Had my bending xrays today...

[BrianB]

Well, I met with Dr. Tortolani and had my bending x-rays today. Good news is that he feels that the lower curve is reactionary to the top and thinks I am a good candidate for selective fusion. He's looking at T3 - L1, but said it may be T12 or L2 depending on how my spine reacts in surgery. He also said he'd have me wear a brace for the first 6 weeks just to be cautious and to remind me and others that I need to take it easy. From hearing what he had to say, it seems like a better option to do it now with a quicker recovery than to wait until later when I would need a full spinal fusion with longer recovery. I've been working out a ton lately and eating very well, and am going to increase the amount I work out right up until surgery. I'm determined to be one of his quickest recoveries ever! (I want to be the one that he mentions to other patients when they ask how fast you can recover.) I'm going to see Dr. Kebaish (Dorigirl's surgeon) for a second opinion, but feel pretty comfortable with this right now. I guess that's a good sign? I'd love to hear from those of you that have had a similar fusion.

[monie]

Hey there, well congratulations on getting your X-Rays done! :-) I remember I hurt pretty bad after I got mine done because my doctor kept asking me to "bend a little more"...lol. Yes, I think you've got the right idea with the 'eating healthy and working out' bit. I wish I'd had that much sense before I had my surgery. I don't know for a fact, but I'm willing to bet that it'd have made my recovery so much easier and quicker! Good luck with everything!

[JamieAnn]

I love the positivity! That's the spirit! Best of luck

[dawney]

My xrays done not by orthos specialist was terrible. They had to have 5 people in there at one point. They kept having to redo them and as you know it was very uncomfortable.

[Suzy]

Hi Brian,

My fusion was T10 to L4. What I believe made me bounce back quick was the fact that I got in the best shape I possibly could before my surgery. Mind you I was a gym rat for 13 years prior but, I needed to specifically prepare for this surgery. I went to a P.T. before my surgery to find any weak spots I might have been missing. He sure found a few! I was also able to talk to him about body mechanics and what to expect post-op due to the fact he had worked with many scoli pts. You have the right idea. Weren't you glad your bending x-rays showed reaction? I remember telling the tech "I can bend farther!" I wanted my Dr. to get the best info! I told my Dr. I wanted to be his scoliosis poster child. Keep up your positive attitude and the hard work and you too can impress your Dr.

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Brian-it's great that you are preparing ahead & staying in good physical condition.. although I did not work out at a gym, I did walk and stayed very active pre-surgery. I also kept on a high fiber/protein diet....I feel all of this helped me bounce back as fast as I did...
my bending x-rays were'nt too good at all, so my surgeon had quite a job to get my lower curve reduced! I was exhausted after those x-rays!
good luck w/ your surgery & by the way, does your surgeon feel the other curve will correct itself over time??? just wondering since it's a question that's been on my mind recently??? thks, Ly

[BrianB]

My surgeon seems to think that my bottom curve will correct itself when the top curve is fused, mainly because of the bending x-rays. He also took an x-ray of me lying down. That alone reduced my curves by almost half. My top was around 37 and my bottom was about 18. That was originally why he thought I was still very flexible. The reason he is unsure about how many to fuse is because there is a smaller space between L1 and L2 and he's not sure if there will be enough cushion (or something like that) - he'll make that decision during surgery. Right now, though, we're hoping that it's a one time deal - get it done now, and forget about it. I like the sound of that.

Fortunately, my bending x-rays were a piece of cake. Since I'm not in any pain right now, I simply went in there, did what they asked, and was out in about 5 minutes. Guess I'm lucky in that regard. My doctor met with me immediately afterward, took measurements, and spent about an hour+ with me. He's awesome.

Suzy - I'm curious what spots you specifically focused on before surgery. My doctor is telling me to really stretch out my hamstrings and that it is a big part of PT afterward - helps reduce back spasms, etc. I'm glad, because that is the first place I stretch after every workout. Obviously, I work on my back a lot among other things, but I'm curious if you found it helpful to focus on any other particular muscle groups. And - how fast were you able to bounce back?

What a fantastic group of people here...

[bbest]

Brian,

For what it's worth definitely focus on strengthening your legs. You will be relying on them more than before because you won't be able to bend. You are on the right track. It is so important to be in good physical condition before going into a surgery of this magnitude. Like Lynne pointed out, it really helped her bounce back as quickly as she did.

[Suzy]

Hey Brian,

Hamstrings for sure! This was stressed as a must. Also, your core muscles. Your core muscles will work in different ways post-op. Some have been pulled in one direction for awhile due to the scoliosis. I find in P.T. that my biggest hurdle is right where the biggest part of my curve was. Those muscles are getting a totally new work out. If you have your hamstrings and core muscles in tip top shape before your surgery you will not believe how fast you will bounce back. Muscle has incredible memory. I still had good muscle tone at 4 months post-op, my P.T. was very surprised.

As to how fast I bounced back......... not sure if you mean workout wise? I wasn't allowed to do anything till 4 months then I started P.T. I felt like I was getting a bit stronger after each session. As to bouncing back into life. I was out and about a bit at 3 weeks post-op and driving at 4 weeks. I quit pain meds at 5 months. I had been taking 1/2 a Norco 10/325 before P.T. as I worked so hard then paid the piper later. Hope that answers your questions.

[BrianB]

Hi Suzy,

Yes - that helps a lot. I was more concerned with the whole "bouncing back into life" thing, but of course, will want to get back to the gym as soon as I am allowed. I'm thinking about some aquatic programs post-op when I am allowed to help ease into things, but I have a ways to go before that. I do a lot of conducting, so it worries me as to how long it will be before I can stand in front of a group and waive my arms around for extended periods of time. My doc says probably 4-6 months before I can do it for a stretch, but if all goes well, I can start working on it as soon as 3+ weeks...

Your recovery sounds incredible - I would love to be out and about at 3 weeks post-op. It is a wonderful goal and I will be working out hard to achieve it. I may even meet with a personal trainer now and then to really strengthen my core. At 3 weeks when you started venturing out, were you still in a good deal of pain?

I'll tell you this - you are inspiring me and I'm hoping to join you in the "poster patient" recovery status!

[sweetness514]

Hi Brian,

you have the right idea, to work out and especially eat well, and if you give your blood take iron pills before and after for a while, eating well and taking vitamins helped me so much this last time. Vitamin C helps with healing tissues, and it gives energy. Plus it helps assimilate iron.

I know that also not working out your back might help b/c the muscles will be cut and it might hurt more if they're muscular, from what I read. Building stamina helps a lot too, and improving lung capacity.

I know you want to bounce back really quick but keep in mind to not discourage yourself along the way to recovery with your new back. Take care of yourself, in every way(now is a good time). Also, don't bend for at least six months. I did after three months and even though my doctor told me it was all right, I had a non union and even if I don't know if that was one of the factors it happened, it's best to be safe. Walking a lot helps with the fusion, it's the best exercise.

Good luck and I hope he fuses the least vertebreas b/c that certainly is a factor in certain faster recoveries, from what I read.

[BrianB]

Hi Brian,

I know that also not working out your back might help b/c the muscles will be cut and it might hurt more if they're muscular, from what I read. Building stamina helps a lot too, and improving lung capacity.

I'll have to look into this. My doctor didn't mention anything about it when we were discussing my working out, etc. Is it possible that it may hurt more because of the extra muscle, but also, in turn, would heal faster because of the extra muscle?

[abhbarry]

exercise and weight

I'm glad to see this post! I am currently in physical therapy to strengthen my legs and core before surgery and my PT actually said she saw a dramatic improvement in my leg strength yesterday. I feel like the exercise also makes me proactive - I would regret not doing everything I could to help my recovery.

I'm worried about the weight loss though. I'm fairly little to begin with and don't have a whole lot to lose - how do you gain weight for surgery while exercising a lot more? I'm more than happy to eat a lot of ice cream, but I'm not sure if that is the healthiest thing to do!

Best,
Anya

[bsprings]

Anya- Do you mind sharing the exercises that your pt is having you do? I am having surgery in December and am walking/running but would like to know what specific exercises would be best to do. Thanks!
Cathie

[lelc2002@yahoo]

anya--I did lose quite a bit of weight after surgery..I did gain before it though!! I ate lots of steaks before blood donations, baked a lot so I had my sugar stuff ! But basically, I made sure I had 3 good meals a day high in protein/fiber...I really do think it helped me.....a couple of Manhattans the weekend before surgery aided me greatly too!!!
I estimate I lost about 25 pounds..I don't have a scale so I'm estimating....Ly