Before and After

[GOE]

Thanks

That truly was a great correction done! Did Dr. Broachie say any of the bones were fused before the surgery? Just curious.

Anyway, congratulations!

Thanks ! Dr B did not mention anything about my bones being fused before surgery. He did say that I had very stiff curves though esp the thoracic.

[rockycarm]

Thanks everyone. Yes I think Dr Boachie is great !!!!

Rockycarm, I am glad that this gave you hope for May 16. I am sure you will do great !! Dr Boachie is very kind and definitely knows what he is doing.
As great as the xray looks, I must confess that my recovery hasn't been a walk in the park. I am finally begining to feel like I made the right decision to have this surgery at 8 months post op. My main compliants post op have been severe nerve pain in my right leg which gets aggravated with prolonged sitting and the feeling of being unbalanced/one leg being longer than the other. I have seen Dr B thrice already post op and he did a CT scan to confirm that everything was where it should be. He is confident that the pain is all nerve related due to the large curves I had and the significant correction he achieved. He also says I am balanced and my body will just have to take its time to adjust to its new settings In his words "this surgery was a big hit" to my body.
There has been a significant improvement in the nerve pain from the 6 month mark to now. I still cannot tolerate prolonged sitting (2-3hrs) and then I have to take a break but it has gotten much better. I also no longer feel as unbalanced as I felt a few months ago. I started PT at HSS last month and she is working with me mainly on posture and balance so maybe that is helping strenghten the weak muscles and ultimately making me feel more balanced. (Just my own thoughts
About work, I still have not gone back to work Please do not let this discourage you at all. I have an extremely stressful job in NYC that requires me to sit about 12hrs a day, travel quite a bit and carry a laptop to and from my clients. I felt nowhere near ready to go back at 3.5 months. At 6 months I could probably have gone back if I had a different/less stressful job but given the work and the fact that I was still in pain Dr B suggested I take some more time off I was very dissapointed and pretty much in tears in his office after my 6month appt but in hindsight it was probably for the best since I feel much stronger and ready now. I see him again in a few weeks and keeping my fingers crossed to be released to go back to work albeit with travel restrictions as I don't think I am at the point where I can be on a plane twice a week yet
I hope this helped and that I have not discouraged you. I just want to be honest about my own experience. All in all, I still think the decision to take care of back was the best decision for me
at the time and I am optimistic that I will be able to add my post to the sticky thread, "glad I had surgery" sooner rather than later. Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any specific questions about Dr B or HSS. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for May 16. You'll do great !

Thanks GOE for all of the information. I am just hoping that I am able to return to work within 5 months. I am a thick head for sure but want to be ready as I sit for long periods. Will keep you posted.

[Singer]

That sounds an awful lot like my own recovery....including severe right-leg nerve pain. Did you have anterior surgery also or just posterior?

[GOE]

All Posterior

That sounds an awful lot like my own recovery....including severe right-leg nerve pain. Did you have anterior surgery also or just posterior?

Hello Singer - My surgery was all posterior with quite a number of osteotomies due to the stiff cuurves. Given my age I honestly expected a much quicker recovery and gave myself a hard time when it just wasn't happening as quickly as I wanted. I guess you never know with this surgery and you just have to let your body heal at its own pace. A very wise person on this forum told me that "one year is just a blip in the grand scheme of things and to give myself time to heal". Dr B seems to think so too so I am learning patience albeit the hard way

How long did it take the nerve pain in your leg to resolve ?

[Singer]

The nerve pain eased up after a couple of months and is gone now except for a slight sensitivity on the front of my thigh -- feels like a mild sunburn. It was much more painful than my back. I had severe leg weakness also, and that took about a year to resolve. My quad muscles are not 100 percent but pretty close. Boachie told me he thought the nerves going down my leg from the pelvis were probably "stretched" (ouch) or somehow bruised. Are you taking neurontin for the nerve pain? I never did because I was on so many other meds I was afraid to take it.

Even though my curve was not as severe as yours, it was substantial and like you, I got a terrific correction. There's a price to pay for that, it seems!! I would agree with whoever said one year is "a blip"-- I felt a lot better at 18 months and continued to improve until 3 years post-op. I know what you're going through!

[BetsyK]

I'm wondering about returning to work, too

Hi Rockycarm,
I'm scheduled for surgery April 17 and a big concern is returning to work --I sit all day, too. It's good to read all the responses. Alot of people start back part-time.

[Marina63]

Hi!

Hi Rockycarm,
I'm scheduled for surgery April 17 and a big concern is returning to work --I sit all day, too. It's good to read all the responses. Alot of people start back part-time.

Hi Betsy! So you got a date! Where and who is your doctor?

[scooter950]

GOE great correction

I'm just adding my voice to those already spoken, WOW is right! What a great correction- thanks for posting these pics, it is unbelievable to think what a good surgeon can do. I admire Dr Boachie, but I cannot imagine sitting on a plane or - being in NYC for this surgery. It's always inspiring to see before & after pics. as for Ed- LMAO where do u find these things? stormtroopers? frankenstein? now this- too funny! Jamie in TX