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5+ Years Out and WORSE!

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  • #16
    What The...

    Wrote a big long dissertation thinking I was creating a general post, but did something else in reply to rohrer and then had to edit it a million times to take it down to 1000 characters and... ARGGHH! Let me try again....
    My pain is very managable. I simply sit when I need to, pref w feet up, and don't try to walk upright w/o support. OTC's work fine, but I refuse to take them all day long. Icepacks also work. Granted, at the end of the day I'm DONE and NEED to sit, but there are worse things. I can't imagine those who need to take narcotics and still can't get relief. How awful! Yes, I'd like to walk a mile or more as I used to pain free, but some girls wanted to be ballerina's when they grew up At home with just me and hubby, I simply walk crouched over to avoid more pain, and take "sit breaks" when necessary. Carrying anything even slightly weighty brings me even closer to the ground. The kyphosis is making it harder to be pain free as I still need to look up to avoid running into walls and my new upper curve wants to force my 8-10lb head down. Maybe if I cut my hair my head would be easier to carry? I think I'm being a bit goofy now since I've spent the last few days feeling so morose and scared about the prospect of rev surgery. A little comic relief? Since coming back here and learning from all of you that I might not have to live like this, I am feeling much more hopeful. I've never even heard of saggital imbalance, and after looking it up on the net I said out loud "THAT'S ME!" I was excited to see that maybe I'm not such a rare case and I might be able to walk upright again. I've made an appt for July 14th with my surgeon and will go armed with all this info and see how he reacts. It's been 3 years since my last visit so, we'll see. It's daunting to start the process again, but I am now sure I want to take the next step and explore my options thoroughly. Thank you all for caring, even though you have your own "fish to fry."
    Sharona Balogna
    Singing the Blues
    Female 1951
    A/P Surgery Oct 13th & 17th '05, from T7-L5, 46 degree curve reduced to 19 degrees. Rib hump almost gone, but I have flatback. Thought it was "normal" and I would improve over time. I developed kyphosis above the surgical area. Had surgery with Dr Menmuir in Reno, Nv on October 13, 2010.
    Today I am still plagued with flatback, and I'm considering ALIF surgery.

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    • #17
      congratulations, Sharon...bet you are way braver than you give yourself credit...and i think you are making the right decision..you have too much life in you and ahead of you to spend it with your head down!!

      jess

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Sharon C View Post
        Wow!!
        Amazing to hear that you had the SAME ISSUES, and you are now so much better!!! I am so happy for you. I see you're a grandma, so maybe you are
        50+? ..although my daughter made me a grandma at 38, just to annoy me, I think I have just the one daughter, 4 grandkids, but also a great hubby, 2 cats, AND a pembroke corgi! Maybe we're long lost twin sisters??
        It's so nice to hear the positive side of a revision. Kudos to your doctor for your new life.
        Sharon
        Sharon,
        Nice to meet a fellow corgi lover! and yes unfortunately I have climbed over the hill my last birthday and have joined the 50 and over club!
        Do you have alot of fatigue in your legs and hips when you stand or walk? I was developing contractures in my hips and knees because my body was trying to compensate for not being able to stand upright. None of this was permanent because I now am able to stand for much longer periods of time than I ever thought possible and I love to walk now where before surgery I really dreaded it. Good luck in your search for answers!
        May 2008 Fusion T4 - S1, Pre-op Curves T45, L70 (age 48). Unsuccessful surgery.

        March 18, 2010 (age 50). Revision with L3 Osteotomy, Replacement of hardware T11 - S1 , addition of bilateral pelvic fixation. Correction of sagittal imbalance and kyphosis.

        January 24, 2012 (age 52) Revision to repair pseudoarthrosis and 2 broken rods at L3/L4.

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        • #19
          Good luck Sharona. Great to hear you've begun your journey back to the good life. May it be swift and smooth.
          Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
          Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
          T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
          Osteotomies and Laminectomies
          Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

          Comment


          • #20
            To Naptown...And Anyone Else Who Might Know!

            Originally posted by naptown78 View Post
            Sharon,
            Nice to meet a fellow corgi lover! and yes unfortunately I have climbed over the hill my last birthday and have joined the 50 and over club!
            Do you have alot of fatigue in your legs and hips when you stand or walk? I was developing contractures in my hips and knees because my body was trying to compensate for not being able to stand upright. None of this was permanent because I now am able to stand for much longer periods of time than I ever thought possible and I love to walk now where before surgery I really dreaded it. Good luck in your search for answers!
            Hey,
            since you're looking younger now, no one will even suspect you've hit the dreaded milestone!
            I do have arthritis in my joints, and my spine, so occasionally my knees will get fussy if I "do" stairs, etc. The pain when I stand or walk was in my upper left back muscles mostly, and now also in the upper back above the original fusion where the kyphosis is rearing it's ugly curve. I am very interested in what was done for you, obviously, since your case seems quite similar to mine. Our fusions were very similar, mine being from T-5 to L-4. I know each case is different, but did they remove your old hardware or just "revise" it? And do they correct the saggital imbalance separately? Also, since I will probably have my upper back corrected as well, do you know if they can just add new hardware, or do they have to replace all the old stuff and put in one piece? All these crazy questions are squirming around in my head now that I've opened this new can of worms.
            Again, you sound just wonderful, and I'm so happy it's (mostly) over for you and you've got your precious mobility back!
            Sharona
            Singing the Blues
            Female 1951
            A/P Surgery Oct 13th & 17th '05, from T7-L5, 46 degree curve reduced to 19 degrees. Rib hump almost gone, but I have flatback. Thought it was "normal" and I would improve over time. I developed kyphosis above the surgical area. Had surgery with Dr Menmuir in Reno, Nv on October 13, 2010.
            Today I am still plagued with flatback, and I'm considering ALIF surgery.

            Comment


            • #21
              Thanks Jennifer!

              Originally posted by JenniferG View Post
              Good luck Sharona. Great to hear you've begun your journey back to the good life. May it be swift and smooth.
              Glad you started your good life without me!
              Singing the Blues
              Female 1951
              A/P Surgery Oct 13th & 17th '05, from T7-L5, 46 degree curve reduced to 19 degrees. Rib hump almost gone, but I have flatback. Thought it was "normal" and I would improve over time. I developed kyphosis above the surgical area. Had surgery with Dr Menmuir in Reno, Nv on October 13, 2010.
              Today I am still plagued with flatback, and I'm considering ALIF surgery.

              Comment


              • #22
                Originally posted by Sharon C View Post
                Hey,
                since you're looking younger now, no one will even suspect you've hit the dreaded milestone!
                I do have arthritis in my joints, and my spine, so occasionally my knees will get fussy if I "do" stairs, etc. The pain when I stand or walk was in my upper left back muscles mostly, and now also in the upper back above the original fusion where the kyphosis is rearing it's ugly curve. I am very interested in what was done for you, obviously, since your case seems quite similar to mine. Our fusions were very similar, mine being from T-5 to L-4. I know each case is different, but did they remove your old hardware or just "revise" it? And do they correct the saggital imbalance separately? Also, since I will probably have my upper back corrected as well, do you know if they can just add new hardware, or do they have to replace all the old stuff and put in one piece? All these crazy questions are squirming around in my head now that I've opened this new can of worms.
                Again, you sound just wonderful, and I'm so happy it's (mostly) over for you and you've got your precious mobility back!
                Sharona

                Sharona,
                Yes, maybe I can fool everyone, lol!
                What was done in my revision was, he cut my rods around T11, and replaced alot of the screws in the lumbar area which in the operative report he says were in a "sub-optimal" position previously. He replaced the lower rods with a different type of metal which he said was stronger and did an osteotomy at the L3 level and placed 2 pelvic anchors. The osteotomy is what corrects the sagittal imbalance. I had kyphosis also, and I am straight as an arrow now. The only thing I didn't get back is my butt. Oh well...can't have everything!
                May 2008 Fusion T4 - S1, Pre-op Curves T45, L70 (age 48). Unsuccessful surgery.

                March 18, 2010 (age 50). Revision with L3 Osteotomy, Replacement of hardware T11 - S1 , addition of bilateral pelvic fixation. Correction of sagittal imbalance and kyphosis.

                January 24, 2012 (age 52) Revision to repair pseudoarthrosis and 2 broken rods at L3/L4.

                Comment


                • #23
                  you
                  The only thing I didn't get back is my butt.
                  You mean he didn't give you the Jennifer Lopez protrusion or what? If so, you had that before surgery #1?

                  Hmmm.

                  Funny thing is (aside) that it wasn't so long ago that everyone wanted to be slender all over. Zaftig is a fairly new "in" thing (and still hasn't hit the runways)! HAHAHA,

                  PS Tried to send this as a PM, but yr box is full!
                  Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                  Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                  main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                  Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

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