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How much does my hardware weigh?

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  • #16
    Ed, Thanks for cheering me up on this rainy gloomy day in the Northeast. It is one of those days that I can feel my rods and nuts and bolts. You have a great sense of humor. Sally
    Diagnosed with severe lumbar scoliosis at age 65.
    Posterior Fusion L2-S1 on 12/4/2007. age 67
    Anterior Fusion L3-L4,L4-L5,L5-S1 on 12/19/2007
    Additional bone removed to decompress right side of L3-L4 & L4-L5 on 4/19/2010
    New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA
    Dr. Frank F. Rands735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/butterflyfive/

    "In God We Trust" Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

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    • #17
      Hi Ed (aka comedic therapist - I LIKE IT!)

      Since you asked, there is a place in Philly called the Mutter Museum. http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp Filled with all kinds of medical oddities. I'd LOVE to go see this place. I believe this is where the skeleton of John Merrick (the Elephant Man) is housed. There are skeletons of people who have the rare FOP disease - where their muscles turn to bone... very sad situation.

      I'm liking this thread too much... better go get some real work done...
      Carmell
      mom to Kara, idiopathic scoliosis, Blake 19, GERD and Braydon 14, VACTERL, GERD, DGE, VEPTR #137, thoracic insufficiency, rib anomalies, congenital scoliosis, missing coccyx, fatty filum/TC, anal stenosis, horseshoe kidney, dbl ureter in left kidney, ureterocele, kidney reflux, neurogenic bladder, bilateral hip dysplasia, right leg/foot dyplasia, tibial torsion, clubfoot with 8 toes, pes cavus, single umblilical artery, etc. http://carmellb-ivil.tripod.com/myfamily/

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      • #18
        Originally posted by titaniumed View Post
        Brad, lead not gold. nice try, dream on.
        Dammit!

        Lead is used as ballast in keels of sailboats, and to bend our rods and spines foward to increase lumbar lordosis through bone remodeling. LOL
        Hrmm... I don't want to end up as ballast in my father's sailboat... I suppose I'm gonna have to do some smelting.

        Oh this reminds me of Benny R.I.P.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=810TQyT2KXI
        Oh the memoires of sneaking to watch Benny Hill. My mother did not like us watching it. lol (I'm not sure why )

        I wonder if there are any surgeons that still use wires? Interesting to know if "todays modern hardware" has totally replaced the use of luque wires? It was the "gold standard" years ago with extreme paralytic cases.
        Que? I have luque, (see xray below) should I be wary?? Granted its been 25 years now, but still..
        Surgeries July 26th & August 3rd 1983 (12 years old)
        Still have 57 degree curve
        2 Harrington rods
        Luque method used
        Dr David Bradford
        Twin Cities Scoliosis Center
        Preop xray (with brace on)
        Postop xray

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        • #19
          Ed,

          So I guess from your description of how precisely these screws are engineered, I probably shouldn't go to Home Depot to buy my own hardware to save money . . . ?
          Lisa MS
          age 46

          Braced 1976 - 1980, corrected to 19" then
          Spinal fusion, a/p, 8 vertebrae, 11/17/08
          Lumbar curve was 57 degrees, now 24 degrees
          Dr. Doug Wong, Panorama Ortho, Golden, Colo.

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          • #20
            OMG! What was this thread about?? I have been cracking up for the last few minutes??

            Oh Yea Debbei... Hard wear weight. Sorry, hardware is pretty light as most have said. I wondered the same thing. My Dr. chuckled when I asked, he knew where I was going with that question. Tell your husband you are worth your weight in gold, not scrap metal!!

            Ed, so glad you are doing well and the shoulder surgery did not dampen the wonderful sense of humor you have. You must have been "sucking it in" when we met, I saw no pot belly. Were you trying to impress me?

            As for donating bodies to science it came to me when I went to "the body exhibit" and did not see ANY body with ANY hard wear. Not a hip, wrist, leg or spine with metal. I think they dropped the ball in that area. I did hear that a lot of the bodies are Chinese pheasant's from the out skirts of humanity so that might be why. But no scoliosis on display either....

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            • #21
              Suzy

              What is this thread about? I don't know really, no actually it morphed from the hardware weight question from Debbe to comedic diversion off the seriousness of our main subject matter by utilizing a comedic genius named Benny Hill.

              When Pam mentioned "comedic therapist", I remembered Benny's Hospital video from 30 years ago,and how could you forget something like that. It has to be the funniest medically related clip to date. At the time that I posted it, I was looking for scoli surgical videos for Julie (doodie) and was sidetracked.

              As far as my current psychological, physical, and weight status goes, after being under such heavy sedation over the last 15 months with 4 surgeries completed, I believe my body has finally cleansed itself of all the pharmaceuticals and anesthesia, and am feeling so much better. Physically, the end results of my scoli surgeries after being in so much pain for all those years, are the equivalent to popping a balloon. The release of tension that I received is insurmountable. The shoulder is improving rapidly and I guess this has resulted in me eating like a horse and gaining weight and cracking jokes and installing humor whenever possible.

              So, I guess this is part of the healing process for me and hopefully everyone else. Deep down we all want to help one another whether it is done with fact filled information, or supporting each other emotionally or maybe with a little humor.

              Benny Hill realized that slapstick was universal. Those programs were broadcast in about 150 countries and the message was delivered without any communication issues.

              Cracking up huh? I guess it worked
              Just be careful because believe it or not, I blew my belly button out on a comedy,(beginnings of a umbilical hernia) and even though my vascular surgeon gave me a stitch or two, its still a minor issue and when I laugh, I have to put a finger on it for support. With all the fun I have, I might as well crazy glue my finger to my belly button permanently. Now that's not funny!
              Ed
              49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
              Pre surgery curves T70,L70
              ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
              Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

              Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
              http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

              My x-rays
              http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

              http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

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              • #22
                You guys all crack me up. Thanks for the good chuckles. And Suzy, I will tell my hubby that I'm worth my weight in gold.
                __________________________________________
                Debbe - 50 yrs old

                Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
                Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

                Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
                Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
                Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

                Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
                Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by titaniumed View Post
                  ... Cracking up huh? I guess it worked.

                  Just be careful because believe it or not, I blew my belly button out on a comedy,(beginnings of a umbilical hernia) and even though my vascular surgeon gave me a stitch or two, its still a minor issue and when I laugh, I have to put a finger on it for support. With all the fun I have, I might as well crazy glue my finger to my belly button permanently. Now that's not funny!
                  Ed ... you know I adore you, and I hate to laugh AT my friends, but now *I'm* cracking up! Sorry ... but it IS funny. Only you.

                  The visual of you supporting your belly button with a finger while you laugh (like a little pressure release valve) is just too much - LOL! I can only imagine I'd get the giggles everytime I had to do it if it were me, and then I'd NEVER be able to stop laughing!

                  If it makes you feel any better, after I (I know ... Bad Pam!) had a laugh at your expense, I had one at mine ...

                  It got me thinking about when I was pregnant (with each kid) and the day (vividly) I realized my usual "innie" belly button had become an "outie" (like some bizarre "I'm done!" button on a Thanksgiving turkey). And it just kept getting bigger and BIGGER (daily, it seemed!).

                  I never really wore maternity clothes with either pregnancy, and the "outie" most definitely was visible under the thin t-shirts and tank tops I favored (big and pregnant during summer in Houston is ill-advised ;-) I tried several things to smooth it out (bandaids, scotch tape, etc.), and finally settled on a daily patch of duct tape under my clothes.

                  Maybe you could try that for support? It *was* rather effective. ROFL!

                  The residue's a booger, but nothing a little Goo-Gone won't handle ...

                  Have a great weekend, all ...

                  Pam
                  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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                  • #24
                    I had all my hardware removed about 6 years ago, and my doc let me keep it. I left the hospital with a plastic baggie of rods and hooks, and parts of some screws. It weighed less than 2 pounds.

                    Is it weird that I wear a piece of hardware on a chain as a necklace??
                    Fused T2-L3 in March, 2000
                    Hardware removed April 2003
                    Living a full, active life almost 9 years later.
                    Decided against thoracoplasty and revision to correct crankshafting and cervical kyphosis because right now a few more curves don't bother me enough to warrant more surgery.

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                    • #25
                      Randi,

                      Nice of you to pick one of the better threads here! LOL

                      Wearing your hardware weird? No, not at all. All sorts of people keep momentos, and for different reasons.

                      Parts of some screws? So that means that the screw broke off.
                      I might wear the screw head, and if someone asked, Id say that the rest of this screw is buried somewhere in my back.

                      After all, its part of you. Its your story, your statement.

                      You sure did put things to the test with all your crashes, all my crashes were before my surgery.

                      Ed
                      49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
                      Pre surgery curves T70,L70
                      ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
                      Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

                      Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

                      My x-rays
                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

                      Comment

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