Help Daughter needs surgery for...

[Momof3]

spondylilosthesis. Can this forum help? If not can you direct to another?

She is grade 3, with marked lordosis.

Anyone familiar with this diagnosis?

Thanks so much.

Michele

[Carmell]

Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the board. The decision to have surgery is never an easy one. It sounds like there are circumstances that warrant surgery sooner than later. I don't have specific experience with the surgery your daughter is having. I do have experience with having a young child go for back surgery (scoliosis, rod placement, tethered spinal cord, etc.).

She's probably at an age where she is uncertain how to feel. Maybe role-playing with her will help ease her fears. Let her be the doctor and check your blood pressure (hug your arm), listen to your heart, look in your ears and throat, etc. She may find that being the "doctor" will help her confidence.

When is the surgery scheduled for? Did they tell you what they will be doing? Fusion? Will they be putting instrumentation in to stabilize the spine?

Has your daughter had surgery before? If so, make notes of what worked well and what did not. If not, ask to speak with the pain services docs at the hospital. Make sure YOU know the pain management plan before the surgery. This will help keep her pain under control and more manageable.

Good luck and best wishes for a successful outcome.

[Momof3]

Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the board. The decision to have surgery is never an easy one. It sounds like there are circumstances that warrant surgery sooner than later. I don't have specific experience with the surgery your daughter is having. I do have experience with having a young child go for back surgery (scoliosis, rod placement, tethered spinal cord, etc.).

She's probably at an age where she is uncertain how to feel. Maybe role-playing with her will help ease her fears. Let her be the doctor and check your blood pressure (hug your arm), listen to your heart, look in your ears and throat, etc. She may find that being the "doctor" will help her confidence.

When is the surgery scheduled for? Did they tell you what they will be doing? Fusion? Will they be putting instrumentation in to stabilize the spine?

Has your daughter had surgery before? If so, make notes of what worked well and what did not. If not, ask to speak with the pain services docs at the hospital. Make sure YOU know the pain management plan before the surgery. This will help keep her pain under control and more manageable.

Good luck and best wishes for a successful outcome.

Hello and thanks for responding...
surgery is not scheduled yet. My daughter is 12 and was diagnosed about 1 year ago. She has only had her tonsils and adnoids removed, no other surgery. The Dr. does plan on using brackets to stabilize the spine. I have had 4 opinions. The 1st said do nothing, 2nd said definently needed some treatment but he didn't specialize in pediatrics, 3rd said surgery, and 4th said surgery is based on symptoms and she fell in that category.

Michele

[LindaRacine]

Hi Michele...

Spondylolisthesis is often treated in the same way as scoliosis and kyphosis, so I'm familiar with it in those terms. It's great that you've gotten so many opinions. I'm not sure I can be of any help, but if you tell us which surgeons you've got it narrowed down to, I might be able to let you know if I've heard anything about them.

Regards,
Linda

[Mary Lou]

Michele,

I don't know if I can be of any help to you or not. Just wanted to let you know my daughter also has Spondylolisthesis. Her's is a grade I with about 24% slippage. At this point the doctor hasn't done anything more than keep a very close eye on it.

Good luck.

Mary Lou

[Momof3]

Hi Michele...

Spondylolisthesis is often treated in the same way as scoliosis and kyphosis, so I'm familiar with it in those terms. It's great that you've gotten so many opinions. I'm not sure I can be of any help, but if you tell us which surgeons you've got it narrowed down to, I might be able to let you know if I've heard anything about them.

Regards,
Linda

Thanks Linda,

I've narrowed the surgeon to Andrew King at Children's Hospital New Orleans.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Michele

[Momof3]

Michele,

I don't know if I can be of any help to you or not. Just wanted to let you know my daughter also has Spondylolisthesis. Her's is a grade I with about 24% slippage. At this point the doctor hasn't done anything more than keep a very close eye on it.

Good luck.

Mary Lou

Thanks Marylou,

Does your daughter have any other spine problems?

Michele

[LindaRacine]

Hi....

Sorry, I don't think I've heard anything about him. I did find his bio:

http://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/orth...ail.asp?id=495

I like the fact that he did a spine fellowship.

Is Dr. King a native of the U.S.? If so, I might be slightly concerned about the fact that he went to medical school elsewhere.

Regards,
Linda

[Mary Lou]

Jamie had surgery for both Kyphosis and Scoliosis 8 months ago. It was during x-rays for them that the Spond. was found.

Mary Lou

[Momof3]

Hi....

Sorry, I don't think I've heard anything about him. I did find his bio:

http://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/orth...ail.asp?id=495

I like the fact that he did a spine fellowship.

Is Dr. King a native of the U.S.? If so, I might be slightly concerned about the fact that he went to medical school elsewhere.

Regards,
Linda

Thanks for the bio, he is English, I think. Heavy accent.

[Momof3]

Jamie had surgery for both Kyphosis and Scoliosis 8 months ago. It was during x-rays for them that the Spond. was found.

Mary Lou

Wow that's quite alot to deal with.

Regards,

Michele