Seriously how is your pain after surgical recovery?

[txmarinemom]

briarrose-- I'm sorry to hear of your pain, but appreciate hearing a little of "the other side of the story"... It's wonderful that so many of you are pain free-- "YAY! " but that isn't always the case.

Susie, I'm not pain free either, but in comparison to what it WAS (and had been since I was about 10), it is oodles and oodles (of course that's a technical term! ;-) better. What I have now is a pain level I can live with.

Shell, hang in there. Although it doesn't seem possible things will improve after a certain point, sometimes they surprise you. I'm crossing my fingers there's one (a surprise) around the corner for you.

I know that as I read through both scoli books by Dave Wolpert and Michael Neuwirth, there was no promise of pain alleviation... so I didn't know what I would end up with. ...

I believe most of our surgeons would say that the surgery is intended to stabilize our spines and provide some correction-- and hopefully decrease pain. But that part is never promised. Please feel free to correct me if you've heard otherwise.

You're exactly right there ARE no guarantees. I think most, if not all, of us took this plunge as a last resort. It certainly wasn't on *my* to-do list ...

Hanson estimated a ±70% chance of significant pain reduction for me, a ±30% chance of no change, and very little chance of increased pain. No, he didn't promise anything, but I was SO tired of 30 year chronic pain (and then, the bonus pain that was building), I was honestly at a point I would have jumped at a 10% chance.

If I had to guess, I'd say *maybe* my outcome was a little easier to predict because my curve was non-progressive, had always hurt in the same place, and had been static my entire adult life. In fact, it likely could have been left exactly as it was if it wasn't hurting so bad.

As for heels, I LOVE them ... the higher, the better (I think there's a post around here somewhere from me pre-op where I swear I'll be back in them if I had to SLEEP in them!).

I'm 5'2" (only here does it matter that I'm 5'2" AND A 1/4" post-op): The closest thing to flats I own are tennis shoes and cleats ;-). Oh ... and flip-flops. Other than that, I don't think I own any shoes with less than a 3" heel!

Regards,
Pam

[titaniumed]

Since there are "no guarantees", I was one who put off surgery as long as possible, being scared to death. Pams right, with me, it was a last resort. I just wasn't getting any relief after all the things I did at age 49 and with 2 70 degree curves. (see my threads)

I have no pain now.

Lee Jo
You need to change your location since you are in a blizzard all the time. That would put you up at the North pole. LOL
You wouldn't want Santa to drop you down the chimney at the hospital now, would you?

Ed

[LeeJo]

Thanks, Ed, though with our record snowfalls this year, the statement "in a blizzard, right now" has been appropriate here more often than not.

I have had occasional back pain all of my teen and adult years, then after having my second child, 6.5 years ago, while he was in that nursing and carrying all the time stage, it got more consistent and worse. Then when he was 15 months old, I got rear-ended in my car, and since then I have not been pain-free in my upper back and neck for more than a few days at a stretch. (Every once in awhile i have a period of "serendipity" when all of my vertebrae are actually happy). Those stretches are fewer and farther between. Now, 5 weeks into 8 weeks of myofascial release and PT I am still running around most of the time at a 6-7 on a 1-10 scale for pain. This is no way to live. I'm not the mom I want to be, I'm a tired, achy grouch an awful lot. I think it may be time to find out just what degree my cobb angle is, and see what can be done.

I really am thankful for all of your input, it makes me have hope of living a semi normal life.