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  • Surgery date set

    Hi all...it's been awhile since I posted here - I've been incredibly busy powering through the long list of things I have to do before my surgery which is THIS MONDAY the 16th!!! I have tried on a few occassions to add myself to the surgical calendar but apparently I don't have enough access priviledges? or something.

    My first surgery will be at Johns Hopkins hospital at 7.30. Dr. Khaled Kebaish is my surgeon and I feel completely confident in his skills and expertise. He (along with his team) is fusing from T3-S2 using titanium rods and screws including pelvic anchors. The second surgery will take place approx. 4 weeks later to fuse from the front L5-S1-S2. It's a lot but he feels waiting between surgeries gives much better results so....

    We had all the pre-op stuff to do today - that took 5 hours but they were very efficient. Yikes, I felt like I was signing my life away! I'll have my husband Chris post an update here on Monday night or Tuesday. And I would appreciate any prayers and positive thoughts sent my way throughout the day!

    I also want to say that I have been watching all those who have been having surgeries ahead of me and my thoughts and prayers have been with you.

    Looking forward to posting news from the 'other side!!'
    Julie - 51 yrs old

    Dx'd 1973 - 43* thoracic curve / rotation
    Wore Milwaukee brace 1973 - 1979
    Pre-surgery: 63* thoracic / 52* lumbar curves


    Surgeries: P - March 16, 2009 - Fused T3-S2 with pelvic fixation
    A -April 14, 2009 - Fused L5-S1
    Achieved +70% Correction
    Dr. Khaled Kebaish, (and team) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore


    Standing x-ray
    New Spine 03/19/2009
    New Spine Lateral 03/19/2009

  • #2
    Wow Julie! SOunds like a long haul. I will send positive thoughts and prayers your way this week! (By the way - I have a great feeling about your surgery - it's near St. Patrick's Day - the luck of the Irish will be with you!)

    Best wishes - hang tough

    Always Smilin'
    Colleen

    1982 fused T2-L1
    pre op 45 - post op 33 (left thoracic)
    pre op 53 - post op 18 (right thoracic)

    recheck 2006
    right thoracic 57
    lower lumbar 34

    surgical revision April 28,2009
    revision T3-L1; new fusion L1-L4
    unsure of degrees at this point

    Comment


    • #3
      Good luck Julie,

      I noticed that you wore the lovely Milwalkee brace in the 70's like I did too. ICK. Your current Xray looks a lot like my pre-op one did too. I know you will do well. I'm looking forward to reading your update.

      Stay calm!!
      __________________________________________
      Debbe - 50 yrs old

      Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
      Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

      Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
      Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
      Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

      Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
      Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

      Comment


      • #4
        Julie- my prayers and best wishes will be with you. I, too, had 2 surgerys a month apart. I am glad you have such confidence in your Dr. That makes it all so much easier!
        Nancy Joy

        Surgery- Posterior- Oct. 8th, 2008
        Anterior- Nov. 10th, 2008
        Age 54
        T10 to Sacrum
        Curve 65 degrees
        Very straight now!!!

        Comment


        • #5
          Julie

          Ive been wondering when you were going to post again. Thanks for letting us know.
          Everything will be fine. I will be thinking of you on Monday

          Ed
          49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
          Pre surgery curves T70,L70
          ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
          Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

          Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

          My x-rays
          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

          Comment


          • #6
            Yes, Julie-- our thoughts and prayers are with you. I just added your first surgery on to the thread with January, February, March surgeries... and then also entered the info into the regular (official) surgery calendar. It has to be approved by a moderator but should appear within a day or two. I figure you are busy enough with getting ready so I just entered it instead of trying to explain about it. Hope that's ok with you! Hugs, Susie
            71 and plugging along... but having some problems
            2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
            5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
            Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

            Corrected to 15°
            CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
            10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

            Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

            Comment


            • #7
              Julie, I also am scheduled for surgery this MONDAY, the 16th!!! Just think....we will be in this together. The support from this site is incredible. Today is my last day of work until the surgery as I have a lot to get done as well.

              Good luck to you!!!
              Rachel

              Comment


              • #8
                Best of luck to both of you. It will all be okay!
                Chris
                A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
                Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
                Post-op curve: 12 degrees
                Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

                Comment


                • #9
                  My best to you both also.
                  Sally
                  Diagnosed with severe lumbar scoliosis at age 65.
                  Posterior Fusion L2-S1 on 12/4/2007. age 67
                  Anterior Fusion L3-L4,L4-L5,L5-S1 on 12/19/2007
                  Additional bone removed to decompress right side of L3-L4 & L4-L5 on 4/19/2010
                  New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA
                  Dr. Frank F. Rands735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/butterflyfive/

                  "In God We Trust" Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Khaled Kebaish gonna put the kybosh on your spine. Have a great correction and a swift recovery
                    45L/40T
                    Surgery 25/1/2010
                    Australia

                    Knowthyself

                    Scoliosis Corrected 25/1/2010 by Dr Angus Gray, Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Sydney. Fused T3-L4.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      March is a busy one! I'm 2 weeks after on the 30th. This waiting is really awful. Very best of luck to you Julie and to Rachel too. I'll be following your updates with great interest. Will be thinking of you and praying for a great outcome and recovery. Janet
                      Janet

                      61 years old--57 for surgery

                      Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
                      Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
                      Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
                      Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
                      T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

                      All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Thank you everyone for the kind words and offers of support. You know, everything I have learned from this site and being able to read posts from so many people here has helped me so much. So thank you to all you frequent posters (you know who you are!) and occassional posters such as myself who help pave a road that could be a really scary place to travel. It's great that you give of your time, experiences, stories and advice to those of us coming after you.

                        I quit work 3 weeks ago - I needed time to get some things done and frankly I just didn't have the energy or was hurting so bad in the evenings that I was really stressing about my 'list.' Then my husband arranged a trip to Key West & Key Largo, FL which was fabulous. It was cool a bit of the time, or I should say the water was! We had planned to dive some in the Key Largo area but in the end he went without me because I was sneezing and had a scratchy throat and felt a cold was eminent so the last thing I needed was to sit on a dive boat chilled to the bone from 70* water. :-( after the surgery I can still dive, just a different entry and suit up. It was still a great time alone with hubby and few kid distractions (just other people's!).

                        Just got back from the salon - got my hair cut short for the recovery phase and last night I finished the quilt I have been working on. It's made from my mom's (passed away 3 years ago) 'Walking Kansas' t-shirts (the blocks) with flannel for the backing and front borders. Very cozy and it means a lot to me to have a little piece of her with me as I recover.

                        I must say mostly I feel so very hopeful and if I let myself I actually feel excited by the prospect of a straighter back, no more progression AND hopefully waaaaaay less pain. Today we got our insurance confirmation letter and gosh, THAT's a sobering bit of info isn't it? Course I don't know what it all means - Glad the dr.'s office made the arrangements 'cuz I have no idea what all the codes stand for!

                        Sorry this is a long post - guess I'm making up for the posts that I didn't send the past few months.
                        Julie - 51 yrs old

                        Dx'd 1973 - 43* thoracic curve / rotation
                        Wore Milwaukee brace 1973 - 1979
                        Pre-surgery: 63* thoracic / 52* lumbar curves


                        Surgeries: P - March 16, 2009 - Fused T3-S2 with pelvic fixation
                        A -April 14, 2009 - Fused L5-S1
                        Achieved +70% Correction
                        Dr. Khaled Kebaish, (and team) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore


                        Standing x-ray
                        New Spine 03/19/2009
                        New Spine Lateral 03/19/2009

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Rachel and Julie,

                          All the best to you on Monday for a successful surgery. Time goes so quickly that before you know it, you’ll be reporting about all the post-op progress you’re making. Julie, I too got my hair cut short before my surgery. I did not want to deal with it while recovering, and since it was summer I would just wash it and let it dry outdoors in the sun. I was losing hair for about three months following surgery from the anesthesia, but now I’ve got more hair than I know what to do with.

                          God bless you both.

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