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a good age to have scoliosis surgery

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  • a good age to have scoliosis surgery

    im just wondering if im 31 years old ,would i recover about the same as a 20 something yearold or am at two old of an age to recover as fast as a younger person would?what is the good age to have this done? hard to explain.
    Trudy T60 L70 posterior surgery feb.8th 2007

  • #2
    Get it done now

    I am 49 and am having surgery February 21st. I don't know about the healing process at this age, but I do know as each year passes they make more and more advances in this type of surgery, if you want to look at it in a positive way. I do know as we age we get less and less flexible, so it is better to have it done the younger you are.

    I bet you are even more confused now after reading this.....

    Kkong

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    • #3
      Knowing what I know now about scoliosis, I only wish pain had sent me to seek help long before now. Over the years I just never experienced problems with my scoliosis, so I ignored it. I never even noticed visible signs of progression such as height loss until I reached my 50s. Now at 57 I'm facing fusion of most of my spine and am at a much higher risk for complications. I would much rather be facing this surgery at a considerably younger age.

      Chris

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      • #4
        My surgeon in the UK told me that upto the age of about 30 there is not a huge difference with the procedure than for teenagers. So 31 sounds fine. If you'd had it done as a teenager then I think it would have been a more unpleasant experience than it is now thanks to medical advances.

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        • #5
          Gayle,
          I was 30 when I had the surgery. I was told by my surgeon that I would recover in 6-9 months and if I waited until I was 40 to have the surgery, it would take 1-2 yrs to recover. Of course each of us responds differently and recovers differently, but I did recover fully in 9 months. That's when I felt like I was back to my old self again. I would say that I was feeling good around 6 months, but felt great at 9 months. I would think that a 20 yr old would be recovered in 3-6 months so the recovery at 31 is not that much longer.

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          • #6
            Hi Gayle,

            I have to agree with a couple of people here. It does seem that medical advances are happening all the time and I think that the trend will continue.

            There are always pros and cons to every decision we make, but it is apparent that the younger you have the surgery the faster you heal.

            I will say as far as I'm concerned, I was 45, but I wasn't aware of the fact that I could have a corrective procedure as an adult until a few years ago.

            If I were your age with the knowledge they have now, I wish I would have had the opportunity to have it at a younger age.

            I think it all depends on how much pain you're in and what's going on in your life too. It's a tough decision to make, and only you can make it.

            But the one thing for sure is, that there will be many of us out here to support you no matter what decision you make.

            Shari

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            • #7
              I am 39 and 4 months post op. I am feeling back to normal just about. My flexibility is returning little by little. I feel much better than I did before surgery. I still get tired when I do too much but I have noticed that in the past few weeks my stamina is getting better for physical activity. Good luck with your decision.
              surgery 9/06
              Rothman institute

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              • #8
                well im definatly having the surgery on february 8th.im not going to back out ,i know i have no choice.i just wish i would have gone ahead and had it done 2 years ago when the dr gave me a choice.i didnt realize then that my curves would progress so bad and fast.so i have 4 weeks from today for my surgery.
                Trudy T60 L70 posterior surgery feb.8th 2007

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                • #9
                  I think you will recover just fine. You are still very young to have the surgery. My first surgery was at age 30 and I did great. My second--at age 49--was much more difficult to recover from.

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                  • #10
                    Gayle, You will do fine. I had my surgery at 43 and did great. It is also a positive attitude that will help you get better faster. The first time I was told by my Dr. I was going to need surgery he told me to look up how adolescents progress in healing post-op because of how flexable and in good shape I was. He was right, I met all of his expectations. We joke I am his scoliosis poster child. Best wishes, Suzy

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                    • #11
                      Gayle
                      I am 30 and about to have posterior surgery this Feb. I felt the same way. I wished I had it done when i was in my 20's etc. And wondered why I hadn't. The Dr wanted to see what happened to my curve.
                      But lets be honest 30, 31, isn't old. i have been doing lots of reading on scoliosis and they say if you are older you need to mentally prepare as well. Finding this www and forum is deff helping me do this and I think my age is helping me deal with this as well. I feel I am at an age where I can really understand what is about to happen.
                      But is there ever a good age? Everyones story is different. I am looking forward to getting it over with so I can get on with my life.
                      Good luck!

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                      • #12
                        I don't think it really matters at what age we decide to have this surgery!!! The reason we do it, is to improve our quality of life for the future.

                        We all heal differently, but I do think that the younger you are, the faster you heal. And it can be a much less invasive approach because at a younger age, flexiblility enters into the equation. And 30-31 is not old!!!

                        All my best in you upcoming surgeries Gayle and Miranda!!! Us older broads have made it, and you can too!!!

                        Shari

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