Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Surgery date picked w/ questions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Surgery date picked w/ questions

    I have had scoliosis for a while now and we knew it would happen some day that the doctor told me that i would need surgery. He wasnt one to rush into anything but my curves just got bad enough to need surgery. Right now we have a temperary surgery date for march 10th 2006. I just had a few questions for people that already had the surgery. I was wondering how long you were in the hospitol, how long you were out of school, and how long the actual surgery was? Thanks for all the help, I do appreciated it.
    Last edited by ScoliChick; 02-05-2006, 03:59 PM.
    My name is sierra
    I am 17 years old
    Both my curves are between 55-60 degrees
    I had surgery on March 10th 2006


    Post op my curves are 22 on top and 25 on bottom
    I had a selective fussion where they only fussed the top curve hoping the bottom would follow

  • #2
    My daughter had surgery almost 14 months ago. She was in the hospital a total of 6 days; she was out of school for about 4 weeks (returned 1/2 days and back to full days at 6 weeks.

    Mary Lou
    Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

    Comment


    • #3
      i was in the hospital 2 1/2 days for recovery and around 5 hours for surgery and i did my surgery end of year the week before school ended so i missed like 5 days but i didnt have to make any of it up they made it so that when i left schhol that day that was my finals grade and on my report card it didnt count those days so acording to them i didnt miss any days
      ~Shannon~
      Surgery: May 25th 2005! Woot!
      13 months Post-op
      E-mail me!:
      starchild_81212@yahoo.com or Star_child_81212@msn.com

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks so much for the replys. After hearing what you all have to say it helps me to understand what i am going to be going through. I have a few more questions. Did you do any sort of exercises or dieting before your surgery to help with the recovery time? Also what kind of equipment were you hooked to? (ie heart moniter, catheder, oxygen etc) Thanks again for the replys and i hope you will continue to answer my questions.
        My name is sierra
        I am 17 years old
        Both my curves are between 55-60 degrees
        I had surgery on March 10th 2006


        Post op my curves are 22 on top and 25 on bottom
        I had a selective fussion where they only fussed the top curve hoping the bottom would follow

        Comment


        • #5
          I had surgery about 9.5 months ago. I was in the hospital for 7 days, and out of school for 4 weeks (I went half days until 6 weeks post-op, then I went full days). The surgery lasted 8 hours. I didn't do any special excersizes or dieting before surgery, just regular stuff. I did a lot of swimming before surgery, but that wasn't in preperation, I just did swimming. When I woke up from surgery I had an oxygen mask, a little clip that was on my finger (which I thin monitered my heart and breathing), a cathetar, and an IV in my hand (there was also an extra IV in my other hand, but it was never used). The oxygen mask was taken off a while after I woke up in recovery and was replaced with the little tubes that go in your nose.
          ~*Lauren*~
          Braced for 5 months
          Decided on surgery with 65 and 54 degree curves
          Pre-op curve measurements were in the 70's and 80's
          Surgery on April 26th 2005
          Fused from T3-L4
          Post-op curve is 15 degrees

          Comment


          • #6
            My daughter had surgery on November 28th 2005. She was in the hospital for five nights. She woke up on oxygen, a catheter, Iv, a drain at her incision sight. I think that's all. She went back to school at 6 weeks for 1/2 days and full days around 8 weeks. She is doing great. She doesn't really remember all that much about being in the hospital. They have you on some pretty powerful medication. She just did her regular P/E class before surgery. After surgery she got up and walked as much as possible. We started going for walks around the neighborhood when the weather permitted. She is almost back to normal now. She comes in from school and rests about an hour and then she's good until bedtime.

            My prayers for you.
            Cheryl M
            NCM

            Comment


            • #7
              Jamie didn't do any exercises/dieting before surgery. I tried to push healthy eating and generally just tried to keep her healthy--her surgery was in December, 2004, so right in the middle of cold and flu season. If your doctor hasn't told you this yet, you'll need to take Iron pills before and after surgery, especially important if you are donating blood before surgery.

              As for the tubes after surgery, I don't want to scare you, but Jamie had a lot of tubes and some of them shocked me as I wasn't prepared for them. She had the following: I.V., catheter, oxygen, heart monitor, a tube sticking out of her nose (I think they called it an NG tube) and it went into her stomach (this one was unexpected and totally a shock to me); an I.V. type (central line, maybe) thing in her neck (this too shocked me, but it was nice that they could use this to draw blood instead of poking her); a drain from her incision; and she had some sort of monitor or something that had been inserted in her groin area, which was removed before going to the recovery room, so they had a pressure bandage on that which was unexpected to me; and lastly the thing on her finger to measure her oxygen stats.

              As long as you have questions, we will answer them honestly. I'm sorry if some of this reply is a little overwhelming, but I always try to be truth. I asked a lot of questions before surgery and the two things I mentioned above, almost freaked me out, so try to prepare anyone who will be seeing you immediately after surgery that you might have some or all of what we've discussed. The good news is, that before she was moved to a regular room the day after surgery, most of the stuff was removed.

              Mary Lou
              Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

              Comment


              • #8
                Congratulations on your surgery date. Mine is June 7, and I can't wait.
                ~Wanda~
                Age: 18
                40TL curve pre op
                Posterior Spinal Fusion with Dr. Pablo Marrero
                San Jorge Children's Hospital in Puerto Rico
                June 7, 2006
                post op curve: 16

                Comment


                • #9
                  Scoliochick, I used to be a respiratory therapist for a number of years, plus I have been through a number of surgeries (most of them when I was much younger). I can't telll you definitely what you will find when you come out of surgery, as each hospital has their own protocols. But perhaps I can help you understand the why for some of it. Based on Snoopy's post, here's a list of things:

                  Oxygen - by mask or nasal cannula - the two little prongs that go in your nose. They're about 1/2 inch long. To provide extra oxygen while you're coming out of anesthesia.

                  IV - Where depends on where they can find a vein, probably in your arm. to provide access to give you medications

                  NG tube - During surgery, they will have a tube in your airway to breathe for you during surgery. Unfortunately, one of the side effects is that it irritates your stomach which can cause an increased production of acid, and or gas. The NG tube is used to release the extra fluid and gas to keep from having any pressure building up in your stomach. This is not an unusual thing to have done, and sometimes they take it out in the OR while you are still waking up.

                  IV in neck - yes, probably a central line. Why I don't know for sure, but it may have been to have better access to provide fluids during surgery.

                  Wires to chest - just the EKG leads to monitor your heart rythm in the OR and recovery room.

                  Clip on finger - just the O2 saturation monitor, to help assess your breathing status. This may also be in the form of a probe that is taped to your finger.

                  Tube in groin - probably into your femoral artery, or vein. I'm not sure why but probably a more direct way to monitor blood pressure

                  Catheter in bladder - a foley catheter to drain your bladder, and will probably come out when you can either get up to get to the bathroom, or be put on a bedpan.

                  Tube from incision - a drain for fluids building up (normal part of healing).

                  The thing to do here is ask questions when you get to the hospital, especially to the anesthesiologist. Don' be afraid to ask them what to expect both to wake up with, and what will be removed at the end of surgery, or in the recovery room. Many people don't ask questions because they are afraid of looking stupid. or foolish. Sometimes it's not the having it done, but not knowing about it or why. The good news is that most of the invasive stuff will be done after you are asleep, and removing them isn't anywhere near as uncomfortable.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Scolio Chik,

                    My 17 yr old daughter had surgery 12/16/05. Fused T-2 to L1
                    Her IV was started in pre-op in her hand. They also put neurotransmitters all over. This was monitored during her whole surgery to make sure she had movement during the entire surgery. This was very reassuring to me as they were watching for anything abnormal.

                    When she got to ICU after surgery she had:
                    Central Line in her neck which she could not feel, they gave her meds, IV and even drew her blood there.
                    She had heart monitor, oxygen (per nasal canula), O2 monitor on finger, catheter, drain from her incision, and she had a arterial line in her hand to measure B/P.

                    She does not remember the first few days after surgery at all, even though she was talking to us in ICU and acted like she knew what was going on she just dosn't remember. This is good because not alot to remember other than her mom and dad worried over her.
                    She was in the hospital for 6 days, she has been blessed with a homebound teacher this whole 9 weeks. She will not return to full days of school until March 9 but she did go for a couple of hours today (8 wks) post op for her electives. This was her second day of driving again and she is doing great. She has been off of all meds for about 2 1/2 weeks now, and now just building her stamina to be able to go back full time in a few weeks. She does get tired but after a short rest she is good again. Having trouble sitting up and doing homework, chair, or bed because her neck get very tired and "as she says, sore". We just took advantage of her homebound teacher since it was offered. This way she does not have to make up any work that she missed because she is doing it all at home and they grade her on everything.

                    Hope this helps. Plan on friends to come visit when you get home to come and walk with you. Even if it is around the house. Jamie was a diff. person when her friends were here and she forgot all of pain. Her doctor told her from the get go that this was her physical therapy and it worked.

                    Good Luck,
                    laura P

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi, my son just had surgery 12/19/05 and before we had our final dr. appt. prior to surgery, the dr.'s surgical coordinator took us on a tour of the hospital. They walked us through where we would first check in, then walked us through the surgical ward and showed us where the operating rooms, post-op recovery area, parents waiting area and then the rooms where he would stay in while recovering. After that we went into a room and she showed us everytube that Joe would be hooked up to and told us what it was for. She also showed us a model of the spine with the instrumentation that would be used on Joe. It was immensely helpful so I wasn't scared or shocked when I saw my son after surgery. One thing I didn't see mentioned yet is that if your having a posterior surgery your face may be swollen from laying face down during surgery. This would be helpful for whoever sees you after surgery. The swelling will go down after a few hours. My son was in hospital 6 days, and back to school full time after 4-5 weeks recovery. Hope this was helpful, feel free to ask anything we are all here to support each other. The more you know the better you feel going into surgery and it helps in recovery when you and caregivers know what to expect. Best wishes to you -

                      Renee

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        What kinds of things did you do during your pre-op visit? When were you able to sit-up, eat, walk, shower, those sorts of things? What were your limitations after the surgery? Thanks so much for answering my questions. I do appreciate it.
                        My name is sierra
                        I am 17 years old
                        Both my curves are between 55-60 degrees
                        I had surgery on March 10th 2006


                        Post op my curves are 22 on top and 25 on bottom
                        I had a selective fussion where they only fussed the top curve hoping the bottom would follow

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Scoli Chick,

                          Eveyone and every doctor is a little different but provided no complications they want you up as soon as possible. Jamie was in ICU 1 night and when they moved her to her room they had her up within an hour. This was kind of unusual but without a long story they were trying to get her to a bigger room and better bed. So they did and they she wasn't able to get up the next day so it was Mon after her surgery on Fri. that she got up and walked twice. She waslked quite a way to see the newborn babies. They say the faster and more you walk the better your recovery will be. She did have to get a blood transfusion on that Sun so they didn't walk her that day. Hers were minor but set her back a little. They actuall set her up a little in ICU. She sat up the most about 4 days post op and took her shower the 6th day after surgery. She said it was wonderful.

                          Also, I shampooed her hair and gave her sponge baths. I used the waterless shampoo and used lots of lotion to help her feel better. She did not get dressed in her own clothes until the day we went home. She had a cath. in until the day we went home. In fact that was why we were in the hospital one day longer because of the cath. So she just kept on a hospital gown and would use her housecoat to walk. When she got home she missed her hospital gown just because it was hard getting things over her head and arms. Everyone is diff though so you may want your own clothes as soon as they will let you put them on.

                          Hope this helps.

                          Laura P.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            What is the best piece of advice or info you can give to someone who is going to be having this surgery? How has your experience through this changed you? Knowing and experiencing surgery would you do it all over again if you had the chance?(getting the same results and stuff) I cant wait for the surgery because of all this pain i have been having. I really hope the surgery will help with that.
                            My name is sierra
                            I am 17 years old
                            Both my curves are between 55-60 degrees
                            I had surgery on March 10th 2006


                            Post op my curves are 22 on top and 25 on bottom
                            I had a selective fussion where they only fussed the top curve hoping the bottom would follow

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              ScoliChick,

                              Prior to my son's surgery I tried to make sure he ate a really healthy diet like lots of veggies (esp. dark, leafy greens for iron) fruits ( I would make alot of smoothies with banana (for potassium), kiwi (very high in vitamin C), strawberries, blueberries (antioxident), orange juice, & either soy milk or vanilla yogurt or vanilla ice cream) there is a health drink I get at our local Costco called "Green Machine" that has lots of vitamins and other healthy stuff. It wouldn't hurt to even add on a couple of pounds before surgery b/c you can lose quite a bit after. Also getting lots of rest is a good thing.

                              Asking as many questions as you can think of is good. The more you know the better you and caregivers will feel going into surgery. My son is happy he had the surgery and has no regrets whatsoever. He does not have the hip pain and cramped/pulled muscles that were starting to bother him prior to surgery.

                              Have you informed you school about your upcoming surgery? It would be a good idea to let the school know so you and they can maybe start on a plan on accomodating you when you return, or if you need tutoring while recovering at home. For instance, one of my requests was that my son be pulled out of class prior to any fire drills so he wouldn't have to walk with that large of a crowd and possibly end up being bumped from behind, or tripping & falling. I just got a call a while ago from the school nurse, and she notified me that the school is having a fire drill this morning and that she will take Joe out of class and take him down through the elevator and escort him to the office. I was surprised, but pleased that she called - it made me feel good that I communicated these things with the school and they are definitely taking them seriously and they are watching out for Joe.

                              I wish you the best and pray your surgery and recovery is uncomplicated and uneventful and speedy (as I'm sure it will be Anything else you would like to know - just ask!

                              Renee
                              Last edited by flowerpower; 02-10-2006, 01:34 PM.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X