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  • Surgery Soon

    Hey people, I'm new here and my name is Carly. I'm 16 years old. I had a doctor's appt. 6 weeks ago and he said I will need surgery. My curves are 45T/75L. I will have another appt. tomorrow and then he will tell me the date of my surgery. I'm so scared that I could get paralyzed from the surgery so I am having a really hard time.

  • #2
    Dont worry Carly i know exactly how you feel. i am going to have surgery in march and i was scared at first but then i realized that these doctors are trained professionals and they have done this kind of surgery many many times. What has helped me to get through this is to think about the positive things and how straight you will be after the surgery. I am having alot of pain now from it and i am hoping the surgery will help with that. I guess thats why im more ready for the surgery more than anything. Also another good idea is to get a list of questions that you may have and ask both your doctor and people here. They have been through it and can tell you exactly what happened to them. Hearing other kids stories has help me alot so i know exactly what to expect. Dont worry so much about it just know your not going through this alone. I hope your surgery goes well. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Thats what i am doing. It helps to calm me.
    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

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    • #3
      There is also another website, spinekids.com, where a lot of girls your age chat. Many have had surgery. Many are waiting for surgery and some are wearing a brace or just being watched by their Dr. My daughter loves spinekids.

      This surgery is so routine for many doctors. We were all scared to death too but our dr. explained that when you walk out of his office and cross the street, you take a chance of being hit by a car. The chance of being paralyzed is probably less than by being hit by a car. You'll be fine.


      Check out spinekids and you'll see how many kids have come through this surgery successfully.

      My prayers to you.

      Cheryl
      NCM

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      • #4
        Surgery Date

        I just came back from the doctors appt. and he said the surgery date will be set to March 6. I can't believe it will be that soon. He said we can;t wait longer because I still have more growing to do and they will get much worse. Oh, and I'm also donating blood next week, he said. There are lots of things to be done in such short notice.

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        • #5
          Carly,
          You will be fine and I will pray for you and pray for a hugely successful surgery and a quick recovery.

          Cheryl M
          NCM

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          • #6
            Carly,

            We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers and it looks like you and Scolichick are close in your surgeries. Hang in there and will be over soon. We will keep up with you on here and keep us posted.

            Laura P.
            Jamie's mom her fusion was 12/16/05 T-2 L-1

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            • #7
              You'll be completely fine!

              Carly,
              There are safeguards that are used in all surgeries that prevent a patient from becoming paralyzed. Just to let you know, my fourteen year old daughter had her surgery just three months ago. She said to me recently, "Look at me, I'm completely fine!" It is amazing how quickly she became "completely fine." You'll see, it is very scary right now, but very soon after you too will be completely fine! It's only been three months and her friends always forget that she even had the surgery! Be strong, I know it seems hard to believe but soon the surgery will be behind you and it will just be a memory!
              Wishing you the best!
              Pam

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              • #8
                Carly 16, Yes there is the possibility of paralysis, but it is minimal. There are ways to monitor you during surgery to assure that they are not affecting the spinal cord. If you don't have surgery, eventually it is likely that you will experience breathing problems, as your lungs will get compressed, you may have chronic back pain, you could even become paralyzed. The risk of paralysis resulting from surgery is far less than the complications that are possible if you don't. Look around this site, and Spinekids to get a better idea of what to expect, and see if you can set up another appointment to talk to your doctor, or the nurse where you can just sit down and talk, and go with a list of questions. Yeah, write down your questions as you'll probably forget some of them when you get there. Good luck, and hang tough, you've got the advantage of being young which will help you bounce back fairly quickly.

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                • #9
                  The doctor said he would be fusing from T2-L3.
                  Is that a lot? How long will I not be able to bend?
                  And what happens if I accidentally bend?

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                  • #10
                    Carly,

                    The amount of fusion your doctor is talking about is very similar to my daughter's fusion. Jamie is fused from T3-L2 and yes, it is relatively a big fusion. Jamie is 14 months post-op and her scar is about 14 inches long, which is almost the entire length of her back. However, unless she points out the fact that she has a scar, no one even notices it even when she wears a bikini.

                    Jamie's doctor was very cautious with her and her restrictions. She wasn't allowed to bend, turn at the waist, twist or anything like that for about 3 months, I think. Before your surgery the doctor or his nurse will show you how to log roll which is how you will get in and out of bed. Once you have the rods in, you won't be able to bend the part of your back that is fused. I wouldn't worry too much about accidentally bending. As a parent, I can safely say your mom and/or dad will remind you constantly what you can and cannot do after surgery! lol

                    You'll be amazed how different things will be after your surgery. I asked Jamie a few days after her surgery if she regretted having it done and she said no. She has never looked back or regretted her surgery.

                    If you need/want someone to talk to, feel free to e-mail Jamie @ Spinesupport05@aol.com.

                    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.

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                    • #11
                      Snoopy

                      Did your daughter have to wear a brace after surgery? And when at all is a brace needed after surgery?

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                      • #12
                        Carly,
                        Ditto on what Mary Lou said. Our daughters had very similar surgery. The only difference is that my daughter has one more vertebra fused than Jaimie.

                        Crystal did have a brace after surgery for 12 weeks. She had to wear it when she was up moving around and in the car. She did sleep in it too, as it made her more secure that she wouldn't bend or twist while trying to get up or roll over. It was very pretty. I knew though by the fabric pattern she picked, she was pretty drugged up. It was blue with butterflies. She hates blue. When she finally realized what she picked, after it was made, she was surprised herself. She doesn't even remember picking out the fabric for it. It's pretty cool though. I teased her about wearing it to prom. Told her I would get her a matching fabric and make her a skirt, then she wouldn't need a new formal. You can guess the look I got. We laugh about it now, and she has it as part of her bedroom decor.

                        Surgery is scary, but every precaution in the world is taken by the medical staff. They do monitor your spinal cord because they don't want to damage it.

                        You have a nice evening, and we will keep you in our prayers.

                        Nikki

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                        • #13
                          Hi Carly,
                          My name is Maddie and I am 15 and I had scoliosis surgery (spinal fusion with instrumentation) for my bottom curve. I had my surgery on July 20, 2005 and I am doing great!! My surgeon was Dr. Boachie-Adjei at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. I was in the hospital for about nine days. I would be very happy to answer any questions that you have about the surgery and the recovery.

                          ps. About the bending.. I was so worried that I would never be able to bend again after the surgery, but here I am bending the all the time to pick up things off the floor of my room.

                          I think the best thing that I did was to rent a hospital bed for my house after the surgery because it really helped me transition from the hospital to being home again... It also helped me find a comfortable position to sleep in.

                          There is so much to say about the surgery, but I think it would be better if you asked specific questions!!

                          good luck with everything! don't worry about too much
                          Maddie, 15 years old
                          Scoliosis sugery: July 20, 2005 at The Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC by Dr. Boachie-Adjei

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                          • #14
                            Carly,

                            Sorry, it took me so long to reply--somehow I missed your question about a brace. No, Jamie never wore a brace after surgery. Some doctors simply prescribe a brace for safety reasons, like Nikki said, to make sure they remember not to bend etc.

                            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.

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                            • #15
                              ppl! I am so frickin nervous, I'm having surgery tomorrow!!! I can't believe it's time.
                              I am so scared. I really don't know what to say right now. I am so nervous.

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