Thoracoplasty

[Cheryl M]

To all of you who've had thoracoplasty or whose children have had this procedure, please let me know how painful it was. Also, how long did the pain last. How soon were you able to get out. I know it takes 2 to3 months for the ribs to regrow but were you in pain this entire time or was the pain mainly in the first 3 to 4 weeks. Also, how much did it reduce the rib hump.

Just trying to help my daughter with a decision to have this procedure.

Thanks much.

[flowerpower]

Hey Cheryl,

Does Briann still have a significant rib/shoulder hump? Joseph does - it's the only part of his surgery I'm unhappy with. The rotation accelerated in the months prior to surgery and it could only be corrected so much. The dr. has commented on it the last 2 times we've seen him but at the time he opted (as did we) to not do a thoracoplasty b/c he wanted surgery to be as minimally invasive as possible. It bothers me more than Joe; he's happy with the outcome of his surgery. Is she wanting this procedure in the near future & have you spoken to your dr. about it? Just wondering -

Good luck with your decision. Take care,

Renee

[ProudParents]

Cheryl,

It is really hard to differentiate exactly what amount of Lisa's pain was caused by the main fusion surgery, the derotation, or the thoracoplasty itself. Lisa did complain of some pain in her ribs for the first four weeks after surgery, but only significant for the first two weeks. Lisa's surgeon did recommend that Lisa sleep on her back for the first four months to allow the ribs to grow back flat and in alignment. Lisa did have one complication from the thoracoplasty when the surgeon nicked the pleura around the lung which required the insertion of a chest tube for two days. Lisa has achieved great derotation but I don't know what can be expected of a thoracoplasty after spinal fusion has occurred. Cheryl, your mailbox is full.

Mark

[nicoles mom]

Cheryl
My Daughter Had A Thoracoplasty With Her Fusion.
She Had 5 Ribs Shaved And The Hump Is Gone. She Did Have A Lot Of Pain In Her Ribs. She Complain For Months That It Was Sore And We Would Ice Her Ribs Which Helped. The Dr Told Us It Was Normal And Now Shes Fine. Her Ribs Still Have Not Grow Back Completely Shes 1 Yr Post Op. She Will Still Complain That She Feels Sore There And Just Deals With It. Shes Happy Her Hump It Gone.
Cheryl Just Wondering Why She Didn't Not Have It Done During Her Fusion.
Theresa

[Cheryl M]

Hey Renee and Mark and Theresa,

I have been reluctant to post because I have been unsure about what we were going to do with Briann. If you rememberr that during her surgery the screw at L3 pulled out and our Dr. told us there was a possibility he might need to go back in. Well, he has to go back in and fuse L3. This will be much simpler than the first but he does want to replace the entire rod so that rod will go from t4 all the way to L3 like the other rod. So it's another full length incision. Right now this rod goes from t4 to l2 and the other side goes from t4 to l3. With this surgery alone he said she might even go home that day and recovery would be 2 to 3 weeks. Since they are doing a full length incision and since the rib hump is still there, although minor, we are just trying to decide on the thoracoplasty when we do this.....probably in May. Her recovery will be longer and she would be in hospital for 3 days. Just trying to decide if the pain and risk is worth the rib hump improvement.

I have heard so many conflicting comments about the thoracoplasty and I understand that most have it during the spinal fusion surgery and it's hard to distinguish between that pain and the thoracoplasty pain. This is just so hard and I was hoping so bad that scoliosis would be a thing of the past for us.

Please pray that she and we make the right decision for her future.

Mark, I cleaned out my PM box. Sorry!

Theresa, she didn't have it done initially because her dr. felt it was too painful and felt he would get good correction with the spinal fusion surgery alone. It is tons better than it was. He said he would do it if Briann wants it.

Cheryl M

[AnnLF]

Gosh, Cheryl, I didn't know you had this on your plate now ... on the heels of Briann's surgery. Like Proud Parents, I don't know what amount of Liz's pain originated from fusion surgery and/or the thoracoplasty. She had 5 ribs done, and she would say the pain from that did not extend beyond the time frame when she went off the pain meds. She was fitted for a brace in the hospital -- due to the thoracoplasty. The brace was to protect her ribs but she only had to wear it for the first six weeks post op, so I'm assuming based on that, six weeks is the marker. Her back is flat, so she's happy and doesn't complain of any pain at all. Did your surgeon say why he didn't do the ribs during Briann's surgery? Good luck with this.

How was Cancun? Did you survive spring break? We had fun on the cruise, but it was overshadowed by the fact that it took us TWO DAYS to get home. Not kidding. Big weather delays that kept us sitting in airports. I was never happier to walk in my front door! Ann

[dancermom]

Hi Cheryl. Just wanted you to know that I am praying for you and Briann. It is hard to know what the right decision is sometimes, but follow your heart and keep doing the research as it helps you feel a little more in control.

I had no idea that this was going on for you all. I can only imagine what you are going through emotionally and mentally as you do hope this is behind you once you have gone through the major surgery of having spinal fusion done.

Hang in there and please know you have a lot of support here to encourage you and pray.

Love,
Connie

[flowerpower]

Hi Cheryl,

How soon will Briann need to have this procedure done? I can imagine what you must be feeling having to do this all again. How is Briann taking this? I would hope that dealing with scoli would be behind our kids now, they've been through so much already but the possibility of more surgery will always be in the back of my mind. Good luck, I wish you and Briann the best -

Renee

[nicoles mom]

Cheryl
So Sorry To Hear That Briann Needs To Have More Surgery . We May Face This To In The Near Future. I Would Have It Done While They Are Doing The Other Procdure. Did They Tell You How Many Ribs Need To Be Shaved To Reduce The Hump. She Will Most Likely Have Pain With The Procedure But In The Long Run She Will Have No Hump. My Nicole Was One Of Those Kids That Took Forever To Feel Good After Surgery. She Was Out Of School For 10 Weeks Then Went Back Part Time Only. Took Pain Meds Longer Them Most Of The Kids You Read About Here So I Guess It Depands On The Kid. Mine Still Goes To Pt And Is In A Brace To Hold Her Lumber Curve. Our Dr Only Fused Her To L1 And She Went From 55 To 40 In The Lumbar He Was Hoping For A Better Correction. Then Added A Shoe Lift And It Went To 30. So Now We Are Watching And Waiting To See If The Lumbar Moves So Far Its Holding. If It Goes Pass 45 She Is Going To Have To Have Surgery Again.
I Will Keep You And Briann In My Prayers
Hugs To You Both
Theresa

[Carmell]

Hi Cheryl,

Good luck with all these things to consider. I'm sure its hard for her to know she needs more surgery - that's not fun for anyone. Everytime they re-open the incision, it takes time to heal. Deciding on one part of this is hard enough. You have lots of things to consider.

I'm always interested in thoracoplasty threads. Braydon will have one some day. I want to know when the right time to do it will be. He'll be 11 in May. As he grows, I see the fullness of his chest expand (with each VEPTR expansion surgery) and wonder when to make this decision. His ortho hasn't given me a specific age-frame or timing or anything. I wonder. Do they need to be closer to skeletal maturity for optimal outcome? Something I wonder about.

Take care and I'll be watching for updates.

[Celia]

Carmell,

Braydon already has compromised lung function. I don't mean to worry you and I'm sure Dr. Smith would have discussed this with you, but I read somewhere that thoracoplasty can impair lung function even further Have surgical techniques changed so that this is no longer an issue ?

[Carmell]

Hi Celia,

The short answer to your question about lung function compromise with thoracoplasty is YES and NO. Braydon's rib hump is on the left side - his "healthy" side. Maybe because his situation is complex (who's isn't?) his ortho isn't discussing details because it isn't an immediate concern? I don't know. I DO know I'll be discussing this with Dr. Smith in great detail, when its the right time. The part I want to know is WHEN is the right time?

Braydon has seen a pulminologist. This pulm doc is also on the VEPTR "team" here so I'm sure he'll have input too (I'll insist on it).

You are correct - we don't want to compromise lung function any more than already exists. Hopefully technology will be advanced enough that it will be a non-issue... wishful thinking?

Thanks for the comments.

[AnnLF]

Cheryl,

You mind must be on overload worrying. How is Briann handling the news? Like Connie, I, too, had no idea you were having to go through all this. I sent you a private message -- also, do you think our kids should contact Briann and offer support? When I told my Elizabeth about this setback, it rattled her and she feels so bad. Hang in there, Ann

[billyjoe]

Dear Cheryl,
It is a difficult decision but just as the decision to have the surgery became clear, so will the right decision for this. Our daughter Tori is having surgery in 7 weeks. Her surgeon says that he would like to perform the fusion and based on the degree of "rib hump" correction, decide then and there whether to do the thorocoplasty. I understand his approach (hoping for a great correction with the fusion) but at the same time we are torn about not being happy with the derotation outcome. If she has to go through the surgery and the pain, we are thinking why not do everyting we can at the time.
It does cause concern, about the pain but as Tori says she would rather do it and get it over with than not do it.
We have followed you since before surgery and we pray for you to keep having the strength to make these decisions. You all are very loved and supported!!
Our Best,
Patricia

[lspitalnic]

Hey Cheryl,
I had thorastaplasy when i was 16,
It was 1 year after my spinal fusion. truthfuly i really wasn't that painful as it quite minor. I think the duration of the surgery was +/-45 minutes. The next 3 months after the surgery you feel a tingling sensation every now and then but nothing over the top. Unfortunetly the thorastaplasy only looked good once it was done but when the ribs grew back they grew back to how they used to be.