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    I had a thoracic curve of 41 and was fused from t6-t12 on 06/19/07. My doctor is Dr. Lieberman at the Cleveland Clinic. Well, after surgery I still have my rib hump. It's not super big, but enough to bother me when being in a hard chair or on the floor. Like many other people with scoliosis I know it's there too. I asked the doc about a thoracoplasty and he put it off to our next appointment and was trying to tell me not to have it. He was telling me about different pains that other people have gained after thoracoplasties. If any similar long term pain experiences please let me know about them.

  • #2
    Hi Crutch,

    I also had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, but with Dr. McLain. I'm sorry I can't answer any of your questions, but I felt the urge to welcome you here.

    This is a wonderful forum for support and encouragment through the good and bad times. I'm confident that someone here will be able to give you better advice than I.

    Welcome again,
    Shari

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    • #3
      Crutch,

      I didn't realize you had posted this. I wrote about the same thing the other day in one of my threads. I never even knew there was such a thing until reading about in the forums. I am very concious about every part of my back right now, as I am sure we all are. I don't know too much about the procedure at all. What are some of the things that have been going well with your recovery? I bet your back looks pretty awsome, remember we are the most critical of our selves.

      -Christine
      Surgery completed July, 2007
      Fused from T4-T12
      23years old

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      • #4
        Hi, I'm just discovered this forum and I think it's really good to have something like this, when I was going through my treatment a few years ago I didn't have anything like this.

        I'm actually from the UK but I have had 2 operations on my back, the curve in my spine before it was operated on was 90 degrees and looked like a perfect question mark! I've no idea what it is now but it's not perfectly straight, it looks a bit bent in the xrays!

        Anyway, I had the operation that you mention - thoroplasty or something - when I was 17 (I'm now 23). It was a cosmetic operation that my surgeon/consultant suggested I have as the first op (to insert the rods) did not make much difference at all to the rib hump which was very upsetting as this is what I most looked forward to. Even this 2nd op didn't make a huge difference but it took the sharpness off the angle of the curve if that makes sense?? And I've learnt to just live with it now as there is nothing more that can be done.

        I could write a book on my experiences but I won't bore you and I'm sure you are going through some of the same things as I did but if you any questions at all, no matter what they are, I'm more than happy to help!

        Laura

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        • #5
          Laura, was the thoracoplasty surgery as painful as the surgery to fuse your spine? What exactly does the surgeon do to reduce the curve?
          Surgery completed July, 2007
          Fused from T4-T12
          23years old

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          • #6
            hey

            no it wasn't as painful or as major as the other surgery. the surgeon had to break some or all of the ribs on my right shoulder blade, cut out as much of the bone as possible then fuse them back together - it sounds a lot worse than it actually is.

            they still have you on a morphine machine but not for as long, once they take you off it it's more uncomfortable than painful, like a really bruised feeling but if you keep telling them it hurts they'll give you more painkillers! the most horrid part was when the physiotherapist came to see me and she made me cough to get the build up of mucus off my lungs - with broken ribs this was not nice! but that was the worst bit and it doesn't take long to recover from it or to start walking around either. i was out within a week but felt better after about 4/5 days.

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