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  • #1

    Organs

    After my surgery 27 years ago, I was left with two 25 degree curves.

    I saw the doc recently, and both my curves are now 40 degrees.

    My upper curve is fused, but my lower is not. The doc says the upper curve is likely stuck at 40 degrees, but the lower may get a bit worse. The doc says he can straighten the lower curve, but not the upper (since it's fused). I wanted to defuse the upper and do the whole thing, but a couple of docs said "defusing" the upper would be biblical in proportion!

    My questions are;
    At what point are organs in danger of being damaged?
    Would it be good to have the lower straightened at this point? Even though it would also need to be fused?!

    ANy feedback is appreciated.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Hi Bent...

    I think that most specialists will tell you that serious heart and lung issues don't start until one's curve is 100 degrees or more.

    I'm guessing that you've mentioned this elsewhere, but do you have significant pain and/or loss of function now?

    Regards,
    Linda
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

    Comment

    • #3
      Thanks Linda. I've never mentioned this before, but no, I don't feel like I have any problems. I was just wondering because I was surprised to learn that my curves went from 25 dgrees to 40 since my surgery (my upper was 56 prior to my surgery).

      Comment

      • #4
        I can share with this one. I am 60 years old and last march I had my upper defused. I spent 15 1/2 hours on the table. I went from 5'6' to 6' right off the bat. I was getting some pretty good presure on my heart and was having some bowel problems. It has been and still is a tuff rehab but for me well worth it.
        http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e232/jlazyh/ba.jpg
        March 23, 2006 Anterior/posterior Ileum-T2
        15 1/2 Hours
        Dr. Tom Lowe R.I.P.

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by BackTalk
          I can share with this one. I am 60 years old and last march I had my upper defused. I spent 15 1/2 hours on the table. I went from 5'6' to 6' right off the bat. I was getting some pretty good presure on my heart and was having some bowel problems. It has been and still is a tuff rehab but for me well worth it.
          http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e232/jlazyh/ba.jpg
          Defused?
          Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
          Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

          Comment

          • #6
            defused=revision

            In my case that meant taking down the old fusion--which had weakened with loss of correction --then refusing with instrumentation ---aka: revision.
            Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
            Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

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            • #7
              Let me try to explain what happened to me. I apologise that I don't know all the specific terms that you all know but here goes.
              One of the fusions I had was L1-L5. After about 6 months one of the screws came loose and doc #1 decided it would be ok to take it all out (bad call). My rehab was very fast and everything seemed to be ok. After 3 or 4 months I began to have extreme pain from the fused area and I started to develop a hump and became stooped over. In the next few months it became un bearable for me. I had gone back to doc #1 and he told me I needed a spacialist for what ever was happening to me. So off to Doctor Thomas Lowe I went. After a ton of xrays and mri's it was determined that my back had broken in 2 areas in the L1-L5 area. Also was determined that only 6 months my spine had not completely fused its self. If you want to click on the picture you can see what was going on.
              The rest has already been told. They went in and cut a wedge out in between each vert. and slowley broke each one enough to get rid of the hump and give me a nice straight back. That's why the 15 1/2 hrs of surgery. 7 hrs threw the front and 8 1/2 threw the back.
              Maybe I said it wrong when I said defused but that's the only term I have as to what I went threw.
              http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e232/jlazyh/tn_BA.jpg
              March 23, 2006 Anterior/posterior Ileum-T2
              15 1/2 Hours
              Dr. Tom Lowe R.I.P.

              Comment

              • #8
                Hi...

                It sounds like you had osteotomies, and you were REfused.

                --Linda
                Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                Comment

                • #9
                  Thanks Backtalk! At last... my question is answered. Someone has had multiple osteotomies and refusions! Sounds like a very involved process. My current fusion is from T6-T12. But doing this surgery presents high risks because the Doctors wouldn't have a clear view of where my spinal cord would be in relation to all the messy fusion. Dr Pashman mentioned to me that they are about 1 year away from an advanced MRI that would show the iner-linings of the spine, so he could see where my spinal cord would be. Maybe I'll check back with him in a year, or so.

                  Comment

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