Seeking Encouragement

[whitney81180]

Hi Everyone,

I was wandering if anyone new anyone with severe kyphosis and/or kyphoscoliosis and had surgery to correct both. I am having anxiety and depression from all this surgery discussion and need some encouragement or information. This board is wonderful and filled with many caring people.

Thanks,
Becky

[SpineWhine]

Hey Whitney - I don;t know much about those particular problems, but I do understand the anxiety and depression surrounding all the surgery talk, and just coming to terms with one's body in general. I know I have been having a hard dealing with it all. Having a board like this helps a little at least.

[zerodegrees]

answer to follow

I have kyphoscoliosis (36yo male uk). After much deliberation and fear I am scheduled to have surgery on October 17th! Watch this space & I will keep u updated on my progress. If you need any information let me know.

Cheers

[hajjball]

my 15 yo son had surgery for kyphosis 11 weeks ago today. he had anterior posterior fusion at childrens hospital in boston. he has his first day of school today. he is doing wonderfully! a long surgery, a little rough for the first few weeks, comlicated by post op pnuemonia, but we are very glad he did it.

[nikyergen]

My almost 17 yo daughter had kyphosis surgery 3/15. She is doing wonderfully. She went out to lunch with a friend at 2 1/2 weeks post op, back to school at 3 weeks post-op, and went to her prom at 4 weeks post op. She was back to showing her sheep at 12 weeks and working at a new job (Mickey D's) at 4 months post op. Part of the key to her success was that she was in incredible physical condition. She had just come off of basketball season and was in great shape. If you asked her if she would do it again. The answer would be YES. She is glad she did it. She was nervous, but her doctors and nurses were great and answered all of her questions. She does some dumb things once in a while that she isn't supposed to do, like going out on the four wheeler the other day. She was sore afterwards.

It is scary, but for us well worth it.
'til later,
nikki

[ScolioGirl]

Hey there

I'd like to suggest another forum you can visit, Spinekids.com . It has quite a few kids and is very active. I know a few people on there have kyphoscoliosis. Anyway, good luck

[judyk]

Welcome to the club! I found out today my kyphosis is 88 degrees and I am scheduled for surgery Sept. 19. Mine will be a revision surgery since my Harrington rod from 1986 has broken. I was fused froom T8 to L3 and will now be fused T2 to the sacrum. My surgery will involve a wedge osteotomy where a section of spine will be cut out and then repaired to a straighter position. There are many risks but in my case I am 49 and feel if I wait my symptoms of chronic neck, mid and lower back will worsen. My hips are very off level as well, and I have lost about 3 inches in height over the years. How old are you? It is very scary. Surgery in itself is risky, with blood transfusion risks of acquiring Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C, HIV, risk of infection, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, bleeding, not to mention the risk of damage to the spinal cord, bladder, etc., and in repairing kyphosis, the aorta. I have thought about this long and hard. I will keep you posted.

[javaboy]

Hi Whitney,
how big an angle does your kyphosis have, and what's causing it?
Sometimes, just sometimes, you can get away without surgery. Mine is 43* and congenital, and we're trying physical therapy to deal with the pain. Seems to be working - a lot of the pain is thankfully from my poor compensating back muscles rather than my spine itself.
That said, if I were younger and my curve was a few degrees bigger, I'd be looking long and hard at surgery too (as scary as that is)!

Ta,
Martin Hughes

[whitney81180]

Kyphosis

I am 27 and never had surgery. My kyphosis is 75 and scolosis is 50. Is this surgery riskier than any other type of scoliosis surgery. I am also overweight. I am very scared. Can someone please shed some light on this?

Thanks,
Becky

[javaboy]

Hi Becky,
I am 28 and have never had my kyphosis looked at either. I can definately relate to the fears you're going through. Have I left it too late? Is it too risky? etc. etc.
I haven't looked too long and hard at surgery yet due to my curve being a lot smaller than yours, but from what I understand, kyphosis surgery is a little less complex than scoliosis surgery, as it usually affects less of the spine, and the rods they put in are therefore shorter. I'm sure someone will correct me here if I am wrong!
That said, the older you are, the longer it takes to recover. It would probably pay to get yourself as fit as possible before you undergo surgery, as this seems to make the recovery faster. And yeah, I know that that's incredibly hard to do! I understand the issues with the weight and the pain. The best advice I can give you is to find some exercises to do that aren't going to worsen things (probably a job for a physical therapist), and then start slowly.
Take courage - it took me almost a year to even get up the guts to start the exercises they gave me. I felt like I was pulling teeth when I started. But after about three months, I started to feel strength that I had never had before, and that is uplifting. Not only does it get you a little fitter, it is absolutely fantastic for the anxiety and depression!
Anyway, that's my take. Can't say I'm the world's expert - hopefully someone else who's actually had the surgery, or has a larger curve, can take my ball and run with it!

Ta,
Martin Hughes

[tkoab]

tkoab

Hello All
I am a 1st time user of this site and have gone through 2 Surgery's for Kyphosis. At 13 I was diagnosed with Kyphosis and told to lets wait and see bt the Orthopedic Surgeon. By the time I was 28 The Curviture was 96 degrees in my upperspine and 44 degrees in my lower spine. I could not walk for any longer than a couple of minutes without having to sit and rest.
The 1st surgeon I spoke with gave me more chance of failier and even death than for positive results and suggested to get a wheel chair. I did not use him, I spoke with many people. We did not have the web at that time.
Finally I found a Doctor that gave me a reasonable confidence in the surgery.
Within 3 months I was preparing for a 2 part 18 hour surgery. Before the surgery I spoke with all types of Doctors, none prepared me for what I would be going through. The night before surgery I spoke with the head nurse from the Orthopedic floor, and he gave me advice. Do not allow them to keep you on Morphine for 2 long because it messes up your stomach and that it was going to hurt Like an (expicitive). Well in the morning I headed down to the OR and was put under, the next thing I remember is some saying my name and asking me to move my feet and hands, I was out again and than I awoke to many hands on me lifting me to put me on an xray (it hurt very badly). I than spent many days in Intensive care until my stomach had shrunk so they could make my brace. I left the hospital iun 20 days to a hospital bed in my living room. When I went to the Doctor for my 1st visit he looked at the xrays and said the surgery was not sucessful and that I would have to wait a while and have it done again. In 14 months I went back and had the whole thing done again. I was deemed permantly disable and stayed in a hospital bed in my living room for 2 years. The 2nd surgery was also not a success the Harrington rods that run the length of my spine along with a 13 disk fusion became disconnected from my lower spine after both surgeries. No one seems to know why they did not work. After for years of not working I decided on my own to go to work because sitting around the house was driving me crazy. It is now 13 years from my last surgery and I feel relative good, against my Doctors advice I work, run and lift light weights. You may think from the tone of this that I am un-happy with my Doctor and the results, the anwser is I am very pleased and moving forward with my life.
My Doctor is one of the top Surgeons in the country and even thought we some times argue he is a very good guy and very dedicated. He was upset as me that it was not working the way he planned. The main reason I made this so candid is so that you can understand that anytype of surgery can be dangerous and painful. Know your situation, know your Doctor and realize that even though they told me I would be back at work in 6 months, it took 4 years. I would gladly speak with anyone who would like more details and hope this sheds some light on these surgeries.
Karl