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  • #1

    What are my options?

    Hi all,
    This is my first post on this site though I have skimmed a number of threads.
    I do not know what degree my curves are right now but 10 years ago they were approx. 63 and 45. The doctor told me to get surgery (which would involve 2 to 4 bars covering the length of my spine ) Well at least that's what I heard.. to me, being 14, it sounded like the worst thing ever so I left and never went back.

    I have a daughter now and have lost about 6 inches in height. I finally went to get x-rays on the 6th of June (2005) and they didn't look good, they looked worse The girl who took my x-rays said that the top curve is rotated and that I have rotoscoliosis (I can't remember if they told me that before or not) I also have a prominent rib hump on the right side which has also become worse. The curves include everything but my neck & saccrum.

    I have read about a surgery where they go in through the side instead of through the back.. is this even an option for me?

    The pain is getting worse and I'm worried that I will need surgery that might not be able to wait much longer and that I'll have to postpone my wedding (which is this October.)

    I live in Manitoba, Canada and I haven't spoken to any doctors yet (I think there is only one that deals with scoliosis) but I am pretty sure that the copes brace isn't availible here.

    I really, really am scared of getting the full length bars but I will do that if it's my only choice.
    Age 28
    diagnosed at age 12
    wore a boston brace until age 14
    No surgery, was on "wait and watch" till recently. Got a SpineCor (Jan 27th) to help ease the pain.
    T-curve 73 degrees with severe rotation (curves to the right)
    L-curve 45 degrees with slightly less severe rotation than my T-curve (curves to the left)

    1994 - 5'10" - T-?/L-? (i forget what they really were)
    2006 - 5' 4" - T-56/L-40
    2008/09 - 5' 4" - T-73/L-45
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Well, there are 2 different traditional scoliosis surgeries. the one that just is through the back (posterior) and then the other is anterior/posterior (where they go in through the side first, and then in a second op, through the back. The second is better for really stiff curves. There is also a minimally invasive technique, but the impression I've gotten in reading is that it is usually only really good for relatively minor curves...

    I had surger at the age of 20 for my scoliosis. I am a year and a half post op now, and I live a full and active life. I have minimal pain and do all the things I did before having my surgery.

    My rods only from almost the top of my spine, to my lower back, leaving the 4 lowest bones loose. Two of my horseback riding friends have had surgeries that go lower. They don't have as much flexibility as I do, but have adjusted perfectly well to it.

    As far as it postponing your wedding... I wouldn't think that would be the case. Unless the pain gets too bad for you or your curves are increasing VERY rapidly, no reason you can't wait until afterwards! I put off my surgery by 4 to 5 months, and no harm came to me
    Blair

    Dec 15th, 2003 @ age of 20
    Posterior Fusion and CD Horizon instrumentation T2-L1.
    Surgery by Dr. Herkowitz- Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, Michigan
    Excellent correction of 52 degree single left thoracolumbar curve. Slight curve remains in unfused lumbar region but seems stable.
    February 5, 2005- Failed Scar Revision Surgery
    September 17, 2005- 2nd Failed Scar Revision.

    Comment

    • #3
      Carebear...

      Unfortunately, none of us can tell you whether you'd be a candidate for surgery through the front (anterior), since it depends on a lot of variables. Anterior surgery can be great in that it can facilitate having fewer vertebrae fused. Unfortunately, I think anterior only surgery is not a possibility if your curve goes to your lower lumbar spine. You can read about scoliosis surgery here:

      http://www.spine-health.com/topics/c...oliosis04.html

      Scoliosis surgery is almost never an emergency, so you can almost certainly go ahead with your plans to wed in October.

      Regards,
      Linda
      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

      Comment

      • #4
        That's good..

        I was worried about the wedding bit..

        Thanks so much to both of you.. a huge weight has been lifted

        I saw my doctor today and it turns out that though the rotation seems to be kind of new, the curves themselves have not changed much over the past 10 years. Maybe they just looked worse to me because I haven't seen them in so long.

        I go in for pulmunary function tests on the 20th just incase my lungs are getting smooshed..

        Thanks again guys.. I'm really glad that these forums exist
        Age 28
        diagnosed at age 12
        wore a boston brace until age 14
        No surgery, was on "wait and watch" till recently. Got a SpineCor (Jan 27th) to help ease the pain.
        T-curve 73 degrees with severe rotation (curves to the right)
        L-curve 45 degrees with slightly less severe rotation than my T-curve (curves to the left)

        1994 - 5'10" - T-?/L-? (i forget what they really were)
        2006 - 5' 4" - T-56/L-40
        2008/09 - 5' 4" - T-73/L-45

        Comment

        • #5
          Hi! I'm glad you found this forum There are a few of us "in-between" age people on here - not teens and not middle-age. We seem the least represented group! it's nice to hear from you

          From what I know a change in the rotation can make the scoliosis look worse. This definitely is happening in my case.

          Anyway, good that yours doesn't seem to have progressed. All the best. Laura
          30y/o
          Upper curve around 55
          Lower curve around 35

          Comment

          • #6
            oops.. I was a little wrong.

            Okay,
            My doctor told me to take a copy of my X-ray report to my lung specialist just so that he knows more about my scoliosis and can keep it on file. My appointment is next Monday and I have a brain like a sieve so I got it this morning.. and I decided to read it since my doctor never read it to me.

            It turns out I have rotation in both curves! When I was younger there was only a small rotation if anything in the thoracic curve. Now it says severe rotation for my T-curve and "slightly less severe" rotation in my L-curve (which my doctor NEVER mentioned.. but she probably thought I had already seen the report since I run the X-ray department in our clinic) but I never read it until today.

            Can surgery even fix that? Does it help with rotation or does that make me more at risk for the rods pulling out?
            Age 28
            diagnosed at age 12
            wore a boston brace until age 14
            No surgery, was on "wait and watch" till recently. Got a SpineCor (Jan 27th) to help ease the pain.
            T-curve 73 degrees with severe rotation (curves to the right)
            L-curve 45 degrees with slightly less severe rotation than my T-curve (curves to the left)

            1994 - 5'10" - T-?/L-? (i forget what they really were)
            2006 - 5' 4" - T-56/L-40
            2008/09 - 5' 4" - T-73/L-45

            Comment

            • #7
              CareBear...

              Yes, it can be corrected. It's a normal part of scoliosis, and I believe that thoracic curves almost always rotate more than lumbar curves.

              Regards,
              Linda
              Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
              ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
              Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

              Comment

              • #8
                Definitely! Now, it might not be perfect, but today's instrumentation systems correct/improve the rotation of the vertibrae in addition to the curve.
                Now, I had minimal rotation with my curve. But it is all but undetectable now!
                Blair

                Dec 15th, 2003 @ age of 20
                Posterior Fusion and CD Horizon instrumentation T2-L1.
                Surgery by Dr. Herkowitz- Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, Michigan
                Excellent correction of 52 degree single left thoracolumbar curve. Slight curve remains in unfused lumbar region but seems stable.
                February 5, 2005- Failed Scar Revision Surgery
                September 17, 2005- 2nd Failed Scar Revision.

                Comment

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