Hi everyone!
I've read these forums for a very long time, but this is my first post. My third surgery is coming up soon and I'm getting a little anxious - so I figured I would go ahead and introduce myself and get to know everyone!
My name is Lindsay. I'm 26 and live in Pittsburgh, PA. A little background...I was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis (a hemivertebrae) when I was 7. My curve was about 72 degrees at the time of surgery, and I was fused with a bone graft (L2-L4) and casted. Up until about three years ago, I lived relatively pain free. I'm not sure what caused the increase in pain, but I found myself pursuing another surgery to try and relieve the pain. Last May, I had an XLIF, and they fused L1 and L2. To say that the pain increased is an understatement - I would give anything to feel how I felt pre-XLIF. It's awful. I can't function.
So, now I have surgery scheduled with Dr. Michael Vitale and Dr. Peter Angevine at Columbia in NYC. They're planning on fusing T-12 to sacrum with pelvic fixation.
I'm scared, though I feel that this surgery is necessary to have any hope that I can regain some quality of life. You've all been so inspiring, so, thank you.
One question: has anyone else been fused young, where the surgeons didn't really correct the curve? I understand that some correction was achieved during my first fusion, but my curve is still around 45-50 degrees (stable, hasn't progressed since I was 7). It's frustrating to accept what was standard practice in 1992, and I wonder what my spine would be like if I had the surgery today.
Thanks!
Lindsay
I've read these forums for a very long time, but this is my first post. My third surgery is coming up soon and I'm getting a little anxious - so I figured I would go ahead and introduce myself and get to know everyone!
My name is Lindsay. I'm 26 and live in Pittsburgh, PA. A little background...I was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis (a hemivertebrae) when I was 7. My curve was about 72 degrees at the time of surgery, and I was fused with a bone graft (L2-L4) and casted. Up until about three years ago, I lived relatively pain free. I'm not sure what caused the increase in pain, but I found myself pursuing another surgery to try and relieve the pain. Last May, I had an XLIF, and they fused L1 and L2. To say that the pain increased is an understatement - I would give anything to feel how I felt pre-XLIF. It's awful. I can't function.
So, now I have surgery scheduled with Dr. Michael Vitale and Dr. Peter Angevine at Columbia in NYC. They're planning on fusing T-12 to sacrum with pelvic fixation.
I'm scared, though I feel that this surgery is necessary to have any hope that I can regain some quality of life. You've all been so inspiring, so, thank you.
One question: has anyone else been fused young, where the surgeons didn't really correct the curve? I understand that some correction was achieved during my first fusion, but my curve is still around 45-50 degrees (stable, hasn't progressed since I was 7). It's frustrating to accept what was standard practice in 1992, and I wonder what my spine would be like if I had the surgery today.
Thanks!
Lindsay
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