another newbie

[sillycoffeegirl]

Hello all, my name is Bethany and im 25. Was diagnosed at age 14. And went to chiropracters all my life. Took them that long to find it. I have an appointment with dr. huston in Arizona on Sept 22nd see how my back is. Last time i got the curves checked the big one was 57 degrees, hopefully they havent got much worse. I was wondering if anyone is from AZ that has had surgery because if i do go thru with it i would like to find a great doctor here. Thanks!:)

[jrnyc]

dear coffee girl
i am from nyc & ct, but just wanted to welcome you to this forum & congratulate you on being smart enuf to seek a solution while you are young...:)

best of luck
jess

[Zoee]

I had spinal fusion surgery (T-10 to Sancrum) on August 11th here in Phoenix. My surgeon is Dr. Dennis Crandall. He is amazing. He specializes in scoliosis surgery and is on tons of boards - does lots of research to stay on top of things. I am very pleased with the results and felt very safe with him. His offices are in Mesa and he does the surgery at St. Joseph's in Phoenix.

[csc]

I agree. Dr. Crandall is awesome! I had surgery Jan. 08 with him. His assistant, Claire Moore, is also very caring and knowledgeable. He's very much up-to-date with what he does. Go to his clinic site- there's a wealth of information there. Sonoran Spine Center. You'll be in good hands.

[Vali]

Hi Bethany,
Welcome to the forum, the people on here are great. Best wishes on your decision making journey.

[sillycoffeegirl]

thanks csc and zoee for the info about a good doctor here. Thanks for the welcome from everyone! I will def check out dr. crandall. Unitl i ofund this site no one i knew had ever had scoliosis and not many people knew what it was. I felt like a freak cuz i was different. But know i know it is something that happens a alot to more people than me. Thanks for being great!:)

[mixasu]

Hi Bethany,

My name is Jaclyn and I'm 21. I was kind of excited to hear from someone that was closer to my age. My top curve is 56 and bottom is 47. I am kind of set on having the surgery after years of trying to avoid it. Word is at our age its easier to fix and easier to recover. I'm hoping on that being true. Good luck to you and I would be very interested in hearing what you choose to do. It's a very difficult decision for me as well.

As far as doctor recommendations go, I live in NY and don't think I would be of much help...lol

Ttys,
Jaclyn

[sillycoffeegirl]

Heyy Miaxsu! Its nice to see someone closer to my age also. Nice to meet you! Let me kno what goes on with you too.:)

I just came back from my appointment with an orthopedic doctor(dr huston) and found out my curves had gotten worse. The large lower curve used to be 57* and is now 74*.:eek: And then my upper curve is now 49*. I knew it was getting worse but i thought maybe in the 60's. yikes! the Dr. said i could do some physical therapy for the pain but for progression its either surgery or a brace. I cant see myself wearing a brace forever. yuuck! But he referred me to a great surgeon named bill stevens. Has anyone ever heard of him?

[jesscv]

wow, that's a huge progression!! just fyi, i am now 26 and had the surgery in March when I was 25. i documented the whole experience in pictures in you're interested - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2086081&id=20201376&l=17c74e57e0 - i know looking at others' pics definitely helped ease some of my concerns along the way! do you think you'll definitely get the surgery? where would you be fused?

[sillycoffeegirl]

yea im seriously thinking about it but still worried about a lot of stuff. I just dont know if the timing is rite. But i would like to also get it done asap. I dont know who to ask to help me with the recovery cuz my bf is busy with work m-f and i hate living with my parents. Guess im just being crazy. I think it would improve my life alot! Are you thankful you did it, has it improved your life?