finally some help! (went to doctor)

[itsjustme]

Well! I've finally had a good experience at the doctors office. They were not only timely, but very professional. Dr Starr is awesome! He talks to you like you're a person, not a specimen.

However, with that doctors appointment came the words "posterior spinal fusion from t5-t11" I'm to talk this over with my husband. (not home from work yet) Dr Starr recommends this due to the fact that my curve has increased by 8 degrees over the past 3 yrs, and with the pain that I'm having it will not get better, only worse. He states that it's not urgent, and that I could put it off for a few years, but by the time I will have to have it, and I more than likely will, he said I will be too old or not meet the criteria.

Now, my questions for you boys and girls are the following:
(I know I should've asked the doctor but after he said those words my mind went blank.)

1. how long will this procedure take
2. how bad will the scars be??
3. When will I be able to play with and carry my soon to be 2 year old daughter?
4. For those of you who have had a great deal of pain, did it alleviate it alot for you or didn't do anything at all?
5. How long will the hospital stay be and what can I expect?
6. What are they going to put in my back?

(oh, and I don't know if this helps or not, but I'm a 22 yr old female)

Insights and own experiences welcome!

Thank you for your time

~Shelley

[LindaRacine]

Shelley...

The procedure will probably take about 4 hours, but it could vary greatly. Only your surgeon can give you a definitive answer.

Bad is totally in the eye of the beholder. After a few years, your scar will probably be a thin white line right on top of your spine, from about the bottom of your shoulder blades to just above your waist. You may also have a horizontal scar on the top of one of your buttocks, where bone may be harvested from your iliac crest.

Your surgeon will be the one to tell you when you can pick up your 2 year old. I'd strongly recommend waiting to have surgery until you no longer need to pick her up, especially in terms of putting her into a car seat. In general, I mostly hear that people have a 10 pound weight limit for the first 6 mos. postop.

In my case, the lower back pain that I had was completely relieved with surgery. Unfortunately, I had new, extended pain from the surgery itself.

Again, you'll need to ask your doctor about the length of your hospital stay. I'm guessing that he'll estimate 5-7 days.

The implants might look something like this:

http://www.scoliosis.org/resources/m...images/c-d.gif

Now that I've answered your questions, I want to STRONGLY urge you to get a second opinion. I don't want to undermine your confidence in this doctor, but I do have some concerns. Since you mention that you have kyphosis, it concerns me greatly that this surgeon is recommending that your implants start at T5. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that that would be a recipe for disaster. Also, I don't find any Dr. Starr in the SRS membership listing. That doesn't mean he's a bad doctor, but it's something to consider.

Regards,
Linda

[lrmb]

Hi Shelley...

Welcome to the board! Why did he say in a few years you would be "too old" or "not meet the criteria" - your curves are less than 50 and you're only 22! I'm really curious about this.

Thanks! Take care.
Laura

[Central]

Linda

Why do u say that implants that start at T5 could be trouble. I know that 'you know nothing about this', but still I'm curious to know!
In case you are wondering, i have not had surgery yet, and have no idea where my implants will start and end if i do have surgery!

[LindaRacine]

Central...

Since Shelley says that she has kyphosis, I would think that the fusion would start much higher, as T5 is usually right in the middle of a kyphosis curve. It seems to me that starting a fusion at T5 in someone with kyphosis would be asking for the kyphosis to worsen.

--Linda

[itsjustme]

Thanks for your responses! However this is the 5th or so doctor I've seen in regards to the issue with my back. Dr. Starr is a spinal fusion specialist in Washington, DC who deals with scoliotic patients. (military referred me to him) I've actually done some research and had my husband's uncle opinion on this matter and he is with it as well. He's a doctor After the procedure is done we are either hiring a full time nanny or our parents will be coming up to MD to help me and my husband out.

As far as the implants starting at T5 and with the kyphosis I will address that to the doctor when I see him again in two or three weeks.

Another thing, if I have a tattoo in the middle of my lower back is there any possible way that the doctor can go around it so that they won't slice right through the middle of it?? (the tattoo is right ontop of my lower spine)

Thank you all for your input.