the first couple of weeks. I was so afraid that we had traded one problem for another because she leaned to one side so bad. The PT said that it was perfectly normal, as spine patient's find a comfortable spot to carry their body and tend to walk crooked until the discomfort subsides. Crystal is almost 5 weeks post-op and no longer walks listin to one side. But, do check with the doctor on this, just in case.

Crystal's appetite took a while to get back to normal. She is eating like her normal self. Which isn't much more than a bird anyways.

'til later,
Nikki