19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[Doreen1]

I should be walking more, but the weather outside is horrible lately.

I was able to walk for a few days after I got home from hospital as we've been having unusually warm weather for ATL this year. While I'm not allowed to walk my neighborhood for a while because it is very hilly, the cul-de-sac we live on is relatively flat. It was so refreshing to get in some sunshine and fresh air for a few days with my dad. Unfortunately, we've been having a lot of rain so now I'm doing laps around the house and going up and down the stairs a few times throughout the day is helping, just so boring doing the same path.

Did you or are you using a walker? Dr. Lenke's nurse told me to use my walker until I am 100% stable on my own before putting the walker away. I wonder how long folks use their walkers.

Your insurance bill is crazy! I'm very curious to see what mine adds up to.

Warmly,
Doreen

[JDM555]

I walked around the block a few times, but I think the few times I did, I had back pain from my body being sore. There is a small hill here too, so it was hard on my back.I get up and walk down/up the stairs many times a day though.

I never used a walker, in either surgeries. This recovery was much quicker. I was walking with very little support the following day of my 2nd surgery, and after that, I was walking around just fine on my own and climbing up and down stairs without holding the rail. Lol

[mabeckoff]

John,

I am so glad that you are doing this great with your recovery. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

[JDM555]

Ehhh. I went out yesterday, and I guess sitting in a car and walking around in freezing weather got my sick. I had a very rough night last night. I was shivering and couldn't sleep and had to take 2 warm showers to barely stay warm. Had a nasty headache and my whole body was aching. Then woke up with same headache, and didn't sleep well. Tried to sleep for another hour, and still woke up feeling like crap. Went out, and my back was killing me from the car ride and I had a stomach ache, headache, backache, left leg ache, etc lol. Just all bad, then when I got home, I figured I probably got a flu and it's going to start up, so I took some Vit. C and Zinc and so far I'm on an empty stomach at around 2pm. I lay down for a bit while my mom makes a chicken soup for me, and I don't feel good and end up throwing up. Bye bye Vit. C. So now I'm slowly eating chicken soup with lime in it to help me out. What great timing 2 days before Christmas, lovely.

[jrnyc]

so sorry to hear this, John

Vitamin C and zinc are two things that can cause a lot of stomach upset....
and, sorry to say, usually by the time symptoms have shown, it is too late to
benefit from the vitamins...the germs have already taken hold...

IF it is the flu, there is a med docs can give to shorten the duration, but it
has to be given early on....

i am sorry this has hit at Christmas time....
as far as family, contagious time is most often before symptoms appear,
so you probably can't transmit this to others....that is, if you even feel up
to going out to see family at all....
maybe if you stay in bed til Sunday, you will feel better for Christmas Day...?

hope the worst is over quickly!
jess

[LSKOCH5]

Ah, that bites. Sorry you're sick, & especially right before Christmas. Feel better soon, & I hope you end up having a Merry Christmas in a quieter way w your family.

[debbei]

John,
what a bummer to be sick at Christmas.

Are you still taking any pain meds? Have you cut back recently? Reading your description, it came to mind that at one point when I cut back drastically I had some of those same symptoms you refer to and I thought I was sick. Turned out I was having withdrawl symptoms.

Feel better soon.

[JDM555]

so sorry to hear this, John

Vitamin C and zinc are two things that can cause a lot of stomach upset....
and, sorry to say, usually by the time symptoms have shown, it is too late to
benefit from the vitamins...the germs have already taken hold...

IF it is the flu, there is a med docs can give to shorten the duration, but it
has to be given early on....

i am sorry this has hit at Christmas time....
as far as family, contagious time is most often before symptoms appear,
so you probably can't transmit this to others....that is, if you even feel up
to going out to see family at all....
maybe if you stay in bed til Sunday, you will feel better for Christmas Day...?

hope the worst is over quickly!
jess

Everything I seem to take causes a lot of upset stomach lol. I don't feel tired and like I have a flu, I'm not sneezing/coughing/etc. I'm guessing stomach flu. I feel a little better today, but I feel a very minor sore throat. I'll try some vitamin C and Zinc again, even if symptoms are barely showing, I want to try to stop it. Tomorrow night is my favorite time of the year. We go to a huge christmas party with friends and family, and I would hate to be sick and unable to play with the kids. I've kept warm all yesterday and wasn't getting chills, I'll do same today and hopefully I'll be ok for tomorrow.

Ah, that bites. Sorry you're sick, & especially right before Christmas. Feel better soon, & I hope you end up having a Merry Christmas in a quieter way w your family.

Lol, thanks. I hope it just waits, till after tomorrow night if I end up getting sick sick. As I said above, it's a huge christmas party with many people, and it's my favorite gathering of the year. It would suck if I started getting more flu/cold symptoms then.

John,
what a bummer to be sick at Christmas.

Are you still taking any pain meds? Have you cut back recently? Reading your description, it came to mind that at one point when I cut back drastically I had some of those same symptoms you refer to and I thought I was sick. Turned out I was having withdrawl symptoms.

Feel better soon.

Not really. If I do, I'll take a measly 5mg hydrocone/500mg tylenol, or 5mg oxycodone/325mg, which I have to say doesn't do much at all. I took 5mg of valium last night to help me sleep though. I haven't taken valium in a while. Other than that, I don't take any meds.

[rohrer01]

If you get to the doc right away and they confirm flu with a nasal swab, they can give you Tamiflu. It works GREAT. I've had it and within an hour you can feel your symptoms start to subside.

[JDM555]

If you get to the doc right away and they confirm flu with a nasal swab, they can give you Tamiflu. It works GREAT. I've had it and within an hour you can feel your symptoms start to subside.

Wouldn't it take time for the nasal swabs to show the results? And then to get the Tamiflu? It's Christmas Eve, I don't think I can run in and get that all done in an hour lol. I think I'll be fine, I don't feel horrible. I'll keep taking vitamins and drinking warm drinks and lots of water.

[rohrer01]

Wouldn't it take time for the nasal swabs to show the results? And then to get the Tamiflu? It's Christmas Eve, I don't think I can run in and get that all done in an hour lol. I think I'll be fine, I don't feel horrible. I'll keep taking vitamins and drinking warm drinks and lots of water.

No it doesn't take time. The nasal swab results come back right away. You would need to go to the ER. Tell them that you've just recently had spinal fusion surgery and have already thrown up. The sooner you get Tamiflu, the better it works. If you wait for full blown flu, it takes longer and is less effective. You could probably get Tamiflu at the hospital pharmacy or any of the big chain pharmacies. They may close early, so get scootin'!

[JDM555]

Feel much better than yesterday. No chills or upset stomach or whatever. I have no flu symptoms at all. Sore throat is gone. I didn't want to go to ER and do all that, lol. Was too lazy and didn't want to go out on Christmas Eve, decided to stay in a relax near the heater and stay warm and keep taking vitamins, chicken soup, zinc, etc. I think I'll be fine. Maybe just bad day yesterday? No idea where that came from.

Hopefully I'll feel even better tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone.

[mabeckoff]

Glad to hear that you are feeling much better

Hope you enjoy your Christmas

[mabeckoff]

John, As we have not heard from you in a while, hoping you are doing ok

[JDM555]

John, As we have not heard from you in a while, hoping you are doing ok

Hey. Yes, I'm getting better and able to walk more and more everyday. Haven't taken any pain meds recently. Hopefully I'll return to swimming/cardio at the gym in about 1-2 weeks. School starts on the 30th, but I took a relatively easy schedule, with 1 online class so won't push it. Also, my bone stimulator doesn't seem to be working anymore. I wore it religiously every day for around 4 weeks, and then it just stopped working or would keep beeping that something isn't connected when it was. Idk, but hopefully I don't need to wear it anymore, we'll see what my surgeon says on the 16th for my 2nd visit.

Thanks for thinking of me Melissa.