new here and have a ?

[okjac]

hi! i found this site last night and have already found a lot of good info. First, a little introduction.........I am 26 years old and was diagnosed w/ scoliosis at 15. Although it was slowly getting worse, my parents and I decided to hold off on surgery. Somewhere between moves every few years (my husband is military) and having 3 kids in 4 years, I haven't been the Dr about it in YEARS!! However, after being told I couldn't get an epidural during labor b/c the anathesiolgists couldn't do it right b/c of my back, I thought I better go. It the course of 11 years and 3 pregnancies, my curve went from 45* to 75*. The Dr I went to said my curve (main curve that is.........supposedly I have 2 "large curves" plus comp. curves) was "beyond" him and told me to go somewhere else. Is that degree of change something to be concerned about? Could it just be b/c of pregnancies? Sure, I have pain, but I can live w/ it. More than anything, my muscles in my lower back feel tight. I can NEVER relax. Sure I am very lopsided, but again, I can live w/ it. However, should I be concerned?

[HGD24]

Welcome okjac! I'm glad you've found this board. Everyone here is so nice and positive and will really help you learn a lot about Scoliosis.

Although I haven't had kids, my curves have progressed anywhere from 15-20 degrees in 12 years time. The progression is definitely cause for concern. You may be able to live with the pain and other effects now, but eventually you could experience problems with your heart, lungs and other organs. You can see in my before x-rays which are attached that my spine was compressing my lung and heart prior to surgery.

I would search for a surgeon in your area that specializes in Scoliosis. I too had a surgeon tell me once that he had never seen curves so big (my first x-rays which showed 55-60 degree curves, wonder what he would have thought of my 75 degree curves!). I left his office and didn't talk to another doctor about my scoliosis for 12 years because he scared the Hell out of me!

As far as I've been told, pregnancies have never been proven to increase curvature...at least not the extent that you are describing. There are people on this site that can better answer that question however.

Good luck!

[LindaRacine]

I agree. A 75 degree curve is something that probably is going to need treatment. Where are you located?

--Linda

[okjac]

I live in Omaha NE right now.

[LindaRacine]

Here are the names of scoliosis specialists in Omaha:

Jonathan E. Fuller, MD
Glen M. Ginsburg, MD
Michael C. Longley, MD
John W. McClellan III, MD
H. Randal Woodward, MD

[okjac]

wow! thanks!!

[okjac]

are there any from the list that you are familiar w/ and would recommend?

[LindaRacine]

No, sorry. But, you might do a Google search as well as a Pubmed search.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed

[JoAnn5]

HI okjac, and welcome to the forum! You've found a great place here to come for advice, helpful suggestions, and caring friends.
When i was reading your first message, it reminded me of myself when i was younger so much. I thought that i could 'live with it'. And if the progression had not gotten worse with age, i probably could have. But you don't have any guarantee that it won't get worse and with such a significant curve, the probability is that it WILL worsen.
Talk with a scoliosis specialist that you trust. Think about the future and what you would do in different scenarios, from the best case to the worst case.... then decide. We are here to help talk you thru things, but the ultimate decision is yours.
God bless you! JoAnn