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i don't know what to do im afraid of surgery

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  • i don't know what to do im afraid of surgery

    i was diagnosed with scoliosis when i was about 10 years old and the doctor said i have a rare curve. my tail bone is crooked because i was dropped when i was a baby, so as i grew my spine curved one way and then turned to the other so now i have an "S" shaped spine. the curve between my shoulders is at about 38 degrese and l the one in my lower back is almost 50 degrese. when the muscles around my spine get tense my legs go numb and i fall over, sometimes they stay numb for hours until my fiance rubs out the knots and then i am sore for a day or two. i don't want to have the rods put in because i won't be able to ride my horse anymore, i already had to give up gymnastics and cheerleading. they also said that if i had the surgery i would have to have a historectomy because of the places where my spine curves is there anything else i can do? the only thing the doctor has done for me is get a "tense unit" to relax my muscles but that doesn't really work anymore. i can't live with this pain anymore it drives me crazy i have lost 2 jobs because of the numbing in my legs and not being able to get out of bed in the morning do any of you fellow sufferers have any ideas as to what i can do to stop the pain?
    misty

  • #2
    Misty White, I'm guessing that you are 18 or older so that you can decide and give consent yourself. Are you wearing a brace now? In any case you need to have the surgery. The curve(s) in your spine are affecting either your spinal chord, or the nerve roots going down to your legs. This will only get worse until you end up paralyzed. If that's not enough, it sounds like the curves are already severe enough to compromise your lung capacities if they haven't already. This too will get worse as the curves progress and eventually your heart will be affected as well. Get a second opinion. I can't understand why they would have to do a hysterectomy. The longer you wait, and the more severe the curves get, the less correction will be possible.

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    • #3
      it's not necessarily true that you would have to give up horse riding - i for one haven't and i know many others who still ride, you just have to wait potentially two years before you get back in the saddle again.

      if scoliosis is having such a huge effect on your body already, surgery is really the option in order to correct it, prevent it from getting worse and have you further debilitated. yes it's frightening, but i was more scared of what would happen to me as i got older than what would happen while i was unconscious
      diagnosed aged 14 (2001)
      braced from july 2001 to february 2003 to hold curves
      fused T11-L3 on july 16th 2005 (aged 18)
      Discharged by surgeon july 11th 2007 (aged 20 and almost 2 years post-op)
      scoliosis support forum

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      • #4
        Misty,
        If I were you I would most definitely get a second opinion. Some of the things the doctor told you aren't quite kosher. As far as riding your horse, we had one doctor tell us no our daughter couldn't ride or play basketball again. But, he was very anti-horse and anti-sports. However, her surgeon said she would be able to start riding again in a year and playing basketball again in 9 months. If you are riding Hunter/Jumpers you may need to re-evaluate that sport, as you have huge chances of falling over a fence and having a horse land on top of you. But, trail riding can be relaxing or riding flat classes is still competition, if you are a competitor. We show paint horses, so have a huge variety of competition to chose from. We also take our show horses into the mountains to go hunting and trail riding.

        Get a second opinion. A hysterectomy and no horse back riding doesn't sound quite right to me. You are to young to have to make a decision on the future of family right now.

        'til later,
        Nikki

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        • #5
          So Misty White, what's hapened with you? Have you looked further into treatment, or gotten a second opinion?

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          • #6
            it's not neccessarily true that you couldn't horseback ride anymore. i used to and can't now, but the only reason for that is because no stables will let me ride. my dr is fine with it, it's just that the stables consider me too much of a risk. and you probably would have to stop horseback riding, cheerleading, and gymnastics for up to a year, but there shouldn't be any reason why you couldn't do them after fusion. this probably isn't what you want to hear, but the best solution for your problem is to probably get the surgery, but i would also ask for a second opinion, because doctors have very different views about the actual surgery and what you can/can't do afterwards. good luck
            Marlana
            16, Senior
            Spina Bifida
            Boston Brace for 2 years
            Spinal Fusion July 25, 2002
            Post-Op Brace for 6 months

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            • #7
              misty white

              have you checked into the spinecor brace? it has solved my son's excruciating scoliosis pain problems
              sharondunn@rogers.com

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