Ready for a kicker? pictures attached

[susancook]

Thanks for all the opinions its nice to hear from others who are in it with you (mom's included Pooka)

Discs rubbing -
(L2-L3) worse of the disc bulges (L4- L5) small bulge (L5-S1) disc bulge and degenerative disc ...

what's the hurry?? - I don't know.. When my discs originally slipped I couldn't walk- couldn't work for 3 weeks and was a lump on the couch. During that time, I Felt HORRIBLE. My back felt worse from laying around... So I just kinda told myself, if I'm gonna do this, i should do it now, because If I wait till I'm in pain (with discs or curves worsening) I'll be "mentally" worse off going into surgery...

It's Dr Bederman not Boachie. and i FULLY trust his opinion. He also showed my films to DR Serena Hu (in SF) and she agreed with the approach.
I saw Dr Akbarnia in SD
I saw Dr Daubs in Los Angeles

I feel like I have enough opinions - I just need to figure out my own opinion. - that's the hardest one-

Thank you EVERYONE - this forum really calms the nerves!!

Not giving you an opinion, just wishing you luck and freedom from pain.
Susan

[titaniumed]

Discs rubbing -
(L2-L3) worse of the disc bulges (L4- L5) small bulge (L5-S1) disc bulge and degenerative disc ...

Are you saying that you have verified herniation’s at these levels?

What will happen to these in the future after a long fusion above? A good question to ask.

Ed

[jrnyc]

king, i was under the impressioin you were not in any pain...
i am amazed you could participate in such a grueling activity...
the "mudder" sounds horrendous to me...but i am in constant pain...
you have my sympathy about the discs...mine have caused continuing
havoc well beyond when mine first herniated...
i thought you had no pain at all...

since you have good medical opinions, and seem to be aware of
all the pros and cons, it sounds to me as if you are mainly worried
about your post surgery abilities to continue to be so athletic...
perhaps if you had further discussions on that topic with the surgeon
you choose for your procedure, , you would be able to move forward with your decision....

best of luck with whatever you decide...

jess

[Pooka1]

Sorry. Jess, you are right. I was wrong about the opinion to fuse the thorax now as coming from Boachie. It's Bederman. So Boachie can maintain his consistency on this point I guess. :-)

[king14]

Susan - I appreciate everyones opinion. I meant I think I have enough "medical expert" opinons. But I value all of your input as you all have been there.

Ed - yes varified disc bulges - not fully herniated. According to Dr. Bederman - he thinks it will help them as the apex of my lumbar is at L2 and he thinks by fusing above it will relieve the compression on the one side thats bulging (yes will have pressure on the disc because of fusion, but shared by both sides equally)

Jess - I am in NO pain. I did extensive Hydrotherapy traction 6 days a weeks for a month and a half and had extensive stretches/exercises to help my discs. I do get nerve pain down the leg if I sit too long, but nothing compared to the initial pain of the bulge (level 8 at least) Now, it's more of an annoyance.

Now having heard some first hand accounts - I think i'm gonna simmer on this decision a bit. I still have time before September... But may push back a year and see how I progress..

Thank you everyone.

[Irina]

Hi King,

I can totally relate - it is a hard decision to make, but you're saying you have nerve leg pain. Isn't it an indication that something is not right? What did your doctors say about leg pain? Would it increase with time or they don't know?

I am in a similar situation, but my TL curve is 70, I have some activity-based pain, but nothing terrible and my main complaint is discomfort from ribs rubbing against pelvis bone (which wasn't there even a year ago). It's hard to pull the plug now, but sitting and waiting until I am 50-60 and in worse pain doesn't make much sense either.

Please let us know what you decide and best of luck to you.

[king14]

Surgery is scheduled for september 17th

Hi everyone I just wanted to say thank you for all your help, suggestions, personal encounters etc.

SO - I'm going to have surgery, and want to explain why if anyone is in my boat and is wishy washy.

-My levels of fusion are T4 to L1 (selective fusion) - if I wait longer I WILL be fused to L4 or L5 and I want to preserve as much of my spine as I can. (**if I had to be fused that low now, I would NOT be having the surgery, I would wait. because there would be nothing to gain by doing it now***)

- I've been progressing pretty quickly over the last 5 years

- I'm under 30 and my curves are both over 50, I personally don't want to wait to get "worse" before I do something about it. (Even tho I understand that is a totally safe approach)

- I have great insurance right now

- My mom is able to stay with me as long as I need her, and my husband was able to take off time for me as well

*** Most importantly - I feel good about it!! I know that for months afterwards I'll be saying "why??" but I know why. Because I have a disease and it’s getting worse and I’d like to be proactive. I am in great shape and I know that my recovery will be easier with me being in good health beforehand. I also have a pretty level head on my shoulders, and I’m not seeing surgery as the end of the world, I’m seeing it as the next step in my life. My spine's been pretty damn good to me, and now I’m giving it a chance to be straight!
I know those of you reading this are probably going "whoa she's in for it" but I’ve done my research, I've read the books, and seen the best. And I trust that this is where I'm supposed to be right now.... what's to come, is what's to come.

I'll post before the surgery and then keep you updated afterwards. Thanks for everything again!!! I'll be looking forward to adding my tough mudder video next year after surgery

[Pooka1]

Hey King14,

I'm glad you made a decision that you are comfortable with. It sounds like the right thing. As Dr. Hey says, "A stitch in time saves nine."

You are still young and your spine is superflexible. I bet your lumbar straightens out completely after the T spine is straightened. Hopefully it will be one-stop shopping for back surgery for you.

Good luck.

[Irina]

Hi King14,

Best of luck to you. You have a great attitude and I am sure you'll do great.

[mabeckoff]

Glad to hear that you are going forward

[Jenna.KB]

Just read the whole of this thread.

So pleased you've made your decision and your happy with it. My situation is different to yours but I'm having my surgery on 26th July! scared to death but I need it and need to take control of this so I'm doing it.

Good Luck x

[debbei]

They sound like good reasons to me. I had my surgery when I did, maybe earlier than I would have wanted, for insurance reasons as well. Good luck.

[golfnut]

King,
Everything you said makes so much sense. You have educated yourself and have a great attitude.

Jenna,
We were all scared to death. The recovery is not horrible for everyone. It wasn't easy, but my fears were so much worse.

[titaniumed]

King

It sounds like you are ready and we support you in your decision.

When I set my date, I turned into a zombie. I went out and hit the hill pretty hard thinking that I might not ski again and boy did I ever crash hard! Broke my shoulder up pretty good, I’m amazed I didn’t rip my arm off. This was about 10 days before my scoli surgeries so it might not be a bad idea to stay out of the mud. (smiley face)

Linda has lists on her site.....it doesn’t mention anything about mud activities....he he
http://scoliosislinks.com/PostSurgActivities.htm

Ed

[Confusedmom]

King,
Those are solid reasons. I didn't realize you'd had a lot of progression. If you can stop at L1 now, maybe you'll never have to go lower--which is KEY! Best wishes. I think you've got every chance of having this turn out with teenager-like results (read:fast & good).

Evelyn