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  • #16
    gillespie,

    How very wise to have Danielle getting ready now for recovery. It WILL make a difference. I feel for her having surgery at her age to address pain: If the surgical techniques were palatable to me 10-20 years ago, *I* would have done it earlier.

    They weren't, however ... so I just dealt with it (the pain) - and continued to play sports. It hurt whether I sat and whined ... or lived my life. I hope with all my heart she's spared from that.

    If it gives you some hope, the very *moment* I woke up from surgery, my original pain was gone. Yes ... there was other (new) pain for a while, but for the first time in memory, it no longer felt like someone was trying to pull my shoulder blades away from my spine.

    Biggest tips I can give you/her for prep are build the quads/hams/calves and biceps/triceps. Don't let her bulk up *anything* in her back (it's more to sever, and more to heal). Stretching, particularly the hamstrings, will also help afterwards ...

    (I did backbends and all *kinds* of weird things to stretch muscles I knew would never be able to fully extend again. I'm actually hopeful - I'm only fused to L1 - I *could* do a backbend again ... and I'm just stupid enough to try it - LOL.)

    Her athletics aren't over. I know I've said it, but I'm back sliding into bases again at 40 years old ... at 8-1/2 months post-op. She sounds motivated, and motivation/competitiveness are her best friends right now ;-).

    Regards,
    Pam
    Last edited by txmarinemom; 10-22-2008, 11:45 PM.
    Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
    AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


    41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
    Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
    Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


    VIEW MY X-RAYS
    EMAIL ME

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    • #17
      Hi Catherine,

      Sorry to hear this is troubling you so much. We haven't had the tour yet, but we have pre-op tomorrow, so maybe we will then. I am nervous, but think I'm coping ok at the moment. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow because I feel it will give me answers and allow us to prepare better for it (obviously that's what it's all about - haha!!). But I don't want this to stress me out. I know I'm doing the right thing by my daughter as I know that if I don't do it, she will get worse, her breathing will become more laboured, she'll develop back pain and all of those long-term health problems I really don't want to think about. So I'm almost looking forward to things because I know it's the right thing and she'll have a straighter back at the end of it. It can only get better from there on.

      As for the risks - yes they are there, but i'm placing my faith in the two surgeons, the anaethetists, nurses, etc., and the process (pre-op) they undertake to ensure everything will be fine. Like I said, initially I worried so much, but now i'm much better. Educating myself has helped enormously

      Tahlia did have her lung test and all went well. I was worried because she was recovering from flu and then, to top it off, she got conjunctivitis as well (another day off school!!). But her recovery from flu didn't affect her performance on the test and she gave good efforts/results. The technician didn't really tell me much except that when i asked precisely what the test was for, she said that because it's such a long operation, they need to determine if her body can handle it!! Oh, OK!! *gulp* But hey, I'm sure she'll be fine!!! She gave me the test results sealed in an enveloped, and I'm soooo tempted to open it (lol) but of course i won't. I have to give them to the anaesthetist next week, and will ask him to interpret them.

      IF there's one thing I'm really worried about, it's my daughter's weight. She is very skinny and i'm worried about her losing more weight once the operation is over. But I will talk about it with them tomorrow. If they support it, I have planned to take her to see a dieticiian to try and fatten her up. I've already got her on sustagen and am stuffing her full of take-away, although I don't particularly enjoy that!!! But that is something that does worry me.

      Take care hun,

      *big hugs*

      Don't forget to post whenever you need to talk, or get something off your chest. Remember we're here for you.

      Love
      Lisa
      Mum to Tahlia, aged 15. Fused from T2 - L3, 18/11/08.

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      • #18
        Catherine--

        My heart goes out to you. I haven't had trouble sleeping, but then we haven't toured the hospital yet, either.

        Although Sidney has only recently been feeling muscle stiffness from his curve, his pulmonary function test showed the 57T curve is already compromising his lung function. He has a very narrow chest and it is making his chest narrower. Like Tahlia, he is also very thin (runs in my husband's family) and can barely afford to lose the weight I know he will lose in the course of surgery. We are doing our best to stuff him with quality calories, but it's not making much difference. And, because he has very tight hamstrings, he stretches every day--his dad does it with him, because Sidney is more apt to sit and read a book....it's helping, but I don't know how much.

        Also, it seems clear to me that his back has gotten worse while we've been waiting for surgery. I'm not sure if the curve has increased or if the rotation has increased, but it has definitely changed, and not for the better. I'm hoping it does not decrease his chances for a good correction.

        Sometimes this all has (for lack of a better word) a feeling of unrealness to it. I notice that I tend to "go numb" when I feel overwhelmed--probably a defense mechanism. I haven't really cried over it; I can't make myself. But I do think I'm more accepting of it. Still, there are three weeks to go until Nov. 13--many rollercoasters to ride until then.

        Thinking of both you and Lisa and your children,

        Mary Ellen

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