Is recovery ever come?

[VivianLin]

My son has scoliosis surgery in Dec. 2004. He had advanced scoliosis and kyphosis. The surgery took about 15 hrs. His Doctor took out two of his vertebra to keep him from bending forward (kyphosis), then implanted the rod and fusion to treat sideway curve. According to the Doctor, the surgery is successful. X ray shows healing is great. However, he experienced lots of pain after the surgery. He can only sit for 2 hours, or walk for 20 minutes then he has to lie down for 30 minutes. According to the orthopedics,the pain comes from extra pressure and weight the lumbar area has to adopt from the new position of the spin and the rod,. It will be gone in a few months. But three years passed by, the pain didn't alleviate much. We have tried acupunctures, physical therapy, pain management, and psychiatry. All these only brought him more pain. My son is 23 now. Last year we start to see this neurologist who gave him trigger point injections. It helped a little bit. He can sit longer and walk longer. The neurologist said the pain seems associated with the last screw on the left. I contacted the orthopedics who ordered a CT scan, and told me nothing wrong with the screw. He still said the same thing, the body will adjust eventually, he only needs some exercise. I wonder if anybody has similar situation? Where can I find the cure?

[BackTalk]

I have had and still have this problem. The 2 big ped screws in my hips do the same thing to me. These are the final points that hold me upright with a total fusion. More pain than most could endure. Your son knows the pain, and for that I am sorry.
I know what my problem is and it may be part of your son's too. I was at 170 lbs at the time of the surgery but I have dropped down to 125 lbs. now. This wasn't caused by the surgery. I have Celiac Disease (allergic to wheat) . That being said I have found that the lack or muscle and weight loss the screws in my hips take on the whole upper body and get no help from the back muscles and lack of body mass. The few times that I have gained weight, say 10-15 lbs. the pain seems to back off a good deal because of the extra help the base screws and rods are getting.
I am going to feel real stupid in sharing this with you if your son isn't thin.
I do feel that if enough muscle gain is obtained in the back it does take the load off the hardware .
Just my 2 cents worth. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
backtalk

[VivianLin]

Searching for idea, anything helps

Thank you, Tom. My son, Zim, is not thin. He is 5 feet 7 and about 160 lbs. I welcome any ideas, hoping somehow I will stump into a miracle. Thank you for sharing.
Vivian

[suzyjay]

Has the doctor checked for an infection? I was in very bad pain three months after my surgery. The doctor said my xrays looked good and couldn't understand why I was in so much pain. Finally he did a blood test and I had staph infection.

Sue

[VivianLin]

No infection

There is no infection. What you thing about remove the last screw? Is it OK to do?