I just joined this Forum and wanted to see if anyone had experience with XLIF surgery. I have been amazed and awed at how much you all know about scoliosis and the pros and cons of various surgeries and surgeons and have learned so much about the questions to ask from what has been written here.
Was diagnosed in January with scoliosis with disc degeneration after having increasing back pain over the last 5-10 years. I knew I had mild scoliosis from the age of 16 (now 65) but had never had a back XRAY or seen what it was like--shocker.... But in comparison to many of you, mine is mild--30 degree curve (C curve) from L1-L5. My pain is also mild relative to some of what I 've read here--can sometimes walk pretty far (a couple of miles) with little pain but standing is what does me in, then, once the pain starts, anything I do is downhill. My right leg also gets totally numb. In any case it is progressing noticeably over the last few years and I find myself becoming much less active. That apparently is because of the disc degeneration and bone spurs pinching the nerves.
First back doctor was at Stanford Spine Center (I live next to Stanford) where I spent 3 years with a physiatrist with physical therapy and and pain management then last August had the spinal injection (which did absolutely nothing for me) then was referred to the back surgeon. I had my choice of Dr. Serena Hu (I noticed an earlier post about her being at UCSF), and Dr. Ivan Cheng. I chose Dr. Cheng last fall but he was on sabbatical until January--he seemed to specialize in scoliosis more than Dr. Hu.
Anyway, he told me my choices in January were to A) replace all 4 discs from L1-L5 and rods and screws to stabilize or B) do a larger surgery which would go from T11-S1. Knowing this to be a major surgery, I wanted a second opinion, which I got at UCSF with Dr. Mummaneni. He basically said the same thing as Dr. Cheng but the procedure would be different--UCSF would do 2 surgeries for the smaller sections: ALIF on a Monday and posterior for the rods and screws on Wednesday. Dr. Cheng would do the surgery in 1 day--XLIF for the disc replacement and posterior small incisions to insert the rods and screws. Stanford also does not use BMP as disc material--they think it is too risky--they use cadaver bone infused with stem cells.
Not knowing about this forum until after I saw Dr Cheng but before Dr. Mummaneni, I went back to Dr. Cheng with much better questions (thank you for educating me). I also discovered that both of these doctors I had somehow happened upon are listed in the SRS list of surgeons.
So I have decided to go ahead with surgery because the disc between L5 and S1 is starting to degenerate and if it goes too much, they will not do the smaller surgery and I am really scared of the larger surgery--if I can get another 5 years without fusing the sacrum, I will be happy. I have also decided to do the surgery at Stanford because the procedure is less invasive and Dr. Cheng has done between 200-250 of these in the last 6 years.
So my question for this group is what should I be asking now and how can I better prepare for the surgery or should I try something else? It will be scheduled sometime in mid to late June--waiting for the final date.
Thanks,
Martha
Was diagnosed in January with scoliosis with disc degeneration after having increasing back pain over the last 5-10 years. I knew I had mild scoliosis from the age of 16 (now 65) but had never had a back XRAY or seen what it was like--shocker.... But in comparison to many of you, mine is mild--30 degree curve (C curve) from L1-L5. My pain is also mild relative to some of what I 've read here--can sometimes walk pretty far (a couple of miles) with little pain but standing is what does me in, then, once the pain starts, anything I do is downhill. My right leg also gets totally numb. In any case it is progressing noticeably over the last few years and I find myself becoming much less active. That apparently is because of the disc degeneration and bone spurs pinching the nerves.
First back doctor was at Stanford Spine Center (I live next to Stanford) where I spent 3 years with a physiatrist with physical therapy and and pain management then last August had the spinal injection (which did absolutely nothing for me) then was referred to the back surgeon. I had my choice of Dr. Serena Hu (I noticed an earlier post about her being at UCSF), and Dr. Ivan Cheng. I chose Dr. Cheng last fall but he was on sabbatical until January--he seemed to specialize in scoliosis more than Dr. Hu.
Anyway, he told me my choices in January were to A) replace all 4 discs from L1-L5 and rods and screws to stabilize or B) do a larger surgery which would go from T11-S1. Knowing this to be a major surgery, I wanted a second opinion, which I got at UCSF with Dr. Mummaneni. He basically said the same thing as Dr. Cheng but the procedure would be different--UCSF would do 2 surgeries for the smaller sections: ALIF on a Monday and posterior for the rods and screws on Wednesday. Dr. Cheng would do the surgery in 1 day--XLIF for the disc replacement and posterior small incisions to insert the rods and screws. Stanford also does not use BMP as disc material--they think it is too risky--they use cadaver bone infused with stem cells.
Not knowing about this forum until after I saw Dr Cheng but before Dr. Mummaneni, I went back to Dr. Cheng with much better questions (thank you for educating me). I also discovered that both of these doctors I had somehow happened upon are listed in the SRS list of surgeons.
So I have decided to go ahead with surgery because the disc between L5 and S1 is starting to degenerate and if it goes too much, they will not do the smaller surgery and I am really scared of the larger surgery--if I can get another 5 years without fusing the sacrum, I will be happy. I have also decided to do the surgery at Stanford because the procedure is less invasive and Dr. Cheng has done between 200-250 of these in the last 6 years.
So my question for this group is what should I be asking now and how can I better prepare for the surgery or should I try something else? It will be scheduled sometime in mid to late June--waiting for the final date.
Thanks,
Martha
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