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my life after fusion

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  • my life after fusion

    If you're looking for a completely sucessful story with a happy ending, this isn't the one for you.

    My name is Christine and i am currently 20 years old.
    I was diagnosed with scoliosis when i was 12, and after failed attempts to stop the scoliosis from worsening, i had herrington rods placed in May of 2000, when i was 15 years old.

    I never did physical theropy after surgery, my doctor never reffered me to it. I never second thought any of his choices.
    almost five years passed and i continued my life almost normal.
    800 mgs of IBUprofen every once in a while for those random back-aches nothing too severe.

    I am currently experiencing more pain than i did before my surgery. Doctors still tell me they don't know what's causing my pain.
    X-rays and MRIs show no deteriation of disks and the rods are still placed normally.
    I'm being treated for Chronic Back Pain and am currently on morphine(time release) every 12 hours, and oxycodone for breakthrough pain.
    I'm going through extensive physical theropy, doing lots of water excersizes, and seeing a massage therapist specializing in scoliosis.
    My life is literally on hold because of this, and the future so far looks bleak for me.
    I'm 20 years old and on opiate pain medication every day, when all i want to do is go to school and continue my education like many other kids my age.
    I'm trying to stay strong, and i do EVERYTHING the doctors tell me and more, but i'm losing hope, and fast.
    I think it would help me to know there's someone else out there going through the same thing as me. I need to know that it won't be like this forever, and one day i will be pain-free.. WITHOUT the drugs.
    that's my story so far..
    please help.

  • #2
    severe pain

    Something is very wrong. What types of doctors have you consulted?

    Are you sure the pain is from your surgery and not from another cause? Some abdominal problems are manifested in back pain just like some back problems result in leg/foot pain even though nothing is wrong with the legs/feet.

    Do you really have "Harrington Rods". Those are rarely used because they do not maintain the normal front to back(also called saggital) curves. This has caused a lot of trouble down the line called painful "flat-back syndrome".

    What kind of doctors have you consulted?

    I never got any help with my scoliosis until I consulted the right doctor. For example: I was getting easily out of breath from the triple curves I had. A doctor recommended "respiratory rehabilitation"but when I consulted a scoliosis revision doctor he informed me I lost lung tissue. Before this I had consulted my family doctor(osteopath), a cardiologist and a pulmonologist.
    Only my gyn doctor(a woman) recommend I see a scoliosis specialist not just an orthopedic doctor.

    Keep searching and you will find a solution. The narcotics will stop working and you will need higher and higher doses to keep ahead of the pain.

    Let us know in what part of the country you live and I am sure others can steer you to the right help.

    Karen
    Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
    Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

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    • #3
      Hi Lucyfurlove...

      I see from another post that you had your surgery done at Kaiser. Are you still with Kaiser? If so, I wonder if you could get a referral to one of the doctors in Northern California. If so, you might try Josef Gorek, Ravi Bains, or George Picetti.

      If, indeed, you actually have Harrington rods, that could be part of your problem. Harrington rods haven't been used much in the U.S. since the early 90's. However, many people use the term Harrington rod in the generic form, like Kleenix.

      Regards,
      Linda
      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

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