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One Year Mark!!!

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  • One Year Mark!!!

    It has been 1 year ago today I had my last surgery. I had the major surgery 2 years ago and had to have rods removed and new ones put in.
    I have some pain but nothing I bad enough that I have to take pain meds.
    The most pain I have is in my hip area where the bone was removed.
    I do anything I want, just not all in one day.
    I went 2 weeks ago through a motorcycle training course. Now I have my motorcycle license.
    I seen my Dr. in May of this year and he told me to enjoy myself, do what I want but just be careful.
    I think I have come a long way and now can do my everyday routine without to much pain.
    Mattie

  • #2
    Holly Canolly! Hell yeah for the motorcycle license! Just be careful, but do enjoy yourself and you deserve health and a pain free future, good for you

    I do have a question: do you feel the bumps more than if you were in a car, or is it not too bad?
    35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
    Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
    Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
    Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
    Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

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    • #3
      Sweetness 514, yes I feel the bumps more than in a vehicle. I have ridden on the back of my husbands bike a lot this year. I have a nice comfortable back rest and that helps.
      I was a little scared to take the classes but I did just fine.
      I have a question for you. How did you know your rod broke? Did you have pain or just feel it?
      After I had my first surgery about 6 months later I felt a big bump at the bottom of my incision. It hurt bad and I could not lean my back against anything for the pain.
      When I went back to my surgeon for my 1 year appt. I told him about it and he had x-rays taken. I had a screw work loose and shoved the rod out. He went in and took all my hardware out. When I went back in 2 weeks to have staples removed he had x-rays taken again.
      My curvature was back as much as I had before surgery. He went back in 2 weeks later and put in new hardware, longer rods and more screws.
      So far I have done pretty fair. Of course like any surgery it takes time.
      Mattie

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      • #4
        I know it takes time, and some doctors just don't get that. I am doing better after having a lot of pain all Summer, b/c nerves and scar tissue do take a lot of time to heal-the first time it took two years to feel mostly healed. That's why we know better and it's good to not discourage ourselves and have patience, just look at you, wow

        I know not everybody feels it when their rod breaks, but I did, oh was it a huge SNAP and later in the day I had a big bump that took at least a month for the swelling to go down a bit, and I could feel screws and hooks coming undone in the next year and a half before getting surgery to fix it. There were all these "clicking, grinding and crunching" noises of the rod and screws moving and my doctor didn't believe me that I KNEW something was broken, b/c for the first year the crack in the rod didn't show on Xray. It was only ater it really broke more that it showed, and when they opened me up they saw the non union, it never showed on the bone scan either. The rod broke when I lifted my leg really quickly and high to put my pants on, it sent me to the floor. For years I was doing good and didn't know that my fusion hadn't all healed, as the Xrays don't show that either. I remember one time when my hubby was next to me hearing all the grinding of my hardware and he was telling me how he believed me now that something was really wrong, he used to try to encourage me that everything was ok, but sometimes we know better.
        35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
        Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
        Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
        Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
        Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

        Comment


        • #5
          Isn't it amazing that these educated geniuses refuse to believe us when they themselves have never experienced anything akin to our predicaments.
          Like anyone would just walk up to someone and say "Hey I think my back is broken, how about next Tuesday you take a look in there and see if I'm right." Like we're arranging a visit to the hairdresser's. The worst part is they give this situation just about 5 minutes of their busy schedule IF you're lucky! And why don't MRIs and CTs and bone scans, and those fail-safe tests they rely on lie so much? I may have the answer: I talked to a rediologist after he tested to see if he could do an MRI and was unsuccessful due to my rods. He told me " No technician would ever say they saw something unusual or broken in a previously fused back because there's so much reconstructure and so many unrecognizable points that they wouldn't risk being wrong. If a surgeon went in to correct something a radiologist diagnosed and then couldn't find a problem, that radiologist would be liable for malpractice, and no one wants to stick their neck out and risk having their liability premiums go up."
          Six months ago I wanted to know whether my rods were stable or my fusion was damaged . I had to instruct the radiologist how to take laterally bending x-rays. She had never been taught this technique in her education.
          What did the publisher of her texts think. "Might as well delete this section because we have no authority to read these films anyway."?
          And this is where we place our trust.
          Jeralyn is Queen!

          Comment


          • #6
            I thought a person with hardware couldn't have an MRI. I remember reading on here somewhere that they can. Maybe is has to do with the type of metal.
            I was thinking that if the rods and screws are titanium it would be ok.
            I might be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time or the last. I hope I never have to have one. I don't know if it would be safe or not.
            Mattie

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            • #7
              Jeralyn,

              I agree and sympathize. The bone scan was totaly useless for me, and it made things worse for two reasons. One was that it was a two day test where I had to lay still for hours at a time on a heated machine and after that test, I had MAJOR inflammation and a lot of pain for days, not to mention a pain in my right screw around T5 that never went away since then. I don't do well with heat, it always gives me inflammation. The second reason it made things worse is that after the doc got the results that showed no non union(wich wasn't right), he kept saying that I didn't need surgery b/c my fusion was ok. Fortunately I went to another doctor an he told me how these tests are not always accurate and only operating can tell if any screw or rod is loose, along with non unions for some cases.
              35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
              Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
              Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
              Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
              Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

              Comment

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