Appointment with surgeon today

[sweetness514]

Hi Linda,

I find it interesting that you seem to have a more cautious stance regarding surgery, while Karen Ocker appears to be a crusader, expecially for older adults. I'm also confused whenever I read a post that suggests that someone may have to have surgery at some point. If this is not a life-threatening disease, why does anyone need surgery? Having gone to my first scoliosis support group meeting last week and for the first time actually seeing people who have had this surgery, it became quite apparent to me that surgery is certainly no "cure all". If surgery can offer someone a better quality of life, then I can understand the benefits of it, but there seems to be a lot of discussion in these posts about cosmetics, i.e., height gain and degree of correction. Just my thoughts.

Chris

My opinion is that nobody can tell another wether they SHOULD get surgery even IF they had a great outcome b/c every case is unique. That is a decision that should be taken after much thought, info and only made by the person who gets surgery.

I had agreat surgeon, and sometimes certain pains are not caused b/c of the surgeon's work.

[gayle]

i think everyones case is different,you cant think just because someone had a bad experience that you will too.yes there are risks but its that way with every serious surgery.i think if you know that without a doubt you can tell something just isnt right with your back and the dr has told you the same that that is what you need to make your decision.for me,i definatly DONT want this surgery but i cant tell that my curves are progressing fast.my curves went from 55 top and 64 on bottom to 60 on top and 70 on bottom in just 4 months and i can tell something has changed within that time,so i know i have no choice but to fix it now while im 30. trudy,

[LindaRacine]

Obviously, your last post really struck a nerve!! I have to laugh. I guess it played into all of my worst fears about this surgery -- when all I WANT to hear is good, positive, reassuring things about it. And there DO seem to be success stories out there. At what point does one go ahead and take a risk? That's the million dollar question for us scoliosis patients, isn't it?

Thanks for listening --
Chris

Hi Chris...

It's hard to know whether the horror stories are helpful or not, but I always encourage people to post them because I think it's important to know that these things can occur.

The overwhelming odds are that you'll have a good outcome if you've chosen a really good surgeon. But, as I've said so many times, there are just no guarantees.

Once you've made your decision, I encourage you to avoid reading or thinking about the horror stories. At that point, they have little or no value.

Regards,
Linda

[LindaRacine]

Oh, I just have to say that I'm feeling a little more nervous now after reading some of the previous emails in this thread. It is good to be realistic and hopeful, but I just wonder why the surgery ruined some people's lives? Was it due to an unexperienced surgeon or other reasons?
I'm really trying to work on developing a positive, peaceful attitude about the surgery and have even taken up meditation, but I guess today I'm feeling mostly fear.

Hi...

The two people whom I'm sure would tell you they wish they'd never had the surgery, both ended up with a very rare complication from surgery (any surgery). It's a syndrome called reflex sympathetic dystrophy. I've fairly close to one such person, and know that she has very severe pain 24/7 despite having a pain pump implanted.

I've also talked to some people who are unhappy because they have pain. The surgery can cause long-term pain, and if you're one of the adults who doesn't have pain going into surgery, having pain years afterward may make you very unhappy.

Regards,
Linda

[Singer]

[QUOTE

The overwhelming odds are that you'll have a good outcome if you've chosen a really good surgeon.

[/QUOTE]


I agree, and am banking on this.

And now I'm going to go watch something mindless on TV !!!!!

[Karen Ocker]

scoliosis surgery fyi not a panacea but the best we had.

I want to add that thousands--maybe a million, if you discuss world-wide cases-- of scoliosis surgeries have been performed worldwide over the last 40+ years. This is not experimental. If most of them were disasters it would be all over the news. Most of them have been successful and good news seldom sells.

Originally it was only adolescents; more recently-say last 25 years it is being increasing performed for the first time on older and older adults with progressing curves and after that revisions on those who might need them.

Maybe Linda Racine knows when revisions were first performed.

My friend's husband is 56 and had scolosis surgery as a teen. He is on the volunteer ski patrol and goes on long hikes. He also looks straight.


If any doctor/parent can find a way to permanently arrest curves or prevent them or find another solution for their child that really worked it would save a lot of heartbreak.

The rest of us did not have that option.

[bbest]

I agree with Sweetness - no one can tell you whether or not to have surgery. I hope that you are able to reach an informed decision based on advice from your doctors and your own judgement. This forum helped me live with my decision. I wish the same for you.

Brandi

[jsully]

Bone Marrow

Just wanted to clarify. Dr. Moreno specifically said he would use bone marrow from my hip for bone graft. I too, have never heard of this but he said it is "what is best in 2006".
jsully

[LindaRacine]

jsully...

You may want to verify that.

--Linda

[jsully]

I will but just found a web site to support that.
http://www.spineuniverse.com/rtbarti...ticle1414.html
jsully

[LindaRacine]

How funny.... I just read the same article. So, you may be right. I'll be curious to get more info. I'm surprised that it's being done outside of a university setting. Do you know if your insurance company has approved it?

--Linda

[jsully]

I asked about insurance and the DR said that the insurance co. gives the hospital a "global fee" for surgery and the hospital takes less for the more expensive techniques used, such as bone grafting material. The hospital is a not for profit agency so I don't know if that makes a difference.
jsully

[sweetness514]

i think everyones case is different,you cant think just because someone had a bad experience that you will too.

I completely agree with this post, just like I agree about if someone had a good experience. I think the bottom line is that there are no gaurantees, but having forums like this one helps make an informed decision-something I didn't have before surgery. Personally I have days I only regret not waiting a bit longer, to be more informed but I was already in my last years of getting posterior only. The only point I like to make is that it's a personal decision, we can all have opinions on it, and I can agree with both sides. The one I agree with the most is that it's good that a person has to be in SOME amount of pain before surgery.

Having a great surgeon helps a lot, even if there are things that cannot be controlled, like for example not being able to tolerate the hardware or a fusion not being solid, even if some doctors would say it is, even they CANNOT be sure of ANYTHING at 100%.

My advice for anybody deciding on surgery is just trust yourself first, get informed, be aware and know that everybody is different. Also, never give up, especially when you have pain. You never know what can be done or who can help you.