Hardware removal

[boomergal]

I feel bad you've been through so much. I wish you all the best for your surgery tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you.

Mary, Age 54
Surgery with Dr. Boachie, 7/5/11, fused T2-T12
Pre-surgery T60, L52
Post-surgery T26, L33
Next surgery scheduled 9/21/11

[Lorraine 1966]

You have certainly been through such a lot and I am thinking of you and praying for you. Best of luck and please let us know how you are going.

Lorraine

[patif]

Thanks so much for your prayers.
After Tuesday's surgery I was sent home on Thursday (earlier than expected). So far I am doing well. The main problem is that I feel like my ribs have been worked over with a baseball bat - really sore. I don't know what causes this but will ask when I get the staples out on Friday. Will report back then and hope soreness subsides.

[JenniferG]

Glad to hear you're doing well Pat. I am not sure what causes sore ribs, but I see it on this forum quite a lot. Hope someone can explain it for you. Take care and hope the rest of your recovery is smooth.

[KatherineP]

Dear Pat -- I hope you are doing well with your recovery. I, too, am now recovering from hardware removal surgery (Oct. 5th) although for different reasons. I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 14, had rods inserted when I was 18, and had to have them removed now (16 years later) because I developed a late onset infection. My rods became severely infected in early Spring but since I was in a school placement in another city I couldn't have the surgery until now.

The day after the surgery I had a hard time believing my surgeon that my recovery would be 2 weeks, but 10 days post I'm feeling a lot more positive. Unfortunately, I'll have to live with the PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) for 4-6 wks to continue to treat the underlying infection (I had been taking oral antibiotics for the 5 months prior to surgery).

Katherine

[jrnyc]

i hope both Pat and Katherine do well...
i wish you speedy recovery and freedom from pain...

Katherine...be careful the PICC doesnt get infected...
i had an infected PICC line years ago...ended up in ICU with septicemia!
was very sick with that...almost died!
just keep the area clean and dry!

jess

[JenniferG]

Katherine, can you tell us what the signs were of your late-onset infection? And how they discovered it was in your hardware? Just curious. I had imagined that 2.5 years post op, I had nothing further to worry about!