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    hi. i'm a 15 almost 16 year old girl who has been diagnosed with
    scoliosis. i have a 45 degree angle. i would like some advice. the
    doctors want to perform sugery. questions: is it worth it? what are
    the after effects? how long will it take to recover? what restraints
    do you have after sugery? how can i make my parents more comfortable
    about the operation? do you have any sugerical scars? thanks...
    glenda

    54T
    Posterior spinal Fusion--Dec. 12, 2007
    Fusion: T5-L3

    10T and Loving it!!

  • #2
    hey, i cant give you advice on scoliosis surgery because i had kyphosis(forward curve instead of side to side) surgery, but i can tell you some general things about the surgery and recovery that might help.

    I would say the surgery was definately worth it for me because i had alot more confidence when i was straightened out.

    I was in the hospital 9 days including the 2 days of surgery. I had my surgery at the end of july so i had about 1 month recovery time before school started and for the first 3 weeks of school i only went half the day. then in the spring i played lacrosse. I struggle throuh the seaon because i wasnt and good shape after doing nothing for 6 months, but my back never really hurt at all just the muscles in my shoulders felt tired.

    i do have scars. One down my spine and little circles on my right side in the armpit area. they have been fading slowly but i dont really care because i'm a guy, but my doctor told me i could put vitamin E on them to make them heal faster.

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    • #3
      You can find quite a bit of information on the Internet, if you just search "scoliosis". My daughter was just diagnosed with scoliosis also, and I didn't know anything about this so I've been reading the information that is available on the different websites. I would definitely suggest that you and your parents do some research on your own and then get a second opinion from a scoliosis specialist.
      jb

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      • #4
        Hi, I'm a 22 year old female who was diagnosed w/ scoliosis at age 6...was in a brace from 6-13, then had spinal fusion surgery at age 13. Let me tell you, it was worth it. I don't remember too much of it because it's been almost ten years. But they put you under anesthesia, and the last thing I remember in the operating room was a surgeon/aide making a joke, and I laughed and was out like a light. They usually ask you to wiggle your toes during/after the surgery while you are still under anesthesia, just to make sure it all goes ok. I remember waking up really groggy and seeing my family, but it was all a daze. I guess you get really swollen-looking after your surgery for a few hours, but that goes down..no biggie. I was in the ICU for at least one night that I can remember. Then I moved into the pediatrics area. I didn't eat much, but ice, and they eventually took me off the morphine (which i had a button to push when i wanted more..haha), and they put me on an oral painkiller. I was in the hospital for 5 days. I had to learn to get up and walk again...slowly down the halls at first. The first night in the hospital I had to have an x-ray taken of my back and that was kind of uncomfortable because they had to put a hard x-ray board under my tender back, but it wasn't bad. After I was released from the hospital I went home and had to have some help with everyday activities. But I was mostly just hanging out in a robe on a bed or in a recliner. All in all it was good to be done with the brace. I now have two steel rods in my back. They took bone from my hip to use in my spine as well. I should go see a doctor soon again, just for a check up. Let me know if you have any other questions, maybe I'll be able to remember more!

        Julie

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        • #5
          Oh yes, also, I do have surgical scars, but they have faded a lot. I have one pencil-line-thin scar down the center of my back and one on my right back hip. They aren't bad at all. As far as recovery time goes, I was not allowed to participate in PE for at least a year. After that, I ran track all four years of high school and played basketball and did cross country my senior year. So I was pretty active. You just have to be careful not to overdue it. But I was both the girls' track captain as well as the girls' cross country captain. I was told later on that I should not really run because of the jarring impact it can have on your back. I didn't know that before I did all that running. So be sure to check w/ your doctor. I still get occasional pains and am checking into getting revision surgery, to see if I can have the rods removed now that I am older. I hope this info helps make you/ your parents more comfortable!

          Julie

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          • #6
            Julie,

            Thanks for sharing your story. It helps to hear from someone who has been through this.

            Why do you want the rods removed? Are they what is causing you occasional pain? Did you always feel the rods, or were you eventually able to forget about them?

            My daughter is very active, like you, and I'm hoping she will be able to continue in sports if/when she has the surgery.

            Thanks,
            Julie too
            jb

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            • #7
              My doctor told me i should do any sports that require alot of flexablity gymnastics, wrestling, etc and football because of the pile ups that often occur (luckily i dont play any of those sports). I do however still play full contact lacrosse and was able to play only 6 months after surgery.

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              • #8
                glenda87, I had surgery when I was about your age (I was 15). Let me first say what no one else in this forum is saying: IT SUCKS! It is a hard thing to go through when you are in high school. My aunt needed surgery when she was in high school, but because she was really popular she didn't want to. Now at 56, she just had her 8th surgery. It is worth doing now because your body is so resilient. Putting it off only makes it worse.

                I had to wear a brace after the surgery, but I didn't mind. It wasn't like the brace I had before to try to correct the curve, which pushed me and was uncomfortable. I actually liked my post op brace because it was comfy and made me feel protected.

                As for the scar, it isn't that bad, but I was still self conscious about it when I wore tank tops or formal dresses for school dances. People would ask me what it was from and then I would have to explain the whole thing to them. When I was 18 my mom took me to a plastic surgeon who buffered down the scar, so now it is only visible on close inspection or to other people who have had spinal fusion.

                I hope everything goes well with your surgery. It is unfair and it is tough, but it is worth going through.

                Comment


                • #9
                  yeah it did suck, but what sucks more having very obvious curves and humps in your back that will continue to get worse or going through one month of a sufficent amount of pain and six months of discomfort. going through the whole experience while in high school also sucks but think of it this way now you got a signifacant experience in your life to write about for your college essays.

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                  • #10
                    It will be OK

                    My daughter is 12 and has recently had the surgery.She plays open class AAU basketball. She has participated in 2 National Tournaments. 17th in the nation last year. She was diagnosed this past Christmas with 41 degrees Thoratic. It was noticed by her aunt , who also had the surgery 25 years ago at christmas. At March 21 pre-opt visit she was at 46 degrees. March 27 she had a 4 hour surgery. She is now between 0 and 3 degrees, best to worst. She was 5-6 now 5-8 and doing very well. Her Dr was Dr Schwartz from Indy Ortho Indianapolis and her hardware was Titanium Stainless Alloy (Horizon) provided by Medtronics. She had surgery on Monday stood and walked on Tuesday was released on Thursday 72 hours then went shopping on Sunday. 6 days post opt. She had 14 screws and 2 Rods. The Dr did not use donor bone , he scraped the vertabre and injected some sort of protein to promote healing. He is considered a leader in his field, check his bio at IndyOrtho.com. She came home only on T3 pain meds. Her case was considered A+ in both correction and recovery. We believe it was due in part to the shape she was in, she had her surgery 6 days after her school Basketball season was over. She has lost 5 or 10 pounds that she shouldn't have. but is doing great. With his method she did not have to wear a post opt brace. The only concern we currently have is avoiding contact and falls until late June. She plans on playing in her 3rd National Tournament in July. The speed at which she is recovering is scarey to my wife and I but she has given no reason to question. Everything has went as we were told. I believe physical shape going into surgery is very important, as well as eating well post opt and walking as much as possible. We believe we also had one of best Doctors available. Educate yourself and plan well and make a list of questions, and try to stay positive.
                    Last edited by AAU_dad; 04-30-2006, 12:07 AM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi AAU Dad,
                      What a great post to read. My daughter is also 12 and having surgery June 19. She is also very active in basketball and softball. It is so encouraging to read your story and know that she will be playing sports again after surgery. Her doctor is also going to use the bone morphogenetic protein on her as well. I hear it is expensive but the doctors nurse told me that it had been approved by the FDA for adolescents. I have heard and read that the protein can shorten recovery time from 1 year to 4 months in regard to getting back into sports. I will have to show my daughter the picture of your daughter shooting baskets 1 month post up.

                      Thanks so much for sharing,
                      Kathy

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                      • #12
                        Glenda:

                        I'm sure that you're parents are worried about the procedure. I can honestly say that the worrying was much worse than the actual surgery. My 14 year old daughter had hers in March. She had the surgery on Tuesday and was home on Saturday. She never had the need to take any pain medication once she was home. Like one of the previous posts, she too is an athlete. Soccer and basketball. I honestly believe that being in peak physical shape before only make the whole recovery period easier. She was ready to go back to school by three weeks post op. Some days she is a little tired after school, but a half hour nap helps. The scar isn't too bad. It's just a thin red line going down her back. We put vitamin E on it every night, this is supposed to help it fade faster. The hardest part for her is that spring soccer season is starting now and she is not able to participate. But on the positive side, she now has beautiful posture!!!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          AAA Dad,

                          Thanks for sharing your awesome story about your amazing daughter. I need to read stories like that so I can mentally prepare my mind for anything. I love the picture, too. Here's to a continued speedy recovery for your daughter. I'm sure you are a very proud Dad.

                          Melissa
                          Melissa
                          From Bucks County, Pa., USA

                          Mom to Matthew,19, Jessica, 17, and Nicole, 14
                          Nicole had surgery with Dr. Dormans on 9/12/07 at Children's Hospital of Phila. She is fused T-2 - L-3

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                          • #14
                            Jessie's Recovery

                            Our Dr is telling us 10 weeks. Dosn't that seem awful fast. She is doing so good it seems possible. But I am still very cautious. She does however have a very bad case of the princess syndrome, I am looking foward to her being over that before 10 weeks . I also think that she did not have alot of time to worry. We found out Dec 24 and had it behind us Mar 27. During that time we kept her really busy. My wife and I had discussions if she had good understanding of what was happening and if it was fair to her to move so quickly. In her case I think it has proven to have been the right discision. I am pretty sure its not right for most. It was like she didn't want to know everything, lets just get it over with. She trusted our direction and her doctor. She told the prep nurse when ask if she had ?s or concerns. "I will be asleep, you guys will be the ones with all the worries".

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