Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Two broken rods after 5 years (No, not me!)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Two broken rods after 5 years (No, not me!)

    Some of you may remember a member from Australia who had her surgery around the same time as me, 5 years ago. She recovered well and when the Australian Scoliosis forum began, she started posting there. I won't name her because I haven't asked permission but I thought it might interest those who've had surgery 5 or more years ago, that broken rods can still happen. Recently, she discovered she had two broken rods. She's just had her revision surgery where both her rods were removed and replaced. It was only a 3 hour surgery. They actually found a second break in one of the rods. A bit scary for those of us who think we're out of the woods. <popping eyes>
    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

  • #2
    Made my day! Susan
    Ps: if you see her, tell her that I wish her well.
    Adult Onset Degen Scoliosis @65, 25* T & 36* L w/ 11.2 cm coronal balance; T kyphosis 90*; Sev disc degen T & L stenosis

    2013: T3- S1 Fusion w/ ALIF L4-S1/XLIF L2-4, PSF T4-S1 2 surgeries
    2014: Hernia @ ALIF repaired; Emergency screw removal SCI T4,5 sec to PJK
    2015: Rev Broken Bil T & L rods and no fusion: 2 revision surgeries; hardware P. Acnes infection
    2016: Ant/Lat Lumbar diskectomy w/ 4 cages + BMP + harvested bone
    2018: Removal L4,5 screw
    2021: Removal T1 screw & rod

    Comment


    • #3
      First of all, I am thankful it wasn't your rods, although I hate that it happened to anyone. I asked Dr. Lenke about that once and he mentioned that there are a few cases where it has happened at three to five years which wasn't the answer I was hoping for. Let's hope that it is rare,
      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


      • #4
        Jen, I have read up to 9 years.....(Lenke literature)

        In a nutshell......

        Rates of pseudarthrosis vary on many factors..... in 50 yr old adults, depending on the literature..... run around 15-20% or 1 in 5. L4-L5 and L5-S1 are the hardest levels to fuse.

        Bone fusion happens in 3 phases.....

        1) The inflammatory phase. (1-3 weeks) Involves the formation of a hematoma and cellular necrosis(death) which causes an “acute inflammatory response”.

        2) The proliferation phase (4-5 weeks) Bone mineral production and osteoid formation.

        3) Final remodeling phase (6-10 weeks, up to 2 years) maturation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

        I ask? Do these first critical phases have any effect on the integrity of the fusion mass as time passes?

        NSAID’s and smoking have negative effects and also “overall nutrition” IMPACTS fusion rates.

        http://books.google.com/books?id=s-Z...geries&f=false

        Eating properly is hard in recovery, and I had to force myself to eat. If I threw up, I had to re-eat. This becomes a fine balance between pain and nutrition, balancing opoid intake, eating properly and dealing with constipation. I decided that the meds weren’t worth it since immunity to meds eventually happens and they cease to function. (Not worth a damn) Sausage is not nutrition and McDonalds doesn’t qualify.

        So, Nutrition, Water, and Walking became my main priorities. This became my mantra....my sacred utterance....repeated hourly as scoli zombies do.

        NUTRITION, WATER, WALKING......
        NUTRITION, WATER, WALKING......
        NUTRITION, WATER, WALKING....(and kill Indiana Jones) (smiley face)

        You had our attention with your title....

        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

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi Jennifer,

          My heart leapt when I read your title, and I too am glad it's not you. But I do feel bad for the other person. My surgeon also told me I had to make it to 5 years before the worry of broken rods lessens. I of course only made it to 15 months after the first surgery, then suffered two broken rods, I think at L2/3 and L3/4. I had those replaced posteriorly along with an anterior fusion and I just passed the two-year mark for that in February. I really didn't quite realize how much I had been worrying about having another broken rod approaching my two year mark. The mental aspects of this surgery aren't really discussed very much, and I thought I was pretty tough, but it really got to me. At my 2-year appt my surgeon told me I could bend and do whatever I wanted, so I was finally able to let go of (most of) the worry about the rods.

          I hope your Australian friend will have a quick recovery.
          Last edited by leahdragonfly; 08-26-2015, 08:09 PM.
          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 just checked to see if there's more news and information but there isn't. She had her surgery last Monday. I'm so sad for her - it was a huge shock for her, as you can imagine.

            Trying to remember back, I do remember she had episodes of pain for some time after surgery and I seem to remember she had a fall in the early years. I'll try to find out more when she's feeling better.

            Thanks for that information, Ed. Very interesting. Perhaps the damage was there from one of those early stages and she's simply been living with it until a final break more recently.
            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


            • #7
              Yes, perhaps.....we don’t know all the pieces of the puzzle.....maybe some day.

              I have read that exercise in younger people is more beneficial than when older, maybe I was on that train of thought.....

              http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0503111744.htm

              I like to post and target general information of some value even if readers are too young to know who Indiana Jones is....which is probably more important than knowing about how fusion occurs.....stressing about something like this after the first year just isn’t worth it. Every day is valuable.

              I hope she heals quickly.....

              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

              Comment


              • #8
                so sorry for her, Jen, but so very glad it is not you...

                hugs...and woofs...
                jess...and Sparky

                Comment


                • #9
                  Glad that it is not you

                  Melissa
                  Melissa

                  Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                  April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    When an event occurs, we always true to look backwards and attribute some happening to the bad event. I have seen this work over and over again to women that have a baby with a birth problem or a premature delivery, they remember the flu that they had or the time that they fell in the parking lot at the supermarket or some minor happening that was insignificant at the time, but now, trying to find attribution or make sense out of what happened, it takes on a new meaning. The fact it, millions of women get the flu or a mild infection or take a minor fall, and almost all of them have a healthy delivery.

                    Sure, there are some habits that are linked with non-healing such as smoking and poor nutrition. I fell a few times in the first year, but so far so good.


                    Susan
                    Adult Onset Degen Scoliosis @65, 25* T & 36* L w/ 11.2 cm coronal balance; T kyphosis 90*; Sev disc degen T & L stenosis

                    2013: T3- S1 Fusion w/ ALIF L4-S1/XLIF L2-4, PSF T4-S1 2 surgeries
                    2014: Hernia @ ALIF repaired; Emergency screw removal SCI T4,5 sec to PJK
                    2015: Rev Broken Bil T & L rods and no fusion: 2 revision surgeries; hardware P. Acnes infection
                    2016: Ant/Lat Lumbar diskectomy w/ 4 cages + BMP + harvested bone
                    2018: Removal L4,5 screw
                    2021: Removal T1 screw & rod

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thanks Jess and Sparky, and Melissa!

                      I agree Susan, her fall may have had nothing to do with it. And we'll likely never know what did.

                      Ed, that's a good article. I will be showing it to my grandkids.
                      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

                      Working...
                      X