Surgery Recommended

[nj_jl]

Hi. I am 25 (almost 26) and was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 9. I was treated as a child, but have not seen a doctor for almost 15 years as I was under the impression that once you are an adult there is little you can do. However, I saw an orthopedic surgeon this past week and he has recommeded that I get surgery. My curve is 61 and he said that he would just continue progessing. At this point it seems like surgery is the best option. Based on the surgeon's availability it looks like I will be scheduling it for mid-September.

The doctor said he could correct it approximately 50%. Does anyone know if it is possible for it to be corrected more? Would a 30 degree curve be significantly less noticeable? The doctor was very confident about me being a candidate for surgery.

Is there anything that I can do to prepare myself for surgery? I am nervous about it, but it seems that doing nothing will have serious consequences.

Thanks.

[azalea]

Hello nj_jl,

I had the same scenario you just described. I was diagnosed with scoliosis at around 16 years old and was told that nothing could really be done for me so late in my maturity. However last October my family doctor sent me to an ortho surgeon who recommended surgery. I was 26 years old with a curve around 60*. My surgeon also told me to expect a correction of about 50%. I had surgery in April, and I have not yet gotten the exact measurements of my "corrected curves" but the doctor estimates it to be around 25* now.
There is a definite possility for a greater correction than 50%. It all depends on the flexibility of your spine. A 50% correction is quite noticable. I am at least an inch taller, have a much smaller rib hump, and my spine appears to be in an entirely different place to me!
It can be so overwhelming, especially when you have accepted the idea that nothing can be done for you. I was a complete mess the months leading up to my surgery. The best thing I can tell you to do is to keep asking your doctor questions and keep looking here for support and answers. This forum kept me sane!

[*mimmy*]

hi

hello nj_jl,

i have the same case as yours..i was diagnosed with scoliosis when i was 13. it measured 23 degrees. my doctor suggested that i should wear a milwaukee brace and a thrice a week therapy, but you know how teenagers would not like to wear braces..when my doctor found out that i'm not wearing it, she told me that i should not have my therapy anymore because it's useless..from then on, i never went to her clinic and now that i'm already 23,(10 years after), married and have 2 kids, my curve worsen to 47 degrees and my new doctor suggested for an operation. now i'm quite nervous and thinking twice because i don't know what might happen to my family if ever i can't make it. thanks to this forum. it's a big help to me..

[nj_jl]

Hi! Thank you for responding to my post. It seems like you have had a positive experience with the surgery and/or are considering it. At this point I believe I do not really have a choice outside of surgery as my curve is just going to progress. I just scheduled the surgery for September and in the next three months I just want to prepare myself for surgery. Anyone have any tips or advice?

Thanks

[scoliboymom]

Hi nj_jl,

I just wanted to respond to your original letter regarding corrections. Although I know the main objective for surgery is to stop the progression of the curves it is always a bonus to get any correction. My son who just recently had surgery at 15 yo was told he would not get a good correction based on his bending x-rays. 50% would have been good. When the surgeon came out to talk to us after the surgery he had a huge smile on his face. That was a relief to us alone. But he said his spine was much more flexible then he had thought and his thoracic curve went from 79 to mid 20's. To look at his spine now it looks perfectly straight although his ribs and shoulder blades still look odd. That, I suppose, may or may not correct itself with time.
My point is that I think the surgeons never know for sure until they do the surgery what the outcome will be and it's better to guess on the lower correction side and not be disappointed after.
Good wishes to you for your surgery in September and if you have any specific questions I'd be more then happy to try to answer them.

Ramona

[Lesly]

my advice for staying sane

I, too, scheduled my surgery with three months to make myself crazy! The best advice I can give you is to keep yourself busy. My surgery was Jan 3rd and I was so worried that my holidays would be ruined.. but the opposite happened. I was so busy and my family and friends did a great job at keeping my mind occupied.
Also, your mind can be your most powerful tool, so fill it with positive thoughts. It will also help in your recovery.
Who did you say is your surgeon? I went to HSS and had Dr. Boachie do mine- he was wonderful.

Lesly

[nj_jl]

My surgeon is Dr. Errico from NYU Medical Center. I was given his name by someone at my Pilates studio and I really liked him. I was going to see Dr. Boachie, but I felt comfortable with Dr. Errico that I decided to stay with him. He has a great deal of experience and is well known in the field.

I wanted to give myself some time to prepare for the surgery which is why I wanted to wait a few months. Additionally since you are not supposed to expose the incision to much sun I wanted to wait until the summer was over! Luckily this summer I have a great deal of things happening so I won't have the time to think too much about it.

Has anyone had the surgery in their 20s (I will be 26 when I have mine)? How was your recovery?

I was thinking that the doctor would be conservative in his estimation of correction as to not get your hopes too much. You do gain an inch or two in height, right? I am just under 5 feet so an extra height would be welcomed.

Thank you everyone for responding to me. It really helps to hear from others who have gone through this.

[green m&m]

Oooh, a fellow NJer! My surgeon is Dr. Dryer, he works in the same group Dr. Errico does, both at NYU and their Millburn, NJ office.

[Heathmoose]

I was also diagnosed at a teenager, age 15 and braced for 3 years. My curve went from 36 degrees to 34 while in the brace. Then throughout my 20's, my curve progressed and by age 33-34 it was 70 degrees, so I opted for the surgery...I went with Dr. Boachie for my surgery, but heard good things about Errico...in fact, if I had not liked Boachie, my plan was to see Errico...(he's actually my ob/gyn's brother in law). I got very good correction, better than I expected...my 70 degree curve went to 19-20.

I always wonder if the brace really made a difference. I suppose it prevented my spine from curving faster while I was in my growth spurt as a teen.

[CBGTx]

Like many other people who have replied, I was also diagnosed early, in the 7th grade, at 22 degrees. I had the backbrace for three years, it progressed to 38 degrees, and then I didn't see a doctor for awhile. When I was in my early 20's, I went in because the pain was getting worse and the doctor told me my curve was at 66 degrees and would only continue to progress. I had the surgery 3 months later and my curve was corrected to 28 degrees. There is a huge difference in appearance and pain, the hump on the ride right of my back is gone, and I am now, a year and a half later, a marathon runner, when before I could barely run a mile due to so much pain. the surgery was the best thing i could have ever done. it was the most painful thing i've ever done as well, and i don't know if i could have ever really prepared myself for it....but each day got better and better, and after a month and a half i was walking, driving, attending my college classes...and by 3 months I had no pain in my day to day, and by 6 months I could run again..this time without the pain. I no longer have the numbing I had before surgery. The only thing I would change would be the entry point..I elected for the surgeon to go in through my side which gave me a very painful incision (and very long, it wraps from my naval up to my right shoulder blade), which turned out to be the most painful part of the surgery. I still have slight nerve damage on my stomache. If I could do it again, I would have had the surgeon go in through my back. I'm not sure if that's a concern of yours or not. They actually found out when they operated on me that not only was my spine curved over, it was also twisted around a full circle, and was backwards. Something the Xrays apparently never showed. So the surgery was such a blessing for me. And while, yes if I had done the surgery in my teens, I would have had a much better correction, but 28 degrees and standing still is better that 66 and still moving! Overall, like I said the best thing I ever did, a quick recovery considering the extensive surgery and a vast improvement. You're in my prayers.

[nj_jl]

Thank you all for replying to me. My doctor told me that at this point he believes that he will only have to make an incision through the back and not on the side! I am looking forward to having the safety of the curve not progressing anymore as my doctor told me that it would keep getting worse. I have thought about how much more of a correction I would have gotten if I did the surgery in my teens, but I do not think at that time I would have been mentally prepared for such a major surgery. At this point I am sure that any correction will make appearance of the curve much better as it is at 61 degrees now. My surgery is in September so I am anxiously awaiting.

Thank you again.