19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[mabeckoff]

Really? Never heard of that. I'll ask him. I got a 2 week post-op appointment with him to remove my staples and what not. The staples and dressings are annoying. Making it super itchy and sweaty back there. I can't wait to hop in a shower lol. Weather has been cold lately, and that's never a good thing for having metal in your body.

I never had staples before and I have finally gotten rid of them today. They were so annoying.They were so itchy

[loves to skate]

Yes, there is a tiny white cord coming out, and it branches into 2 wires just like you said. At the end are those little circular sticky pads that just stick to your back. I didn't feel any difference, and honestly thought it was the biggest waste of time, but I'll still wear it just in case for a bit.

John,
Wear that thing, it is not a waste of time! You didn't fuse the first time. This bone stimulator will help you fuse this time. OK, now that I have yelled at you, I am so glad you are doing well. You have been through a lot, so don't rush your recovery. It takes time for your body to heal. My best advice to you is to listen to your body and follow the Doctor's instructions to the letter.
Take care, Sally

[titaniumed]

John

I have to agree with Sally. There is a reason why your surgeon wants you to use the bone stim machine and they really don’t know why a non-union happens with many of us. Could be due to chemistry. Since you didn’t fuse in the past...it would be prudent to follow orders. There have been others here that have had multiple(more than 2) revisions because of pseudarthrosis.

My surgeon insisted on outdoor walking. No tredmills. Must be a clean air thing......Think about the pollutants that are in a building. All sorts of things! Now you will open the windows and air out your home!
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html

Yup, the air is polluted.....

Glad your feeling better!
Ed

[jrnyc]

hmmmm.....i am really not sure the reasoning behind the "no treadmills" thing some surgeons have....
(after all, some of us New Yorkers never had fresh air to begin with...hah!)
i just know that is what they want....
outdoor walking....not on machines.... for a while anyway....
i do not know if they are afraid eager patients might start making it harder, using the aspect of the machind that is like wallking
uphill...or walking too fast, etc....

best to check and see what your own surgeon wants, John...

jess

[JDM555]

Lol at all the people thinking I'm not following my surgeons orders. My surgeon never told me to wear a bone stimulator or give me a list of things to do. Bone stimulator is something I'm doing extra, for myself. And I'm taking a calcium supplement again, extra for myself. So please don't think of me taking this lightly, I was the one who went through hell the past 2 years cause of failed fusion, so I'm the last one you guys should worry about lol. I'll wear it, and I'll walk, and I'll take calcium supplements daily just in case.

He thinks I'm young and even though I didn't fuse on 2 levels, since he combined so many different effective bonegrafts together, that this time it'll work out fine. He said around 4-6 months to full fuse. It is only 2 levels, and I think he's an amazing surgeon, so that is why I had the meh attitude about the stimulator. Again, my chances of fusing this time, are WAY higher than with Cheng. Cheng used Vitoss and Allograft bonegraft, I've never ever heard of that damn mix before lol. Luckily I fused all levels over L1 though.

I'll wear this stuff after the 2 week mark when he takes off my staples and dressings, cause I don't think I can even fit them on right now lol. Thanks for all the wishes, pain is up and down and chills here are there, but it's all bearable. Hanging in there. Much better than surgery with Cheng for sure though.

[JDM555]

OH YEAH! I totally forgot to share this, but when I woke up after my first surgery, surgeon came in and pointed over to my side. He put all my old hardware in a little bag and let me have them. Looks pretty damn cool lol. Of course they cleaned the hardware first before giving it to me lol. I'll have to take a picture of my X-Rays films and hardware to share with everyone.

[rohrer01]

OH YEAH! I totally forgot to share this, but when I woke up after my first surgery, surgeon came in and pointed over to my side. He put all my old hardware in a little bag and let me have them. Looks pretty damn cool lol. Of course they cleaned the hardware first before giving it to me lol. I'll have to take a picture of my X-Rays films and hardware to share with everyone.

Awesome! I had the surgeon save one of my gallstones when I had my gallbladder out. I was going to keep it, but then under the influence of medication I decided to throw it out. I wish I had kept it. Morbid I know. Mwahahahaha

[jrnyc]

love to see all that whenever you get around to posting it...
i am especially curious about the hardware!

i fully believe you will follow directions from surgeon...
and will be up and back doing things with enthusiasm, happy to get on with the life that
ws put on hold for too long!

are you registered to go back to college for January term?...does your school do terms, or quarters....?

i hope Thanksgiving is extra special this year, and that you have no problems eating...

jess

[JDM555]

Yes. Looks very interesting. The X-Rays are amazing as well. Without hardware, you can see the difference in holes from L2 to L3. The hardware is not exactly what I expected. I thought the rods would be thicker though lol. And he told me which ones were L3 and they were definitely thicker than the rest. Cool stuff.

As well, I forgot, instead of trying to get lame pictures of my X-Rays on film, I can just go to medical records at the hospital and ask to get them all on a CD and share digital pictures of them. I'll make that trip at my 2 week post-op. I'll try my best to get sneak peaks before than though.

[LSKOCH5]

John, Seems as tho you're doing really well this time around. Hope you have a great Thanksgvg. What are you going to do w your old hardware? Maybe turn it into something neat like a quirky Christmas ornament or paperweight?

[LindaRacine]

You can make jewelry out of them.

Earrings.jpg

[mabeckoff]

You can make jewelry out of them.

[ATTACH]1127[/ATTACH]

interesting looking items

[debbei]

John, is your surgeon OK with a treadmill for you?
i've heard surgeons say they wanted their patients on the street and not using a treadmill for a while...
i know Dr Lonner in NYC is one of them....

the thought of getting back to the gym for any reason must be making you really happy!

jess

I wasn't allowed on the treadmill until after my 6 week checkup. I think they're trying to make sure you don't fall.

[Elisa]

You can make jewelry out of them.

[ATTACH]1127[/ATTACH]

Definitely interesting. Not sure if those earrings would look good on John though, lol. The rods are a lot thinner than I thought. I've been picturing them about double that width for some reason, to hold the spine and all.

[JDM555]

What am I going to do with them? Are you seriously asking that? Lol, that's so cool to have spinal hardware that was in your spine just hanging out. I'll definitely keep it to share with friends/family and to remind me of my past. I think it's very special to be able to have them, I don't look at them as just some pieces of metal that are useless.

And lol at earnings, I'll pass on that and on Christmas ornament as well.

Elisa, that's what I first thought when I saw my hardware. I was like wow, those are pretty thin, but they are definitely strong.