question-weight loss

[hajjball]

Does anyone know how much the hardware they use weighs?
My son is three weeks postop today. Sam had kyphosis and anterior posterior fusion. It was a rough first week, but he is doing great now. Still not much of an appetite though. He has definitely lost too much weight! He is on very little pain meds at this point.

[LindaRacine]

Hi...

Some years ago, I had one of the nurses at UCSF weigh various stainless steel systems. I think they averaged about 3-1/2 pounds. An anterior system is usually shorter than a posterior system, and often has only one screw per level, so I suspect it's probably a little lighter. Also, if the implants are titanium, they'll weigh significantly less than SS systems.

Regards,
Linda

[hajjball]

thank you for the info

[Carmell]

My son has two adjustable titanium rods. I've held a piece that was very similar to the one placed in my son. The titanium (as Linda stated) is lighter weight than stainless. The pieces Braydon has might weigh a total of one-pound together. They are pricey tho - a total of $25,000 for the two devices. Pocket-change? not.

[Gail]

Linda,

You never seize to amaze me...you even know the weight of the rods! Very impressive!

Gail

[M&TGreen]

Hi--I am really concerned about weight loss too. Mason is 4 weeks post-op and still looks skeletal with not much appetite. He weighed 125 before surgery and two weeks after he was 109. Had an appointment this week with the surgeon and he is still only 109 lbs. (and 5' 11" tall).
Nurse advised me to give him Ensure (not sure exactly what that is though)
and more snacks between meals.
I have never read anything about how to Gain Weight.....it's all about weight loss these days!

[hajjball]

Sam has gone from 120 to 109. It's hard to make him eat when he says he really isn't hungry. His appetite has improved a little over the past day or so.

[Jacque's Mom]

Tamara, Ensure is like a milkshake (although certainly not as tasty!) that you can buy in CVS or any drugstore or food store. It comes in a few flavors. It has loads of proteins and is very high in calories. I drank lots of them when I had my last surgery as I was so thin, I was under 100 pounds at 48 - not a pretty site. I thankfully have put on about 15 pounds and feel back to normal and Mason will as well. My appetite was suppressed from the meds and the hospital stay and it really was hard for me in the beginning to eat but it does come back. Mason is only 4 weeks post-op so give it time, he'll put the weight on. Glad to hear he is doing well otherwise. LYNN

[M&TGreen]

Oh Jacque's Mom, Thank you so much for the information and encouragement.
He looked so grey and thin after surgery....like a dying person...it was disturbing. And other people were commenting on it too. But we do see progress every day and I am thankful for everything positive.

[Gail]

Hi M&T,

I was 112 lbs before surgery and lost down to 99 lbs. I flutuate between 101-104 lbs., but before surgery I NEVER exercised, and now I do a lot of walking and PT. I attribute some of the exercising to not gaining all my weight back. So, with that said, although I am thin, I am probably the healthiest I have been my entire life. You can purchase the generic brands of ensure from Wal-Mart (Equate)etc. much cheaper. After surgery I would take vanilla ice cream and instead of adding milk I would add Ensure (ususally butter pecan) and make a milk shake....yum! I loved them! In fact, I love to drink ensure straight out of the can. They have all flavors: butter pecan, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla....and you can get the Ensure Plus which contains more calories and fat grams.

Kindest Regards,
Gail

[M&TGreen]

Gail
Thank you for the good ideas. Still haven't gotten to the store to pick up any Ensure (or equivalent product), but I will definitely get some ice cream now too. I'm sure Mason will like the milkshakes.
He fidgets constantly--some part of his body is always in motion. And when
he talks he always has to pace the room in order to process his thoughts. So
he's always burning calories. Funny thing, but I have always been thin and had a fast metabolism too.....but turning 50 soon and I can tell things are changing. So no milkshakes for me!
Tamara

[Gail]

M & T,

My metabolism also has always been fast. I have told many people that when the "worm dies" I am in a heap of trouble! I eat any and everything. I am always munching on something while working. One day at work I offered a lady some chocolate. She turned around and blurted out in anger, "I can't sit around and eat candy like you do all day because I will gain weight". My response, "you need to understand that it is as frustrating for thin people to gain weight as it is for heavier people to loose weight...being thin is not what it's all cracked up to be".

Gail

[Karen Ocker]

Ensure for Tamara

Tamara:

Ensure is high calorie/protein liquid nourishment to build a person up. It was recommended to me by the dietician at the rehab hosp I stayed at.

I really loved the flavors. Strawberry is delicious. Walmart has a generic form in the pharmacy section which is cheaper. Their vanilla is good. You can buy Ensure at the supermarket or cheaper at Costco or Walmart.

One caution: it might bother people with lactose intolerance.

The stuff worked so well I now need to LOSE weight.

Karen

[M&TGreen]

Thanks Karen & Gail--
I picked up some Strawberry Ensure at the grocery store today and put it in the blender with some frozen yogurt and some frozen strawberries. Yup, it was a success, for both my sons who both need to bulk up.
Cost was $11.99 for the 6-pack so I will be shopping for a cheaper version. This store must not have good turnover either because the expiration date on the bottom is Aug 1, 2005.
Mason went to his psychologist today and she commented several times to me and him about his ultra-thin body, and how he needed to gain some weight. So it's not just me, "HoverMother", (as Mason calls me because I am hovering over him managing his life a little too much).
Tamara

[Kevinsmom]

Weight Loss

My son had surgery June 27th-they fused 12 vertebrae and he did fine. Then the weight loss (from 105 pounds to 88 pounds at 5'7") and then the vomiting began. Kevin got severely dehydrated and was hospitalized.

They believe he has SMA Syndrome...where the Superior Mesenteric Artery is crowded a bit due to the scoliosis surgery and then with wieght loss the artery loses its fat pad and blocks off the doudenum into the small intestine-backing up food causing vomiting. We have been hospitalized twice since the original scoliosis surgery and now he has an NJ tube and we are feeding him Ensure via pump for 12 hours at night. He is able to eat popsicles and drink gatorade. The doctors "think" with weight gain he will get better and the blocakage will resolve itself. SMA Syndrome is fairly rare but it can be caused by scoliosis surgery and it is seen in adolescents with anoexia.
Watch the weight loss and take him in if he begins vomiting! This has been very scary and we are praying he will be able to get back to eating normally soon! School starts in Florida in two weeks!