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  • fusion surgery

    Anyone have any experience with fusion? My daughter is going to have S1-L5 fused due to a slipped disc. They feel this may correct the scoliosis but won't know for sure for 6 months to 1 year.
    Moxie
    Mom to Beth, 12 years old. On diagnosis: T-32, S-28; T-23 with boston brace. Initially, Beth was diagnosed with a grade 2 spondylethesis. Now--spondylethesis is repaired; she rehabbing it. God has her in His hands. And, she's a GREAT kid.
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  • #2
    I don't know if I'm understanding you right, but I don't know how fusing only one level could help the scoliosis. L5 and S1 are right next to each other at the base of the spine. Best wishes for her surgery outcome!
    Be happy!
    We don't know what tomorrow brings,
    but we are alive today!

    Comment


    • #3
      Maybe it was a mistype and it is T5 to S1, otherwise I, like you rohrer01, cannot understand it. Moxie maybe you could make it a little clearer, as it does read that it is to repair the spondylethesis I would have thought also that she is only 12 and it seems that she may be a bit young to have that??but I am not very well versed on this, and as I would love to give you some support but would also like to hear her story, but only if you are comfortable with that Moxie.


      Lorraine.
      Last edited by Lorraine 1966; 08-13-2010, 03:50 AM.
      Operated on in 1966, harrington rods inserted from T4 to L3, here in Australia. Fusion of the said vertebrae as well. Problems for the last 14 years with pain.
      Something I feel deeply,"Life is like money,you can spend it anyway you wish, but can only spend it once.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Lorraine 1966 View Post
        ... to repair the spondylethesis I would have thought also that she is only 12 and it seems that she may be a bit young to have that??but I am not very well versed on this...Lorraine.

        My daughter was also 12 when she was diagnosed with Scoliosis, Kyphosis and Grade I Spondylolisthesis at L5-S1, so yes they are young, but it does happen.

        Jamie was fused from T3-L2. Her surgeon did not want to fuse to S1 and her Spond. has remained unchanged for the past six years.

        Mary Lou
        Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi Moxie,

          Sorry to hear your daughter needs surgery for her spondylolisthesis. When I was 17 I had a fusion of L5-S1 for the exact same problem, along with moderate scoliosis like your daughter. I was already done with brace treatment at that time, and they never x-rayed my scoliosis after the short fusion, so I do not know if it effected it at all. The surgery definitely eliminated all the leg and back pain I was having.

          In your daughter's case though, I am guessing there is a possibility that by stabilizing the spondy into a stable and correct position, the scoliosis my be positively stabilized also. I hope so. Does she wear a brace?

          Good luck with the surgery. When I had mine I was up and about within about 5 days, and recovered very quickly. Back then though (early 1980's) no instrumentation was used on me, so I wore a body cast for 3 months, but I could walk around in it pretty well and still held my after school job. I did refuse to go to HS with a body cast, so I had a home teacher come to the house every day for a few hours.

          Good luck, and please let us know how your daughter is doing.
          Last edited by leahdragonfly; 08-19-2010, 08:26 AM.
          Gayle, age 50
          Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
          Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
          Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


          mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
          2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
          2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

          also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

          Comment


          • #6
            I had surgery for spondylolisthesis in January '09. I was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 14. I wore a Milwaukee brace for 3 years while in HS after being in a body cast for 3 months. My spondy started to bother me in my 40's. The doctor I went to in Indy sent me for cortisone epidurals. I had 2 of those over a period of 6 years. Then I started getting numbness in my legs and butt. I switched docs at that point. I asked my new doc if he could fix the (then very high grade) spondy and scoliosis at the same time. He said that he wanted to stabilize my base first and only fix the spondy. The surgery went great. I had a solid fusion in 3 months from L4-S1. No more pain and no more numbness. He said that my lumbar curve straightened about 8 degrees after the surgery but it didn't do anything for my thorasic curve. Now he doesn't want to do my scoli surgery which is why I'm now going to Dr. Bridwell in St Louis who has lots of experience operating on the "over 50" set. Good luck. If your daughter has a lumbar curve the spondy surgery could help it some.
            Age 56
            Wore a Milwaukee Brace for 3 years in hs
            Fused L4-S1 for high grade spondylolisthesis Jan '09 in Indy
            Thoracic 68
            Surgery Aug 31, 2010 T3 to L1
            Dr Bridwell St Louis
            http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...1&d=1289881696

            Comment


            • #7
              Addressing spondylolisthesis only???

              I wonder about addressing just one part of the scoliotic spine.

              With scoliosis the whole balance/alignment is taken into account. If only the spondylo is taken care of now, and she needs surgery later, then 2 operations are needed. Am I guessing correctly that a neurosurgeon or general ortho is doing the procedure??? "Hoping" this will help scoliosis???
              If so, I suggest other opinions from scoliosis specialists.
              Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
              Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

              Comment


              • #8
                Thank you for all the replies. She is seeing an orthopaedic surgeon who does feel the spondyelethesis surgery will correct the lumbar scoliosis. He's not sure of the thoracic but did say the whole spine does compensate with slippages like this. Her spondylethesis is congenital and is caused by a pars defect. She has been wearing a Boston Brace for the last 4 years and at one point had no curve in her lumbar and an 11 degree curve in her thoracic with the grade 2 slippage at L5-S1. When the slippage went to a grade 3 her curves are now 29 degrees and 27 degrees lumbar/thoracic. She will continue to be in the Boston Brace or possibly another type of brace after surgery. He also said she may be facing another surgery of the same kind in 10-15 years since the disc above may have be bearing too much weight and degenerate. Currently, I'm more concerned about the spondylethesis versus the scoliosis as she slips from a grade 2-grade 3 based on her position. Something she's not done before. According to the doctor, she could slip to a grade 4 at anything. Her nerves are compressed but compensating.
                Moxie
                Mom to Beth, 12 years old. On diagnosis: T-32, S-28; T-23 with boston brace. Initially, Beth was diagnosed with a grade 2 spondylethesis. Now--spondylethesis is repaired; she rehabbing it. God has her in His hands. And, she's a GREAT kid.
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                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi Moxie,

                  Your daughter's situation is very similar to mine when I was a teenager. Moderate double scoliosis (31 T/32 L) and grade 3-4 spondylolisthesis diagnosed at age 13, wore a boston brace almost two years. My surgeon begged my mom to allow him to correct the spondy while I was still braced, but she has an unnatural fear of surgery, and wouldn't follow the doctor's advice. Finally, by the time I was 17, my leg pain and low back pain were so severe, I decided I wanted the surgery and made the appointment--Boy was my mother surprised! But she did allow the surgery, which went very well.

                  I did extremely well after the surgery and had all my leg and back pain resolve. I really had no further problems with my back until I turned 40.

                  Good luck, and I am sure your daughter will do great. Fortunately for her they have improved things tremendously since the '80's, and her hardware should hold everything solid while it heals without a cast. Will she have to continue with the boston brace until she is skeletally mature?

                  Take care,
                  Gayle
                  Last edited by leahdragonfly; 08-19-2010, 08:28 AM.
                  Gayle, age 50
                  Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
                  Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
                  Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


                  mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
                  2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
                  2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

                  also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    The doctor says she will be in her boston brace or another type of brace for the next 6 months and he will reevaluate the scoliosis and I would prefer that she wear something during that time. She's been in a brace for the last 4 years and I am unsure of how much discomfort she would be in without being braced. Gayle, have you had any problems with a slipped/bulging disc with the vertebrae above your fusion? He said she may be facing that problem in 10-15 years. He also said she if everything goes well she would not have any restrictions but I would prefer he to still have the weight restriction (school books...geez) and bending restrictions if there is added pressure to the vertebrae above.
                    Moxie
                    Mom to Beth, 12 years old. On diagnosis: T-32, S-28; T-23 with boston brace. Initially, Beth was diagnosed with a grade 2 spondylethesis. Now--spondylethesis is repaired; she rehabbing it. God has her in His hands. And, she's a GREAT kid.
                    [/FONT]

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi Moxie,

                      My surgery was in 1984, without instrumentation, and things were done differently then. I did great after surgery and had no problems really until about 2-3 years ago. Only then did I learn that L4-L5 never fused (pseudoarthrosis), and I now also have a grade 2 spondylolisthesis at L4-L5. My scoliosis has taken a significant jump in the past 12 months (12 degrees of progression) also. I am having a fusion T10-sacrum/pelvis in October. I think some of the problem comes from the fact that I had a laminectomy at L4, then it did not fuse, so it was left unstable.

                      I am sure your daughter will fare much better in her future because surgical techniques and instrumentation have gotten so much better. I think that's great she will be braced for 6 months afterwards, everything will heal up very well.

                      Good luck, and please let us know how she is doing.
                      Gayle, age 50
                      Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
                      Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
                      Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


                      mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
                      2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
                      2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

                      also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Thanks, Gayle.
                        Moxie
                        Mom to Beth, 12 years old. On diagnosis: T-32, S-28; T-23 with boston brace. Initially, Beth was diagnosed with a grade 2 spondylethesis. Now--spondylethesis is repaired; she rehabbing it. God has her in His hands. And, she's a GREAT kid.
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                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Beth had her surgery and had a few bumps in the road that extended her stay (heart and meds that caused delusions) but overall did well. The MD was concerned about her progress at first but she slowly came around and began to move her ankles. She is still in a good deal of pain but handling things well. She came home with Ankle-Foot-Orthotics (AFOs) and a walker. She has to use an elevated toilet seat and shower chair. I wasn't expecting those things to this extent. Having all those things certainly changed many of our routines
                          Moxie
                          Mom to Beth, 12 years old. On diagnosis: T-32, S-28; T-23 with boston brace. Initially, Beth was diagnosed with a grade 2 spondylethesis. Now--spondylethesis is repaired; she rehabbing it. God has her in His hands. And, she's a GREAT kid.
                          [/FONT]

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by moxie View Post
                            Beth had her surgery and had a few bumps in the road that extended her stay (heart and meds that caused delusions) but overall did well. The MD was concerned about her progress at first but she slowly came around and began to move her ankles. She is still in a good deal of pain but handling things well. She came home with Ankle-Foot-Orthotics (AFOs) and a walker. She has to use an elevated toilet seat and shower chair. I wasn't expecting those things to this extent. Having all those things certainly changed many of our routines
                            The very best of luck to Beth. When was her surgery? Let us know how she progresses.
                            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


                            • #15
                              Her surgery was the 21st and she is progressing nicely. However, I was very frustrated with Physical Therapy while we were in the hospital. They did not come as ordered and the PT focused on her spina bifida occulta rather than what was at hand. She told Beth, "You'll get used to all this equipment and one day you won't remember what it was like not to have it". The MD is pushing toward 'no deficits'. When the home PT came today, I found there were things the hospital PT did not check for or teach Beth. As it turned out when I've been helping her turn from her back to her right side and then to a sitting position she is unable to make those movements which has caused her pain ( I attributed it to morning stiffness and pain meds wearing off). So, I'm frustrated and wonder how much progression may have been lost due to the hospital PT's complacency.

                              I apologized to the home PT for her walking coming on the heels of a bad hospital PT experience and she did agree to call and speak with Beth's doctor finding out exactly what he wants.
                              Moxie
                              Mom to Beth, 12 years old. On diagnosis: T-32, S-28; T-23 with boston brace. Initially, Beth was diagnosed with a grade 2 spondylethesis. Now--spondylethesis is repaired; she rehabbing it. God has her in His hands. And, she's a GREAT kid.
                              [/FONT]

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