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5 years post op. Am I being paranoid?

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  • 5 years post op. Am I being paranoid?

    Hi,

    I'm 5 years post op now, and some days I even forget I've had surgery, but recently I have been noticing things that worry me. I am fortunate enough to not suffer from any extreme back pain, which is great, and I am super thankful! But I have been noticing my rib hump (due to ribs turning) from before my surgery more and more lately. I'm trying to tell myself I am just being paranoid and nothing has changed, but I definitely have been noticing it more recently. Also, I have been noticing that I have more trouble breathing after I run or take the stairs. It feels like my ribs are getting in the way and they won't expand the way they should be. (Sorry for the bad explanation!) Alongside that I have also been experiencing weird popping sensations as if my ribs are rubbing together or something when I cough or bend the wrong way. I experienced this before my surgery as well but it used to just be if I had a bad coughing fit and it was rare then.

    This could all amount to nothing, but I am just wondering if anyone has dealt with anything similar since their surgery and if I should be worried. I could very well be reading into this too much, but it just concerns me that the frequency of all these things has been increasing.

    Thanks guys!
    I'm 19 years old, had surgery 5 years ago
    3 curves Middle curve - 65 fused to 13 Bottom curve 35- fixed on it's own to 16!
    Fused from C7 to L1

  • #2
    Jennybear, can you go back to your surgeon, or maybe even your GP if she's been caring for you since before your surgery? I get paranoid occasionally too, so I know you can worry over nothing. Sometimes my left shoulder seems much lower, for example. But at this point, for me, nearly 5 years out, nothing has gone wrong. So I think it's possible your imagination is playing tricks on you, But I think, to be on the safe side, you need to see someone who knows. Have you shown your mother your back - she may be able to tell you whether your rib hump has increased.

    Good luck!
    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
      Jenny

      Good to see you now posting as an adult! This is a really neat thing for us to see and so valuable to the forum.

      Of course, I am so glad that Jen posted because she is pretty good you know....I surely would have botched it up. LOL

      Anyway.....deep breaths, things are probably ok and some of us do have the paranoia that comes with scoliosis but its just one of those things we learn to control as we go through life living with scoliosis. Worry is ok, but not too much....like a really small icon on your desktop, its there, but you don’t look at it much.

      When was the last time you saw your surgeon?

      Ed
      49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
      Pre surgery curves T70,L70
      ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
      Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

      Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

      My x-rays
      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

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