The background story is here: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=107 and http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showthread.php?postid=19472#poststop
(Forgive me, but to put these questions in the most appropriate place I just copied from my other post)
NOW - surgery is scheduled for December 12 - a couple of weeks. Pre-admission tests will be Dec. 8. The proposed fusion, as of last July, is from T-4 to T-11, posterior approach. This will stand if he hasn't progressed much, but from looking at him and the way he feels, I think his curves have progressed. We'll see on the 8th. He has a very noticeable rib-hump and I know they are taking the bone grafts from his ribs. I know the full defect can't be corrected, but I sure hope it's much less noticeable.
I bought Dave Wolpert's book on scoliosis surgery (the 2nd edition) and it's been helpful for us. What advice do you, as adolescent surgery patients and parents of surgery patients have? We live about 125 miles from the hospital - what's your experience on the trip home if you had to drive a distance? Most of it will be on an interstate. Practical advice - any items that you found to be helpful - or not? Do we need to get a raised toilet seat, a shower chair? Exercise - our winters tend to be very mild, with occasional blasts, but our big problem in our semi-rural neighborhood is lots of large, loose dogs. I fear one of them jumping on David if we go out to walk - that would be bad. Should I try to find an inexpensive treadmill? Returning to school - the post-op plans indicate a return at 3 weeks - is this realistic? His school is huge and very spread-out. I already have a 504 plan in the works for his return, but that 3 week date seems terribly optimistic.
Okay, that's A LOT to throw out there right now - I'll ask more later. Thank you in advance - you are an awesome support community.
SanD
(Forgive me, but to put these questions in the most appropriate place I just copied from my other post)
NOW - surgery is scheduled for December 12 - a couple of weeks. Pre-admission tests will be Dec. 8. The proposed fusion, as of last July, is from T-4 to T-11, posterior approach. This will stand if he hasn't progressed much, but from looking at him and the way he feels, I think his curves have progressed. We'll see on the 8th. He has a very noticeable rib-hump and I know they are taking the bone grafts from his ribs. I know the full defect can't be corrected, but I sure hope it's much less noticeable.
I bought Dave Wolpert's book on scoliosis surgery (the 2nd edition) and it's been helpful for us. What advice do you, as adolescent surgery patients and parents of surgery patients have? We live about 125 miles from the hospital - what's your experience on the trip home if you had to drive a distance? Most of it will be on an interstate. Practical advice - any items that you found to be helpful - or not? Do we need to get a raised toilet seat, a shower chair? Exercise - our winters tend to be very mild, with occasional blasts, but our big problem in our semi-rural neighborhood is lots of large, loose dogs. I fear one of them jumping on David if we go out to walk - that would be bad. Should I try to find an inexpensive treadmill? Returning to school - the post-op plans indicate a return at 3 weeks - is this realistic? His school is huge and very spread-out. I already have a 504 plan in the works for his return, but that 3 week date seems terribly optimistic.
Okay, that's A LOT to throw out there right now - I'll ask more later. Thank you in advance - you are an awesome support community.
SanD
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