I had my sixth consultation with a surgeon yesterday. This surgeon is a veteran in his field and has been performing adult scoliosis surgeries for many years. He allotted me two hours of his time and was brutally frank. The bad news is I will require extensive surgery and I am high-risk. The good news is that I have finally gotten two consenting opinions. This surgeon recommends fusion of my entire spine in three operations. He also pointed out to me that because of the size and location of my curve, I am at a much higher risk for paralysis. He specifically referred to one of my MRI images and my most recent x-ray and explained to me what’s happening to some of my vertebrae. When I asked him what I could expect in the future if I don’t have this surgery, well I’ll just say it ain’t pretty. Interestingly, he mentioned that surgeons are seeing more and more patients like myself…aging baby-boomer females with untreated scoliosis who are presenting with pain and progressive deformities following menopause.
As an aside, for those of you who have had surgery or are contemplating surgery with Dr. Keith Bridwell in St. Louis, this Chicago doc voluntarily told me that Bridwell is “outstanding.”
Chris
As an aside, for those of you who have had surgery or are contemplating surgery with Dr. Keith Bridwell in St. Louis, this Chicago doc voluntarily told me that Bridwell is “outstanding.”
Chris
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