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  • Things that promote or interfere with fusion

    Hi everyone,

    I'm 9 months now and starting to think a lot about whether I'm fused/fusing. I was thinking it might be helpful to a lot of us to talk about ways we can help fusion and, conversely, hurt it.

    Here are my thoughts, please add yours.

    Help:
    Eat healthy food and take your vitamins/calcium. We don't know exactly what goes into forming bone, right? But this certainly can't hurt.
    Follow your BLTS restrictions.
    Keep blood flowing, either through walking or other permitted forms of exercise.

    Hurt:
    Smoking. Don't know why, though. Anyone?
    Taking anti-inflammatories. (Apparently inflammation is important in the fusion process.)
    Bending, lifting, twisting and/or squatting in the first few months.

    Here's one I've been wondering about. Drinking too much soda (or in my case, diet soda)? I have never heard of this, but I've just been wondering about it because soda is implicated as a contributor to bone loss in osteoporosis. Sure hope not, because I love my diet Coke!

    Thoughts?

    Best,
    Evelyn
    age 48
    80* thoracolumbar; 40* thoracic
    Reduced to ~16* thoracolumbar; ~0* thoracic
    Surgery 3/14/12 with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis, T4 to S1 with pelvic fixation
    Broken rods 12/1/19; scheduled for revision fusion L1-L3-4 with Dr. Lenke 2/4/2020
    Not "confused" anymore, but don't know how to change my username.

  • #2
    Evelyn,
    I know that smoking restricts blood flow. When people have finger amputations most doctors will not do reattachment surgery if the person smokes. So it is likely the restricted blood flow thing. I've even heard of people losing their feet in rare cases just from poor circulation that results from smoking.
    Be happy!
    We don't know what tomorrow brings,
    but we are alive today!

    Comment


    • #3
      Evelyn

      I went to a scoliosis meeting a few years back and they had this elder scoliosis surgeon talk.....

      He asked “ What the WORST thing a person could do to his body?”

      You guessed it.....drink “Diet Coke”

      Baaaad Kitty.....(in heavy British accent)

      I drank soda for years till I passed my stone.....(my boulder) Now its Iced tea or water....

      Ed
      Last edited by titaniumed; 12-27-2012, 11:49 PM.
      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


      • #4
        note to rohr...your PM box is filled

        (sorry to hijack thread for a moment)

        jess

        Comment


        • #5
          I found this study on WebMD
          Researchers at Tufts University, studying several thousand men and women, found that women who regularly drank cola-based sodas -- three or more a day -- had almost 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip, even though researchers controlled for calcium and vitamin D intake. But women who drank non-cola soft drinks, like Sprite or Mountain Dew, didn't appear to have lower bone density.
          Soda and Osteoporosis: Possible Culprits

          Phosphoric acid, a major component in most sodas, may be to blame, according to lead study author Katherine Tucker, PhD.

          Phosphorus itself is an important bone mineral. But if you're getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium you're getting, that could lead to bone loss.

          Another possible culprit is caffeine, which experts have long known can interfere with calcium absorption. In the Tufts study, both caffeinated and non-caffeinated colas were associated with lower bone density. But the caffeinated drinks appeared to do more damage.

          This study isn't the last word on the subject. Some experts point out that the amount of phosphoric acid in soda is minimal compared to that found in chicken or cheese. And no one's telling women to stop eating chicken.

          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.

          Comment


          • #6
            For how long is squatinnig prohibited (in general)? When is it safe to squat down to pick things off the floor instead of using a grabber?
            I am stronger than scoliosis, and won't let it rule my life!
            45 years old - diagnosed at age 7
            A/P surgery on March 5/7, 2013 - UCSF

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by titaniumed View Post
              Evelyn

              I went to a scoliosis meeting a few years back and they had this elder scoliosis surgeon talk.....

              He asked “ What the WORST thing a person could do to his body?”

              You guessed it.....drink “Diet Coke”

              Baaaad Kitty.....(in heavy British accent)

              I drank soda for years till I passed my stone.....(my boulder) Now its Iced tea or water....

              Ed
              Thanks Ed! You just ruined dt. Pepsi for me. I will no longer be able to enjoy the refreshing beverage. First no wine (i actually only have a glass a couple times a year) and now no soda, this fusion thing is tough! :-) Coffee is my true love/addiction and cut back to a cup a couple times a week because I was told caffeine could hinder fusion. It's mainly water for me.

              Tamena
              Diagnosed at age 12 with a double major curve

              Braced till age 15

              SSBOB T12-L2 Anterior age 34. (October 22,2012) Dr. Robert Gaines Jr. ( Columbia, MO)

              Revision Surgery T2-Sacrum with Pelvic Fixation Prosterior age 35 (November 13,2013) Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, MO)

              Revision Surgery L4/L5 due to BMP Complication age 36 (November 20,2014) Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, Mo)

              Revision Surgery due to broken rod scheduled for October 19, 2016 with Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, MO)

              Comment


              • #8
                oh my gosh...no caffeine...?
                trying to understand how it might be bad for fusion...
                and wondering if it is hard for people to quit their coffee...

                jess

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by jrnyc View Post
                  oh my gosh...no caffeine...?
                  trying to understand how it might be bad for fusion...
                  and wondering if it is hard for people to quit their coffee...

                  jess
                  Caffeine doesn't necessarily impede bone healing directly, but it does affect your body's ability to heal by affecting uptake and excretion of nutrients. Caffeine affects sodium, chloride and potassium levels in your body. It significantly increases calcium loss in the urine (which leads to calcium bone loss). Other "bone robbers" include salt, sugar, and alcohol. Soda drinks are really bad because they contain caffeine, sugar and phosphorous, all which decreases your body's calcium levels.

                  So I would avoid large quantities of caffeine, because it will decrease the amount of essential nutrients needed for proper bone healing.

                  Tamena
                  Diagnosed at age 12 with a double major curve

                  Braced till age 15

                  SSBOB T12-L2 Anterior age 34. (October 22,2012) Dr. Robert Gaines Jr. ( Columbia, MO)

                  Revision Surgery T2-Sacrum with Pelvic Fixation Prosterior age 35 (November 13,2013) Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, MO)

                  Revision Surgery L4/L5 due to BMP Complication age 36 (November 20,2014) Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, Mo)

                  Revision Surgery due to broken rod scheduled for October 19, 2016 with Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, MO)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by tae_tap View Post
                    Thanks Ed! You just ruined it.

                    Tamena
                    Yup. I’ve ruined it for coke. It dropped .86 cents a share today.... I’ve also ruined it for salami back when John JDM was posting.....that was a classic post! John will never eat salami again because of me.....I will look for it if you need entertainment value.....(smiley face) I hope John posts one of these days....

                    As far as fusion is concerned, they really don’t know.....what is disturbing is that pseudarthrosis can happen in young people....Sigh...

                    An interesting article on boosting your immune system. Adopting healthy living strategies.
                    There are still few studies on the effects of nutrition on the immune system.
                    What we know and don’t know....
                    Diet
                    Herbs
                    Stress
                    Exercise
                    Gene chips.....hmmm.....
                    http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu-re...une-system.htm

                    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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