14.3cm Positive Sagittal Imbalance! YIKES!

[susancook]

She's b-a-a-a-a-ck! Original surgery 2013 for Adult Degenerative Scoliosis, next T4,5 spinal cord injury resulting in partial Paraplegia with subsequent revisions Now? I find myself bent over looking at the ground when I walk. It is painful to lift my head up and try to see what's in front of me. I am fused from T2 to sacrum. My cervical vertebrae are painful. I saw a spine surgeon 2 years ago and he said, "Come back when you want to consider surgery." Xrays show a kyphosis and 14.3 cm positive sagittal imbalance. I am 78 years old and wonder whether I would survive a lengthy surgery. I am interested in a second opinion and wonder how I would find a spine surgeon that is an expert in repairing my spine.
Susan

[TXMom]

Hi Susan, I am logging in just now to see if anyone I recognize is here and here you are. I am beyond sorry to hear that you need more surgery. It breaks my heart to hear this. I was back here a few weeks ago to write about my C5-7 recent fusion. I am doing okay, but never great. Too much pain and fatigue.

I did not realize that you are 78 now. How long a surgery is the doctor discussing with you? I had a good doctor in Dr. Alexander Ropper in Houston that did my original T10-S1 fusion. He is with the Baylor College of Medicine there. I also have had surgery twice now with Dr. Doug Fox at NeuroTexas in Austin. I trust both of them, but I do not know how much surgery you need and how advanced your issues are.

I remember you and Jackie from years back when I first started posting in 2017. I will check back soon to see if you answer this. Have you heard anything from Jackie? She has so many pain issues that it makes me sad for her too. I will be praying for you, Susan. Take care and I'll look back in a day or so.

[susancook]

Tx mom,
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the prayers. I live in Portland, Oregon. I saw Dr. Amir Abdul Jabbar at Swedish in Seattle. Dr. Bob Hart retired because his wife was ill. Dr. AJ was Dr. Hart's fellow. I have never had surgery with him. He ordered an MRI which I am trying to have ordered at OHSU. Dr. AJ said that he would fuse from c3 to T2/3 which will mean that I would be fused from c3-sacrum. I am having increased cx pain. I asked him how many repairs of sagittal imbalance on the cx vert he has done and he said 1 every 3-4 months. He said that the spine docs from UCSF gave them ? workshop on doing it and that it was posted on You Tube. So much posted on You Tube and I am not sure which educational posting that he is referring to. I want a surgeon who does the surgery more often than Dr AJ does the surgery. I am trying to contact Linda Racine to ask who she would recommend.
Susan
PS: Many of my relatives live in Texas and I attended UT Austin from 1964 to 66 when I transferred to Columbia Univ in NYC. My mom graduated from Mary Hardin Baylor College and Dad attended UT until he joined the Army Air Corp in WW2, Mom was from Kenedy and Dad was from Temple. After dad retired from Pan Am, they moved to Miami, then New Braunsfel, We moved them up to Oregon for their remaining years in 2007.