Hi, I am new here...I'm am considering surgery and terrified

[Rach84]

Hello, All!

I am new here and I am considering surgery and well, I am just plain terrified.
I am 23 years old with a 55 dergree curve. I am seeing a surgeon next week and I am wondering if anyone would mind sharing their advice with me. I know he is going to tell me I need surgery. Shots alone give me the creeps, so the thought of surgery has left me with a lot of anxiety. Thank you in advance to all who respond.

[Susie*Bee]

Hey, Rach! Welcome to the forum! There's quite a few younger gals around your age that have just gone through surgeries, so I'm sure they'll have some wisdom to share with you. Yes, the surgery is scary to think about, but please try to get some strength from the fact that so many of us have gone through it and are living testimonials. If we can do it, you can too. It really helps to be able to share how you feel about it with people who truly understand what you're going through. Take care.

[Singer]

We've all been where you are. I posted a message very similar to yours well over two years ago, and now I'm 9 months post-op and so glad to have it all behind me. It took me two years to gather up the courage to have the surgery.

Wait and see what the surgeon says, and be sure to get more than one opinion.

[loves to skate]

loves to skate

Welcome Rach,
I too was terrified before my surgery,(who isn't) and I didn't find out about this forum until 2 weeks ago at 3 1/2 months post-op. I am 68 years old now and doing just great, not perfect yet but much better than I expected for my age. Since I didn't have the benefit of this forum before surgery or knew anyone who had this type of surgery, all I could do was pray for peace. I also bought Peggy Huddleston's CD's for relaxation and they helped a lot. The support on this forum is really wonderful. I wish you well.
Sally

[Susie*Bee]

good books...

Rach-- I was just thinking about you some more... one thing that helps with the fear aspect is to know more about your condition, possible treatments, surgery, etc. There are two books that I read and re-read several times before my surgery-- and many of the folks on the forum have also. One is written by a guy who had scoliosis (he's a member of this forum) and went through the surgery... it is so informative and easy to read, and it's written from the patient's perspective. It is called Scoliosis Surgery: The Definitive Patient's Reference and the author is David Wolpert. You can order it through Amazon or the National Scoliosis Foundation. If you order it through NSF, a portion goes to them. That one I toted everywhere, even taking it with me to the hospital (as if I'd actually read it then!) The other book is written by a scoli surgeon--Michael Neuwirth, and is entitled The Scoliosis Sourcebook. This one goes into other options for treating scoli, but also deals with surgery.

You'll find that everyone is different, so scoliosis, its treatments, and surgeries are not a "one size fits all" thing as far as information goes, but you'll definitely get a really good picture from these books. If you choose just one, and think that surgery is indeed what you're facing, I would recommend the Wolpert one.

Best wishes as you discover more and more about your own journey. Again, keep us posted on your progress.

[vndy]

I'm 23 and almost 4 months post op (I can't believe how fast the time has gone). You don't need to worry about fear of needles - you won't know any of the graphic stuff is happening because you'll already be knocked out. If you want a detailed description, I wrote a day-by-day post in December about my hospital stay (you can search for it, or go to Threads Started by Vndy if you click on my name). I was pretty stressed out for the months between making the decision to have surgery (August) and the surgery itself (December). Being on the "other side" is almost easier than the worry preceding surgery. Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions - I'll do my best to help!

[Aussiemum]

Hey Rach,

My 13 year old would scream when having a splinter removed from her finger so obvioulsy going into surgery we were all petrified as to how she would cope with the pain. She breezed through and it shocked us all as to how well she did.

The stress and anxiety BEFORE the surgery is sometimes a LOT worse than the actual thing. You will be amazed at yourself and what you can endure once it's all behind you!!!!!

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Cheers
Del

[discombobulated]

Hi Rach,

I'm 21 - almost 9 yrs (!!) post-op from my approx. T3-L3 fusion & almost 7 yrs post-op from my L3-pelvic extension. It's looking like I'm heading for a revision of the latter, probably about June. Please don't be freaked out by that - mostly the revisions have been needed due to other medical problems affecting the fusion.

The wise people here are right that the waiting is a shocker - make sure you take care of yourself and try not to stress too much (I know, easier said than done!). If you do need the surgery, make sure you trust your surgeon, and ask him every & any question/query/fear/etc. that you can think of during upcoming appointments - for me at least, knowledge is one of the best remedies for pre-op nerves!

Anyways, sorry to ramble! But seeing as I've "been there, done that" & am back to do it again, I just wanted to add my name to the list of "PM me if you want to talk or ask questions"-people :-)

Best wishes to you - take care :-)

[Mobee211]

Hi there, I am 28 and am meeting a surgeon on Friday. I have had surgery before (bowel resection in 2004). I was petrified before I had surgery..Honestly, you are asleep when everything is happening...and when you are awake you are heavily medicated and relaxed...so you have no idea what is really going on. I had some moments of panic before surgery but lookinbg back..it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am sure you will be fine!!

[Rach84]

Thank you, everyone for answering!

I didn't think anyone would respond. It already comforts me to know people care and also are going through the same thoughts and emotions as me. Tomorrow is my first consultation with the surgeon, I'm a little nervous....I know what he is going to say. One more question, by chance, does anyone know of a good specialist in Florida?

Thank you.
Rachel [COLOR=Navy]

[Mobee211]

Check out this thread: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=115

[loves to skate]

loves to skate

Hi Rach,
I would recommend you go to www.srs.org. I copied this off of their website for you.
The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) is an international society that was founded in 1966 with 35 members. It has gained recognition as one of the world's premier spine societies. The SRS has maintained a commitment to research and education in the field of spinal deformities. Strict membership criteria ensure that the individual Fellows support that commitment. Current membership includes over 1,000 of the world's leading spine surgeons, researchers, physician assistants and orthotists who are involved in research and treatment of spinal deformities.

Hope this helps.
Sally

[SummerNC]

Rach,

I would love to stay in touch with you....sounds like we have alot in common.... 55 degrees and considering surgery....and scared to death....
Funny bc our tag in our original posts were very similar!!

Where do you live? Sounds like you mentioned Florida? I am in NC

I would love to hear what your doc says...I am getting a few other opinions and going to another doc here in Chapel Hill on Friday....I think getting as much info and feeling GOOD about the doctor is important!!

Obviously I don't want to have it now....but I know it is definitly a possibility that I will need to knock it out! Are you gathering info and getting different opinions? Let me know how your consulation goes today! Where is your curve located?? Mine is 55 Thoracic...

you can PM me if you would like as well! Good luck at your appt!

[Writer]

To Summer and Rachel --

Before you consent to surgery, you might investigate the Schroth physiotherapeutic method. In essence a trained physiotherapist would analyze the configuration of your scoliosis and teach you exercises that can halt progression, reduce or eliminate pain, and in many cases reduce the degree of abnormalities. In other threads on this forum, particularly in the Adults/Non-Surgical, you can read the impressions of people who've tried it. Just search on Schroth. If you ask an orthopedist about physical exercises he will probably tell you they don't work. But there are nearly 90 years of history behind this treatment, it is not unproven. The main Schroth clinic in Germany is still going strong with 200 patients at a time:

www.skoliose.com

There are several Schroth clinics in the US now. The closest to North Carolina or Florida would be Scoliosis Solutions in Rockville, Maryland. They work with Luke Stikeleather, a very experienced orthotist who's trained to make braces for Schroth patients.

http://www.scoliosissolutions.org/index.html

Best of luck to both of you whatever you do!

[loves to skate]

loves to skate

Dear Writer,
Is there scientific evidence to support this? I went to a Chiropractor for non surgical spinal decompression at a cost to me of over $5,000.00. After the treatments I did several exercises every day for over a year. Did it work?
I had minimal relief from my pain for a few months but it didn't last. So be very careful about alternative treatments even when there are glowing testimonies.
Sally