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Help! post surgery--possible SMA

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  • #16
    Originally posted by trav86 View Post
    From what I've read online, it seems that being able to move one's bowels does not rule out either ileus or SMA.
    Okay. Great job chasing that down.

    Spencer had some ginger ale this morning and thus far has kept it down. We're trying jello now. I read a study that said lying on the left side can help alleviate SMA, so I'm having him do that. I'm thinking I'll buy something like ensure, but will consult with pediatrician before feeding it to him. We have an appointment at 1:30.
    Are you in science or medicine? It seems so.

    If it is relieved by lying on the left side and in no other position, you might ask a speicalist if that is definitive for SMA. It may or may not be.

    Excellent work on your part.

    Good luck at the appointment. Ask anything and everything you can think of. Don't leave without answers or a referral to a specialist.
    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

    No island of sanity.

    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
    Answer: Medicine


    "We are all African."

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    • #17
      Originally posted by CamsMomKelly View Post
      Pooka what do you mean restrict food/water until bowel sounds heard? My son has had 3 previous surgeries(notfor Scolio) and they have always started on the drinking right away, food maybe day later, then of course miralax or something to get it going... Is this not how some do it??
      Our surgeon did not allow any food or drink until gut sounds were heard. This occurred on Day three for both my kids. It is my understadning that the bloating that occurs if you eat/drink prior to this point is associated with worse pain that the scolisois surgery. Or so a few testimonials have stated.

      Im not trying to argue with you or anything just curious...
      There is no arguing on this site. Only stating facts (when known) in the face of some not interested in facts. That's not an argument; that's just cold, hard reality.

      Corrections by folks who know what the heck they are talking about are (or should be) always welcome. That said, lay people with no relevant training need to carefully couch their comments to avoid appearing like they know what the heck they are talking about. The research section is a misasma in this regard for example.
      Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

      No island of sanity.

      Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
      Answer: Medicine


      "We are all African."

      Comment


      • #18
        Thanks to everyone for your good ideas and your support.

        My first thought was that it was the pain meds. I told Spencer the pills might be upsetting his stomach, so he stopped taking them. He had a 5mg oxycodone Sunday at bedtime (that was the day the vomiting started), another one yesterday at 5 am and nothing else since--no advil, no tylenol, nothing. At this point, he's so unhappy with his stomach condition that he's willing to live with whatever discomfort his back is causing.

        Before that, he was taking advil and oxycodone every 4-5 hours. Maybe he damaged his stomach with the meds and this is the aftermath. I hope that's the case and that it's just a matter of time until he's feeling better.

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        • #19
          CamsMomKelly: in answer to your question about the ileus, my understanding is it has to do with the length of the surgery (how long you're under) so maybe your son's other surgeries were not as long. With really long surgeries, sometimes your stomach and intestines do not "wake up" when they should, so if you eat or drink something, the normal peristalsis, or involuntary moving the food along that happens, doesn't occur, and you get very grave problems. That is why they should wait to hear gurgles or blurps or some sign that your gut is awake. I had an ileus and couldn't eat or drink for 5 days. Ti Ed has me beat, but I don't remember the length of time for him-- 8 days maybe? Of course, we weren't withering away because we were hooked up to IVs. But we were still thirsty and feeling hungry... (missing food, you know!) Does that answer your question? For some reason, there are many surgeons who don't monitor this at all.
          71 and plugging along... but having some problems
          2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
          5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
          Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

          Corrected to 15°
          CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
          10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

          Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

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          • #20
            Yes that does help.
            My daughter had wisdom teeth removed and was taking painkillers for days about 4 days in i would say she started heavily vomiting too, the doctor prescribed something to calm her stomach and to move her off the vicodin ( I think it was) that cleared up the vomiting about a day later so maybe it is the meds?
            My sons other surgeries were actually longer then this spinal one is supposed to be , so yes maybe they arent monitoring it or I didnt see them monitoring it but yes after all he has had problems and caused pain in his stomach. I will keep this in mind after this surgery to not make him eat/drink unless they check the stomach noises or question the nurses about it .
            Kelly
            mom of Cameren 12 yrs. old
            Chiari,retroflex odontoid,syringomyelia,scoliosis
            Chiari decompressions 6/2005,5/2006
            Syringopleural shunt 6/2009
            Boston Braced off & on 6.5yrs
            scoliosis surgery- 9/15/10 T4-L4 Dr. Bridwell
            Fell & broke finger,surgery 3/2011

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            • #21
              Update

              We ended up back in the hospital. When the pediatrician saw Spencer, she saw immediately how bad he looked; he's lost 17 pounds (from 154 to 137?in 2 weeks, and he was acting like a zombie! She called the surgeon and they determined that he should go to the ER and possibly be admitted. He was given IV fluids and anti nausea medication, and he started to feel lots better. We came home in about 3 hours. The pediatrician thought we should have stayed but he would have had to be in the ER overnight, and it was an absolute zoo! Screaming babies, alarms--the parents next to us almost came to blows about whose fault it was that their daughter was sick and security was brought in.

              He seems to be on the mend. The pediatrician said that the meds might have messed up his stomach causing him to vomit initially and to become dehydrated. The continued vomiting could have been caused by the dehydration--a kind of vicious circle.

              Fingers crossed that this is behind us.

              Comment


              • #22
                trav86: Sorry to hear that you had to go to the ER. Those kind of visits are never good.

                I'm glad that they think it's the meds and not something more serious. Did you discuss the possibility of your son taking some other form of medication than what he's currently taking?

                I only ask because several people in my family get violently ill if we take anything with Codeine (including me). My father almost died after taking one pill that his doctor prescribed him to slow down the progression of his recently diagnosed Alzheimers!
                Mother to 14 yo Cheyenne. Surgery 8/23/10 Shriners, SLC.

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                • #23
                  I had some problems throwing up everytime I took my pain meds while I was in the hospital. I would literally throw up within two minutes of taking my meds every time! Finally one nurse had the idea to try liquid versions of the pain meds and, for me, it solved the problem. I don't know if it would help you, but maybe you could ask your doctor to prescribe meds in liquid form. I only had to be on the liquid meds for a day or two and things got a lot better and I was able to take them in pill form again.
                  Sarah
                  22 year old grad student
                  Boston brace from 12-14
                  surgery on June 1, 2009 T3 to L2
                  Yale New Haven Hospital Dr. Grauer
                  Thoracic curve 47*
                  Thoracolumbar curve 54*

                  Surgery Photos
                  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...8&l=a2a5799140

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                  • #24
                    Spencer continues to get better. Thanks for the tip about the pain meds, but it's a moot point since he refuses to take any. (I think he vomited one too many times.) Everyone here has been so helpful and supportive--I don't know what I'd do without all of you!

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by trav86 View Post
                      Spencer continues to get better. Thanks for the tip about the pain meds, but it's a moot point since he refuses to take any. (I think he vomited one too many times.) Everyone here has been so helpful and supportive--I don't know what I'd do without all of you!
                      Another parent recently posted whose child had SMA. I asked her to post on your thread or PM you. But it sounds like this may not be an issue.

                      Very glad he is getting better!
                      Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                      No island of sanity.

                      Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                      Answer: Medicine


                      "We are all African."

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Just checking in and wondering how Spencer is doing? Such an ordeal on top of just the "normal" post-surgery drama.

                        My daughter had her six-week post-op visit yesterday. Her doc said she could run, so this morning she ran two miles with the cross country team (on a training run). She is mad that she has gotten so "out of shape" but her back didn't bother her. I was amazed!
                        Jill, mom to 14-year-old daughter who had spinal fusion surgery (T3 to L1) June 21, 2010. (Pre-op curves 52T and 30L.)

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                        • #27
                          I wish I had seen this sooner, but I don't get on as much as I used to because my girls are doing so good. I hope Spencer is better! My daughter had SMA last summer after her scoli surgery. They said it happens to thin people. The third day after surgery, she began to projectile vomit. Her dr. suspected SMA and gave her an upper GI. Sure enough, when they straightened her spine, the artery that leads to her stomach became longer and thinner, so it made food harder to digest. The cure is to gain weight and lay on your left side after eating. Trying to gain weight after surgery is hard. I bought her a blizzard everyday! Emily was also allergic to her pain meds. She broke out in a rash and they made her throw up. It was horrible. We didn't know if it was SMA making her sick or the medicine. It took her a really long time for her stomach to feel better. It's a really long story, but she is doing great now. She was a lifeguard this summer, she ran and won a mile race on July 4, she made color guard, and she's going to be a football trainer. Things are going to get better!
                          Becky

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