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Hi to All,
I am new to this site in that it is the first posting for me, but I have looked at it on and off for a couple of months. I have finally gotten up the courage to jump in, mainly because I am desperately in need of guidance and advice and you all seem to know so much and I know so little. Plus you are so willing to share--I have been reading for hours. And you seem genuinely concerned for each other. I am a 57 yr. old wife and mom of grown daughters who works more than full-time. I went to my orthopedist a few months ago due to much more persistent lower back pain (as in all of the time). He told me that the curvature in my spine had progressed 14 degrees in the past 4 years since my last visit (it is 50 plus degrees now) and that I need surgery within the next 6 months. I was very upset (to put it mildly) as this discussion had never even been a topic of conversation --I was so stupid that I didn't even know it was an option in my future, even though my body is changing shape. I had never been told that this could happen to me. Anyway I later called the nurse, who gave me the name of an adult surgery patient I could talk with--but when I asked the nurse how often the doctor actually performed the surgery on adult patients, she replied only 2-3 times, that he mostly operates on children. I have put off thinking about this as long as I can.
I definitely need to see someone else for another opinion--maybe more than one more, but I do not have a clue how to find a qualified adult scoliosis doctor. I do not think there is one in Winston-Salem, but I am willing to go anywhere to get the best doctor. But how far is too far? I was reading from all of you how difficult travel after surgery can be, so is that an insurmountable problem? If no doctor where you live, how did you chose your doctor? and will doctors schedule an appt. without a referral (although I can certainly get that)? I checked the NSF directory, but they just list the Orthopedic Spine Specialists (my doctor was on the list, so I have no confidence in the list), so I really need your help finding out how you went about choosing a doctor and if you felt you made the right choice. Thank you so much for helping me--I know there are a lot of people out there just like me--it's a lonely and scary place to be, but if all of you can do it, I can too.
I am new to this site in that it is the first posting for me, but I have looked at it on and off for a couple of months. I have finally gotten up the courage to jump in, mainly because I am desperately in need of guidance and advice and you all seem to know so much and I know so little. Plus you are so willing to share--I have been reading for hours. And you seem genuinely concerned for each other. I am a 57 yr. old wife and mom of grown daughters who works more than full-time. I went to my orthopedist a few months ago due to much more persistent lower back pain (as in all of the time). He told me that the curvature in my spine had progressed 14 degrees in the past 4 years since my last visit (it is 50 plus degrees now) and that I need surgery within the next 6 months. I was very upset (to put it mildly) as this discussion had never even been a topic of conversation --I was so stupid that I didn't even know it was an option in my future, even though my body is changing shape. I had never been told that this could happen to me. Anyway I later called the nurse, who gave me the name of an adult surgery patient I could talk with--but when I asked the nurse how often the doctor actually performed the surgery on adult patients, she replied only 2-3 times, that he mostly operates on children. I have put off thinking about this as long as I can.
I definitely need to see someone else for another opinion--maybe more than one more, but I do not have a clue how to find a qualified adult scoliosis doctor. I do not think there is one in Winston-Salem, but I am willing to go anywhere to get the best doctor. But how far is too far? I was reading from all of you how difficult travel after surgery can be, so is that an insurmountable problem? If no doctor where you live, how did you chose your doctor? and will doctors schedule an appt. without a referral (although I can certainly get that)? I checked the NSF directory, but they just list the Orthopedic Spine Specialists (my doctor was on the list, so I have no confidence in the list), so I really need your help finding out how you went about choosing a doctor and if you felt you made the right choice. Thank you so much for helping me--I know there are a lot of people out there just like me--it's a lonely and scary place to be, but if all of you can do it, I can too.
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