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had my surgery...

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  • had my surgery...

    and a lot has happened since then! first and foremost, i don't have internet access at home anymore, so i lost touch with this
    forum.

    i had the big scoliosis surgery on january 15, 2009.

    i was packed up and ready to go home on my 7th day in the hospital, but then a chest x-ray showed fluid in my lungs, so i got a wonderful chest tube inserted and got to stay 4 more days!

    anyways, the surgery was done by alexis shelokov at the baylor medical center in plano, texas. i had wonderful nurses and physical therapists and x-ray techs and all of that.

    one day, when i have access to a computer (i am typing this from my phone) i will write more about the whole experience.

    just mainly wanted to let everyone know that i had the surgery, it was the hardest but BEST thing i have ever done. i sleep better, breathe better, look better in my clothes, my dreaded rib hump was almost completely removed, i now have an aligned back!! yay!

    the main pain i deal with now is from where they did the thorocoplasty to remove the rib hump. 4 of my ribs were resectioned, and so when i inhale deeply or sneeze or cough, it hurts and so i try to be careful there.

    i would do it over again if i had to, and i sometimes think its so surreal that i went through with it. but i look at my before and after x-rays and just look in awe at what amazing things the doctors can do now.

    the scoliosis pain was immediately gone, and now i have a different kind of pain...just if i overdo myself, and then my trusty heating pad gets me through those rough times

    my back and incision site is still tender, some places are still numb and i flinch anytime someone goes to hug me lol..i am told that this will pass.

    well, i am going to go to bed now, and i will be back soon..thanks for reading!
    .: St@ci :.
    28 years old
    Mama to two daughters
    Diagnosed at 12 with double curves.
    No treatment.
    Decided on surgery 16 years later.
    Thoracic curve - 65
    Lumbar curve- 63
    Surgery was on January 15, 2009.
    Fused T2-L3
    No more curves now!

    Happier now than ever!
    http://www.lifeiscrooked.blogspot.com

  • #2
    just wanted to add for anyone who is curious, i had double major curves, the thoraciccurve was 65 degrees, lumbar curve was 63 degrees...
    i don't know what the degree of curvature is now, i hadn't thought to ask, i guess because my post-op x-rays show a spine that is just about perfectly straight up and down with a very hint of a curve at the base of the fusion...but like i said, it is just a hint of being "un-straight", especially compared to what it was before. hopefully one day soon i can post my x-rays on here.

    goodnight!
    .: St@ci :.
    28 years old
    Mama to two daughters
    Diagnosed at 12 with double curves.
    No treatment.
    Decided on surgery 16 years later.
    Thoracic curve - 65
    Lumbar curve- 63
    Surgery was on January 15, 2009.
    Fused T2-L3
    No more curves now!

    Happier now than ever!
    http://www.lifeiscrooked.blogspot.com

    Comment


    • #3
      Awesome. I hope you heal up well!
      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


      • #4
        Congratulations on having the surgery over and done with. I agree, it was the best thing I ever did. Very well worthwhile.

        The work these surgeons do is amazing.
        Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
        Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
        T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
        Osteotomies and Laminectomies
        Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

        Comment


        • #5
          Congratulations on your results. I so know what you mean about over-doing it. I tend to do so all the time, as in right after I decide that I feel pretty good. You would think I'd learn from one time to the next, but I keep repeating the cycle over and over. Maybe it does havesomething to do with the weather, as my physical therapist suggests.
          __________________________________________
          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


          • #6
            My best wishes of a speedy recovery go out to you. By the sounds of your post (upbeat), you are very happy with your results. I agree, it is the best thing to do.
            Vali
            44 years young! now 45
            Surgery - June 1st, 2009
            Dr David Hall - Adelaide Spine Clinic
            St. Andrews Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia
            Pre-op curve - 58 degree lumbar
            Post -op - 5 degrees
            T11 - S1 Posterior
            L4/5 - L5/S1 Anterior Fusion

            Comment


            • #7
              Terrific news! So glad that you are well on your way to recovery. I'm taking strength from your experience as I am still in the waiting mode (Aug 24). I particularly like to hear "i would do it over again if i had to." Best of luck as your progress through your recovery.

              Karen
              Karen, 66 years "young"
              Polio at 6
              Diagnosed with scoliosis at school; no treatment
              Lumbar curve in 2005: 40; moderate pain
              Lumbar curve in 2009: 55; pain severe
              Lumbar curve after surgery: 21
              Surgeon - Dr. William Lauerman, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
              Three surgeries in one week:
              8/24/09 L3 to S1 anterior spinal fusion with Harm cage
              8/28/09 Posterior spinal fusion from T10 to S1 with instrumentation
              9/1/09 Partial revision of instrumentation

              Comment

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