Hello, this is my very first post, although I've been reading the forum for some time now and have learned a lot. What a wonderful resource! My story is similar to many. My spine started curving at puberty, and I wore a Milwaukee brace for a couple of years. At 16, doctors told me my spine had stabilized when I stopped growing. I don't know what my curves were then, but my spine seemed pretty stable until around age 50 (I'm 61 now), when it began to worsen. It now feels like it's collapsing on itself, and my quality of life has certainly diminished. Seven years ago, I saw an orthopedist who told me surgery could NOT make my spine any better, only keep it from getting worse.....and I believed him.
Then last summer, two friends from other states told me about two friends of theirs (both my age or older) who had recently had successful scoliosis surgery. I soon spoke with each of them.....and I began to have hope.
This began my search to educate myself about different procedures and to find a surgeon. Eventually I was able to see Dr. William Horton at Emory of Atlanta.
My current curve is nearly 80 degreees, and he wants to fuse T-2 to L-5. Since my spine is quite rigid, he says I can expect only a correction to +-61 degrees with a posterior procedure; however, if he adds an anterior procedure (5 days earlier), I MIGHT be able to come away from both surgeries with a correction to 40 - 45 degrees.
I certainly would like to have the best correction possible, but here is my dilemma: Is it worth going through the anterior procedure also (which I understand is even more difficult and risky), in order to get, possibly, 20 degrees more correction? I would really appreciate any advice from those of you who have faced a similar situation.
Peachy
Then last summer, two friends from other states told me about two friends of theirs (both my age or older) who had recently had successful scoliosis surgery. I soon spoke with each of them.....and I began to have hope.
This began my search to educate myself about different procedures and to find a surgeon. Eventually I was able to see Dr. William Horton at Emory of Atlanta.
My current curve is nearly 80 degreees, and he wants to fuse T-2 to L-5. Since my spine is quite rigid, he says I can expect only a correction to +-61 degrees with a posterior procedure; however, if he adds an anterior procedure (5 days earlier), I MIGHT be able to come away from both surgeries with a correction to 40 - 45 degrees.
I certainly would like to have the best correction possible, but here is my dilemma: Is it worth going through the anterior procedure also (which I understand is even more difficult and risky), in order to get, possibly, 20 degrees more correction? I would really appreciate any advice from those of you who have faced a similar situation.
Peachy
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