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  • Taller?

    I know the dr says I will be a few inches taller. I'm just wondering if that contributes to the tightness and leg pains on top of everything being required to stretch and move. I know I have a deep crease across my abdomen where I have twisted over the years. Does getting taller create any other issues or can I look at this as positive like I am getting a body lift so things don't sag as much as the do now. I am already concerned my clothes may not fit or be too short to wear. I didn't need to be any taller or thinner. Hoping not to lose weight through all of this.

  • #2
    I gained a smidgeon under 2 inches and had no side effects except a short-lasting feeling of "loftiness!"
    But considering I didn't gain those inches, I simply re-gained them, perhaps it was the drugs.

    As for weight loss. I didn't lose any, but most here seem to. But with the added length in my torso, I looked slimmer.
    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


    • #3
      i was 5'5 before surgery now i'm 5'6 1/2
      Kara
      25
      Brace 4-15-05-5-25-06
      Posterior Spinal Fusion 3-10-10
      T4-L2
      Before 50T
      After 20T

      Comment


      • #4
        My son went from 5'7" before surgery to 5'11" after surgery!! He said his balance was off for a bit and that it took a bit of time to get used to the heights of the counters around the house etc. and he did lose about 10lbs after surgery but he was in the hospital for 5 weeks and he got really sick of the food so wasn't eating as much as he should have been. When we got home he started eating MUCH better and has since put the weight back on but he still needs to gain a bit more as well as tone up those underused muscles. I am taking everything really really slow with him though b/c I don't want him to break a rod as he's only 5 months post-op.
        Son 14 y/o diagnosed January 20th. 2011 with 110* Curve
        Halo Traction & 1st. surgery on March 22nd. 2011
        Spinal Fusion on April 19th. 2011

        Dr. Krajbich @ Shriners Childrens Hospital, Portland Oregon



        http://tinyurl.com/Elias-Before
        http://tinyurl.com/Elias-After

        Comment


        • #5
          Had my surgery on August 23rd, I am about 2 inches taller. Most of my height was gained in the upper torso--my curve was so bad that my ribs were touching my pelvic bones...which I am sure rearranged some of my organs inside while spine was doing it's number.

          I have lost a few pounds and I really can't eat a lot at one time. I end up eating about six tiny meals a day. If I go to a restaurant, the food lasts me for at least 2-3 meals.

          You may feel you have enough tallness, but remember, your spine is stealing internal organ space and having the surgery will open it back up.

          I feel like to do look thinner...and it is a good thing to ponder when I migrate between good and bad days.

          Either way, I feel God is good and He has taken care of me through this--including finding a great surgeon like Dr. Edwards II.
          Discovered scoliosis when 15 years old.
          Wore Milwaulkee Brace for 1.5 years.
          Top curve 85 degrees, bottom curve 60 degrees

          Surgery completed August 23, 2011 (during an earthquake, can you believe that?)
          Dr. Charles Edwards, II
          The Spine Center at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, MD
          Before and after xrays:
          http://www.valley-designs.com/myspine

          Comment


          • #6
            Well I hope I don't gain 4 inches. But my spine is close to touching my right pelvis I had cervical cancer years ago and developed a food allergy I didn't know about until a couple of years ago. It takes me a very very long time to gain. I'm sure that is a problem some would like but it contributed to my osteoporosis I can lose 5 pounds just missing a meal. I just don't think I could take getting down to 82 pounds again. I hadn't thought about your balance readjusting that's interesting. It makes sense though. I am hoping that I can quit having my esophagus stretched after the surgery maybe that will help. I just hope that doesn't get worse.

            Comment


            • #7
              Kayde, boy can I relate to the "deep crease" across the abdomen. I had been puzzling over this for a while, wondering why my stomach seemed fatter while my weight stayed the same, and I am also very thin like you. One day I realized I was being all scrunched in front, and that was to blame for the way my abdomen looked. It's funny how these things happen relatively slowly and you don't realize all the parts of your torso that are being affected until one day, you do. Or at least, that's what happened to me.
              Stephanie, age 56
              Diagnosed age 8
              Milwaukee brace 9 years, no further treatment, symptom free and clueless until my 40s that curves could progress.
              Thoracolumbar curve 39 degrees at age 17
              Now somewhere around 58 degrees thoracic, 70 degrees thoracolumbar
              Surgeon Dr. Michael S. O'Brien, Baylor's Southwest Scoliosis Center, Dallas TX
              Bilateral laminectomies at L3 to L4, L4 to L5 and L5 to S1 on April 4, 2012
              Foramenotomies L3 through S1 in August 2014

              Comment


              • #8
                Yes it creeps up on you. When I first noticed it I thought it was because I had sat at the computer working 14 hours a day and that it was like a smile wrinkle. Then one day I was trying to stretch (I always feel like I need to stretch or straighten up) and it occurred to me that it was my back making the crease. I'm sure all the hours humped over made it worse but it seems like it appeared overnight. Lol. It just sneaks up on you

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Mojo's Mom View Post
                  Kayde, boy can I relate to the "deep crease" across the abdomen. I had been puzzling over this for a while, wondering why my stomach seemed fatter while my weight stayed the same, and I am also very thin like you.

                  Same experience with me. Earlier this year I was 5'10" and 135#. I couldn't understand why my tummy appeared to be getting "fat" while the scale weight didn't change. Now I'm measuring 5'7" and 140#. So the 5# weight gain was my choice because doc told me to gain some weight before surgery. I've been eating a bigger dinner than I normally do. I haven't had a waist in a long time so I will be quite shocked to see one post-op.

                  Warmly,
                  Doreen
                  44 years old at time of surgery, Atlanta GA

                  Pre-Surgery Thorasic: 70 degrees, Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 68 degrees, lost 4 inches of height in 2011
                  Post-Surgery curves ~10 degrees, regained 4 inches of height

                  Posterior T3-sacrum & TLIF surgeries on Nov 28, 2011 with Dr. Lenke, St. Louis
                  2 rods, 33 screws, 2 cages, 2 connectors, living a new life I never dreamed of!

                  http://thebionicachronicles.blogspot.com/

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hey ladies!

                    I, too, had that crease in my side and back, and the scrunched up torso sitting on my pelvis. It was so frustrating to be slender everywhere, but have a thick compressed torso and belly. I felt frumpy, and thought I needed to lose a few pounds through the middle, but I couldn't afford to lose it anywhere else. I was 5'6" and 118 lbs.
                    After surgery, I couldn't stop looking at the before and after pics of my back. (The pics in my signature are 7 days apart-the day before surgery and the day I came home.) I didn't recognize that sleek, symmetrical back. And I only gained a little over an inch, believe it or not. It sure didn't look like me. I love it-it was so nice to wear a snug t-shirt or swimsuit this summer and not feel like I had to suck in my gut!!
                    Last edited by jeneemohler; 09-17-2011, 01:23 PM. Reason: forgot something...
                    Jenee'-52
                    Bend, Oregon

                    Braced 3 years in high school
                    Lumbar 70'+ Thoracic 70'+
                    I had 3" shrinkage in 6 months...

                    Surgery Jan 10, 2011
                    9 hours
                    T3 to S1 with pelvic fixation
                    Both curves now 35'

                    Possible revison for Flatback Syndrome
                    Non-fusion
                    Loose/broken hardware-awaiting CT results

                    Here is the link to my before and after pics..
                    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt......&highlight=

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I agree, getting my waist back was lovely!
                      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


                      • #12
                        Getting rid of the crease is definitely a positive outcome of the surgery as well as giving your organs the space they should have.
                        Karen

                        Surgery-Jan. 5, 2011-Dr. Lenke
                        Fusion T-4-sacrum-2 cages/5 osteotomies
                        70 degree thoracolumbar corrected to 25
                        Rib Hump-GONE!
                        Age-60 at the time of surgery
                        Now 66
                        Avid Golfer & Tap Dancer
                        Retired Kdgn. Teacher

                        See photobucket link for:
                        Video of my 1st Day of Golf Post-Op-3/02/12-Bradenton, FL
                        Before and After Picture of back 1/7/11
                        tap dancing picture at 10 mos. post op 11/11/11-I'm the one on the right.
                        http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/pottoff2/

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Well, this is something to look forward to, then. I have gone from 5' 10 1/2 inches to barely 5'9", and my waist has grown from 25" to 28" while my bust and hips remain unchanged, as does my weight, at 120. Actually, I'm lighter than I was a few years ago, even though I have no waist. I'm hoping that's not due to bone loss, but I had my first DEXA two days ago and that will tell me what's going on there.

                          I haven't worn anything showing a midriff in several years, but I'll sport my scars proudly after I get straightened and get a waist back.
                          Stephanie, age 56
                          Diagnosed age 8
                          Milwaukee brace 9 years, no further treatment, symptom free and clueless until my 40s that curves could progress.
                          Thoracolumbar curve 39 degrees at age 17
                          Now somewhere around 58 degrees thoracic, 70 degrees thoracolumbar
                          Surgeon Dr. Michael S. O'Brien, Baylor's Southwest Scoliosis Center, Dallas TX
                          Bilateral laminectomies at L3 to L4, L4 to L5 and L5 to S1 on April 4, 2012
                          Foramenotomies L3 through S1 in August 2014

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I got a belly button ring some years back and I remember the young guy marking it and looking quite puzzled when I stood up and he remeasured me. Then he told me that my belly button was crooked lol. I didn't bother telling him I was crooked. Lol. I waist would be nice. I assume all my dress suits wil have to be let out on the right sides where I had them taken in. I hope to be able to wear a wiggle dress and something with the back out after the surgery. Due to the osteoporosis and my curve getting worse I lost an inch of height just in a couple of years. If I stretch I wish it would stretch my cellulite smooth too. There has to be more up sides to the surgery. With my date approaching it is hard to not think of the what if's. Which is never good.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I'm not one who loves to shop, however, it's so nice to be able to try on clothes that aren't loose fitting. I started a thread this summer that stated "shopping for a swimsuit was not painful for the first time in 20 years".
                              "what if" thoughts are normal and can drive you crazy. We all had them. Try to focus on all of the positive outcomes of the surgery and look to the future. I remember planting tulip bulbs last fall with the thought that when they come up in the spring that i will be several months post op and well on my way to recovery. I also reread David Wolpert's book right before my surgery and posted some encouraging statements from the book in the bedroom to keep my mind thinking positive thoughts immediately after surgery when I expected to feel lousy. It seems kind of corny, but it worked for me. I put Chicago's "Feeling Stronger Every Day" on my Ipod.
                              Karen

                              Surgery-Jan. 5, 2011-Dr. Lenke
                              Fusion T-4-sacrum-2 cages/5 osteotomies
                              70 degree thoracolumbar corrected to 25
                              Rib Hump-GONE!
                              Age-60 at the time of surgery
                              Now 66
                              Avid Golfer & Tap Dancer
                              Retired Kdgn. Teacher

                              See photobucket link for:
                              Video of my 1st Day of Golf Post-Op-3/02/12-Bradenton, FL
                              Before and After Picture of back 1/7/11
                              tap dancing picture at 10 mos. post op 11/11/11-I'm the one on the right.
                              http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/pottoff2/

                              Comment

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