Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

surgery or not?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • surgery or not?

    I'm 15 (16 in 8 days!) and have had scoliosis as long as i can remember. I wore a brace for two and a half years in middle school, and my doctor says that my s curve has stabilized at 42 thoracic and 30 lumbar. I know that these numbers are not usually high enough to get surgery, but my doctor is offering surgery for me only whithin the next year.

    Before now I absolutely did not even want to hear the word surgery, and was so glad that i wouldn't need it. The doctor says that my organs are not in danger, my curve will probably not get worse, and surgery would be to improve the looks of my spine. Although i can't really enjoy shopping anymore, i'm not really concerned with how my spine looks.

    The problem is that i've been having mild pain in my upper and lower back after sitting somewhere for a long period of time, school, studying etc. So I don't know if this pain will get worse as i get older, or if surgery will help it. My dad has scoliosis and has constant pain, i don't want to end up like that. I also want to be a pilot when i get older, but if i can't sit for extended periods of time...

    The problem is that my doctor denies that my curve should create any pain at all. But i'm obviously feeling pain in my back, i swim competively, am healthy, try to have moderately good posture. none of my friends have pain.

    So what do you think
    Will surgery help back pain?
    Is pain back even associated with scoliosis?
    Is it worth it to get surgery at this point, if i don't necessarally need it?
    Is there anyway to combat back pain? stretching sometimes helps...

    Please help! My parents and my doctor have left if entirely up to me to make the decision, while my mom thinks that i should have it and my dad is undecided. I'm confused.

  • #2
    Swimmer,

    When I was your age, my numbers were similar to yours. I was not offered surgery, and, like you, was told my curves would probably not progress further. Unfortunately, my curves increased 10 degrees in about 7 years. I had surgery almost 2 weeks ago. It's not fun, but I was in pain before and hopefully this will help in the future.

    Unfortunately, noone can predict whether your curves will stay the same or not. Surgery is easier the younger you are, but if, in the future, your curves increase and you're in pain, you can always make the decision later on. Don't feel like it's now or never.

    Good luck
    2000 34*L/39*T
    2007 44*L/53*T

    12.3.07 Posterior Spinal Fusion T4-T12
    (initially planned T4-L1)
    12.18.07 11*L/10*T

    23 years old

    Comment


    • #3
      My daughter is almost 16 as well, and like you had a brace for years and is active in dance (not swimming) but still a sport. Has your doctor told you if your growth plates are closed? My daughter was done growing, out of the brace for a year and then curve went from 48 to 57 thoracic. After reading a lot of reports, I did find a key for us, my daughter was diagnosed pretty early, by age 10 with a 32 degree curve. The studies I read indicated that if diagnosed by age 10 with a curve over 30 your chances of the curve increasing to over 50 is 90% -surgery. But, everyone is so different, which the doctors I know wish they could have a crystal ball on whether or not to have surgery. Our surgeon did advise her after it hit 50 that surgery would be best, but until that magic number 50 hit, he said it was totally up to her, and like you would not affect long term health.
      Is your pain related to your sport by any chance? My daughter has 2 friends in diving that have back problems, but no scoliosis, also dancers with back pain, unrelated to scoliosis.
      So, my daughter had surgery 4 weeks ago, and tonight she is at a surprise party for a friend! She went back to school all day yesterday, and will probably go full time all this week before they get out for Christmas.
      The surgery is not nearly as bad as we had initially expected; but the decision to do it is the hardest part. She does have a high thrershold for pain - probably from all those years in toe shoes
      Maybe you can wait just another year and see how far its progressed, if any,then proceed. That's what we kept doing. But I know my daughter is pleased with how much more even she is now that her surgery is past. Her shoulder blade sticks out actually a little more than it used to, so that is uneven, but her shoulders and waist and hips are all even now. The scar is healing pretty well, since its only been 4 weeks.
      Well, hope any of this helps.
      Mary - daughter Amanda had surgery Nov 15 in Dallas, doing great, back to school at 4 weeks. Curve was t59/L47 fused T2-T11 corrected to T19 L9 !!

      Comment


      • #4
        Mary,

        congratulations. I am a little confused though. If she had a curve in the 40's in her lumbar, how did it correct without fusing the lumbar? Was it compensatory and just corrected by itself?
        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

        Comment


        • #5
          Swimmer,

          Nobody can tell you what to do. But if it were my daughter in this situation, we would get her monitored every 4-6 months and if her curves went into the 50's range, she would get surgery. Nicole had surgery because every doctor told her she needed it. If she didn't have to have it, no way would she have had it. But if you start to progress then the answer will be clearer.

          Good luck.
          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

          Comment


          • #6
            Unfortunately surgery isn't a quick fix for back pain. My doctor told me not too expect my pain to get any better and that I would always have pain. I still do have pain, worse than what you describe so if that is your only reason for getting the surgery I'd say that it isn't worth it. I find it strange that your doctor has given you the now or never scenario. It's never too late to have a spinal fusion and wouldn't you rather wait and see if your curves actually progress before you go through with it? Surgery is not a fun experience and it isn't a quick fix. It takes at least a year before you're feeling normal again and can do most of your favourite activities. If however your curves increase to the point where you know they are going to get worse then it is completely worth it. Just one more thing I'd like to add, my doctor told me that there are certain professions I can't do if I have a spinal fusion and one of them was a pilot. I don't think that is a set rule but it might be something to look into beforehand.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by aimalee
              Unfortunately surgery isn't a quick fix for back pain. My doctor told me not too expect my pain to get any better and that I would always have pain. I still do have pain, worse than what you describe so if that is your only reason for getting the surgery I'd say that it isn't worth it.
              Surgery may not be a quick fix but I have NO pain 5 years after a massive revison. So "always" having pain is not necessarily the rule.

              Aimalee, It is common to have a lot of pain the first year while healing. That does not mean it will last forever.
              Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
              Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

              Comment


              • #8
                thanks a lot for your comments, its good to hear different sides of things.
                i guess it's just hard because so much of it is up to chance
                as i see it
                i could either get the surgery, recover with a straighter back and no pain after a year
                or get the surgery and be in pain for the rest of my life with complications and possibly not be able to be a pilot :-(
                i could wait, either progress and then get surgery when i'm older (with more risks?) or not progress either
                - have more back pain as i get older or
                - be completely fine with minor inconvenience
                it's so confusing! i don't want to take risks for a "quick fix" but i also don't want to give up an opportunity which i might regret later...
                also my doctor says it has to be within a year because i'll have less complications now, and says that surgery younger is easier to recover from
                is all this true?
                how bad is the recovery period?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Swimmer,

                  Risks for surgery wont increase within 1 year. Risks might increase 10 years from now... waiting a year or two will not add risk. And, if you wait until your 20s, you'll be able to see if your curve is increasing or not.

                  Good luck
                  2000 34*L/39*T
                  2007 44*L/53*T

                  12.3.07 Posterior Spinal Fusion T4-T12
                  (initially planned T4-L1)
                  12.18.07 11*L/10*T

                  23 years old

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X