Posterior vs. Anterior/Posterior

[CHRIS WBS]

Hi All,

For those of us facing front and back surgery, please read the attached. A friend sent this to me.

http://www.emc.org/body.cfm?id=489&a...detail&ref=66#

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Chris,
Thks for posting that article... wow! 15 hrs & some is a long surgery!
I'll be having ant/post on the same day...
Let me just say that even though you don't have a set date yet you do seem to be heading toward it!?.. I think it will help you greatly and even though it will be a struggle, you will come thru this & be so glad you did it..
There are home health aids & house keepers & even people who can buy your groceries & run errands... If I lived closer, I would help you!
So many friends have told me they are coming in to visit me in the hospital & to bring my family food, it's almost embarrassing,,, the food's a great idea but I said to pleassse not visit me in the hospital.. I'd rather they all wait until I'm home.. From others on this forum, it seems like you look pretty scary in the hospital....no thks!!! Ly
aug 1 surg http://lynnebackattack.blogspot,com

[Cakedec]

No visitors w/o prior approval for me, either!

Hi Lynne,

I saw in that Scoliosis handbook by Wolpert that they don't recommend having visitors other than close family members for the first few days. (Because of how you look and that you are out of it and may say inappropriate things). I am asking people to please call my husband to ask if I am having visitors first before they come. That way I can tell him if I want any or not towards the end of the week because I want to see how it goes and if I want any or not!

When my 20 year old son had his major GI surgery, he was out of it the first couple of days and some of my relatives visited him and he did not even know that they were there; he even told us on the phone that he didn't feel up to visiting with us yet!! Towards the end of the week he enjoyed having us come for short periods, but would fall asleep after a while so we would leave.

Deb

[Singer]

Chris, thanks for posting that article. Interesting that the doctor said that same-day anterior/posterior surgery is safer than staging it in two days -- I would have thought the opposite. Actually I think you do get different opinions depending on what you read and/or which doc you talk to.

I'm almost ready to not read anything else about fusion surgery -- I'm so saturated it's obscene. There's just too much information out there....

Then again, I can't stay away from it either !!!!

Yeah, I'll be hitting the Valium before the year's out.....!!!

[Singer]

I just read the article again and see that I didn't get it right the first time....they're talking about posterior only being the safer bet than the staged surgeries.....

[dawney]

I am scheduled for 2 surgeries 9/6 & 9/8. My surgeon prefers to do it in two stages. I would be leary of someone operating on me for that long, 15 hours. My surgeon also said one of the reasons he likes to do it that way because the spine is more flexible for the hardware.
Dawn

[Shari]

I'm always so amazed to hear of the different procedures. Thanks for the article.

Shari

[slprncess]

Chris,

That was a great article. I know exactally which hospital that is. I am from palm springs and just moved 2 yrs ago. That hospital is great too! It is a private hospital based off of donations. Incredible. that dr is a very good md also. good to hear a great outcome.

[lelc2002@yahoo]

My lower lumbar area of the spine is calcified so I'm sure it won't move easily...so ant/post is the only route, I would think for me...I'm just so concerned about the length of surgery & length of fusion....Ly
ant/post...T2-sacrum......

[CHRIS WBS]

I hear you, Lynne. I too would require a long fusion with 4-in. iliac screws drilled into my pelvis to anchor all the hardware. And from studies I've been researching on the Internet, there are long-term complications with fusions into the pelvis and pain from the screws, necessitating removal of them at some point in the future. But I've been told that because of my severe lumbar curve, there's no other way around it.

Has Dr. Boachie explained to you how he would end your fusion in the sacrum? Apparently, there are alternative procedures.

Chris

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Chris---will ask about the sacrum procedure....is the sacrum the same as the pelvis(no clue, here?!)??????????Ly

[Suzy]

Lynne, Pull up spine anatomy and you can see the difference between the sacrum and pelvis. The sacrum is numbered 1-5 and sits between your hip bones. It is V shaped.

[lelc2002@yahoo]

thks Suzy----I think I should have skipped looking at that, but I did... I'm just dazed by this big fusion coming up! I think my sister is going to have to drag me into the pre-op appointment.........LY