Great visit with Dr. Boachie and a surgery question...

[sam_newyork]

Dear Linda, Carmell, and everyone who responded to my earlier posts-

My daughter (age 12) and I just came back from a visit with Dr. Boachie in NYC. [My daughter was being monitored for congenital kyphosis by Dr. David Bradford until his retirement in September and he (and many of you) recommended Dr. Boachie in NYC]. We finally met Dr. Boachie on December 18th and the first meeting was great. He and his staff were extremely professional and very friendly. He was able to explain my daughter's condition and the treatment well. He has recommended a surgery (fusion of L1-L4) within the next three months because of the impact the kyphosis is having on the rest of her spine. It's a bit overwhelming to think about my daughter needing a surgery but he seems the right surgeon for it. A big thank you to this forum for posting information on him. After having consulted with nearly seven surgeons over her 12-year life, I sense that my daughter is in good hands.

So, we are now preparing for a surgery (possibly within the next three months). I am debating whether I should schedule the surgery during her Spring break (March) or wait until the end of the school year (June). Dr. Boachie recommended that we have the surgery within the next three months because she seems to be having a growth spurt. Does anyone know how long she may be required to stay in the hospital...and how long before she may be able to get back to school?

Many thanks for your help!

Sam

[mibre]

Sam, My daughter had a spinal fusion in January.She was 14 at the time. We had also met with Dr. Boachie and really liked him although my daughter had the surgery at Shriners in Phila. My daughter was in the hospital for 6 days and missed 6 weeks of school. It really was not a problem missing school. The school provided home tutoring and she was fine when she returned to school. We wish you the best of luck.

[sam_newyork]

thanks for the info, mibre

Dear Mibre-

Thanks for the info. Six weeks seems like a long time, but I suppose if she can be tutored at home, it should be OK. Did the school provide assignments that she did at home, or did someone come home to tutor her?

BTW, could I ask why you chose Shriner's over Dr. Boachie?

Sam

[flowerpower]

When you decide on a surgery date you should contact the school and set up some type of health plan. My son had surgery last year over Christmas break and missed about 3 weeks of school. During his recovery the school arranged for a teacher to come to our home for tutoring up to 5 hours a week. As it turned out, he didn't use the tutor, I just arranged with his teachers to pick up his assignments. Also when he returned to school, he was given a hall pass to use anytime for bathroom, nurses office, etc. He was also allowed to either leave class either before or after passing bell to avoid the large crowds and avoid accidentally being bumped or pushed. He was given an elevator key (only used by admin.) in case going up and down stairs got difficult. Being a boy, he didn't (want to) utilize any of this, but I felt better knowing it was there if he needed it. He was also allowed to keep one set of books at home, one set in classes b/c he wasn't allowed to carry any weight. He was even pulled from one class right before a fire drill (escorted by school nurse). Hope this is somewhat helpful, it's hard to think of all these little things. Good wishes to you and your daughter.

Renee

[mibre]

Sam, She was tutored by teachers the school provided, an hour for each day she missed. She was out of school 6 weeks total. She went back the 1st few days for a few hours each day. The teachers were very understanding and they made special arrangements for her. She also had 2 sets of books, etc.
We choose Shriners because we really felt confident with our doctor there and loved that Shriners is a hospital devoted to children. They deal with a few patients every day who have the exact same surgery as my daughter. It was a combination of the excellent skills and reputation of the doctor and the warmth, knowledge and compassion of the staff that only deals with children that made us choose Shriners.I wish you all the best with your daughter. I know how tough these decisions are.Mindy

[Carmell]

Sam,

Thanks for the update. I'm happy to hear you had a positive experience with Dr. Boachie. Sounds like she'll be in good hands (and you too).

Scoliosis surgery is HUGE. It takes a lot out of a person. The 3-6 weeks recovery period - just to endure going back to school - is typical for young teens. The actual recovery will be longer than that for her to have all restrictions lifted and be back to 100%. She'll need to be very careful those first few weeks not to disrupt or damage the surgical repair, especially if they are planning on excizing (removing) any vertebral parts.

I believe timing of any surgery is a personal decision. If she doesn't have strong connections with extracurricular things at school, spring break may be a good time for surgery. That way she'll be MUCH better starting school again in the fall - just taking it easy for the rest of this academic year.

Good luck and keep us posted on how things go.

[sam_newyork]

thanks everyone...

Thanks everyone for your responses and the helpful advice. If Dr. Boachie can get us in during Spring Break, that's what we will go for. I will keep you posted on how things go. Thanks again...and happy new year everyone!

Best,

Sam

[jc3]

Hi
Just thought i'd chime in here since my daughter had surgery 2 years ago with dr. boachie. I used to live on this board and haven't been on here in so long. My daughter is doing amazingly well and there were a few of us that our kids had surgery around the same time and my daughter was the slowest to get moving. She just took a little longer in the beginning to do what the others were doing. She was in the hospital 8 days, did not need a blood transfusion, they had her walking the day after surgery, she was out of school for about 8 weeks. I cannot say anything but praise about the hospital, staff, dr. boachie and everything about the whole experience. It was the hardest decision we had to make. The stress before is definitely worse then the whole thing. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have
Good Luck
Jennifer

[pat]

I am debating whether I should schedule the surgery during her Spring break (March) or wait until the end of the school year (June).

Hello, if you have any other children, I think having them in school during the recovery period vs. the summer is preferred. We had my daughter's surgery two years ago last October, and it worked out better, I think, with just her and I at home. School was great, her teacher came out to the house after her school day, usually three times a week.

Jennifer, nice to hear from you; I remember you! Our daughters had surgery the same month, possibly even the same day 10-25-04, right?

I'm still "here;" I have one wearing a brace now!
pat

[Karen Ocker]

when to schedule surgery

He(Dr. Boachie) has recommended a surgery (fusion of L1-L4) within the next three months because of the impact the kyphosis is having on the rest of her spine. posted by sam_newyork

Dr. Boachie said that for a reason--to prevent your daughter from further spinal damage.

My own experience: As a 14 year old, with a severe curve in 1956, my mom was advised to have my surgery in the summer but my mom wanted me to "have a summer". Over that summer, my curves increased so much, that I was in pain as never before. I was even more deformed going into surgery that Sept which, in turn, resulted in less of a correction.

[jc3]

hi pat
sure i remember you!! How is your daughter doing?? My nicole's surgery was not on the same day, but they were very close. Nicole's was November.... wow, i can't believe i can't even remember the exact date!!! I think it was the 2nd but i have to check on that. How sad is that; that i don't even remember and two years ago that was all that i could think about every second of the day. I am sorry to hear that your younger daughter is in a brace right now. How is she doing with that??? What are her curves?? I have two younger ones that i still have to watch. So far so good, but they still have plenty of time.
Great hearing from you
Jennifer

[sam_newyork]

Decided not to wait until the summer

Hi Karen, Pat, Renee, and Jennifer-

Thanks for all the helpful responses.

After hearing from everyone and thinking over the pros and cons, I've decided not to postpone the surgery until the summer. The long term benefits of moving quickly seem to outweigh any short term losses in my daughter's case. We are going to go for it as soon as we can get a surgery date. My daughter's apprehensive but she agrees that this would be better for her in the long run and she trusts Dr. Boachie. Plus, having the surgery earlier means that she will be on the road to recovery sooner rather than later.

Following Renee's (and others') suggestion, I met with my daughter's school principal and advisor last week to chalk out a post-op plan. The school was incredibly supportive and is wiling to work with us through the whole process so school certainly seems more manageable. I have a demanding work life and am the sole care-giver for my daughter so sometimes juggling everything seems a bit daunting but hearing from other folks makes it easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. A big 'thank you' to everyone!

Sam

[malka22]

Sam, don't forget to tell us when you get the surgery date with Dr. Boachie. Good luck!

[sam_newyork]

Hi there,

It's June 13th. I forgot to post it here and started a new thread (silly me!). I feel relieved that we have a date, yet I am considerably nervous. I am trying to focus on getting my daughter to eat healthy and stay fit until the day of the surgery. For now she is rather upset that she had to stop all her favorite physical activities (Tae Kwon Do, skiing and gym at school). She hasn't quite absorbed why her life needs to change (temporarily, we hope) as a result of her back (because she's been so active). Sigh! I will definitely keep you posted as things progress.

Let me know how your appointment with Dr. Boachie goes.

Best,

Sam