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Surgery with Dr. Lenke

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  • Heading to STL

    I'm not posting as often but am frequently reading posts on this group. We fly out this evening for my first follow up visit with Dr. Lenke. I hope to meet up with Linda (babyboomer16) today.

    I cannot recall if I shared this video of Dr. Lenke; thanks for sharing Karen (golfnut)! The video shows what Dr. Lenke defines as a 10 out of 10 on his scale of difficulty:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKvVv...re=relatedcool

    Warmly,
    Doreen
    44 years old at time of surgery, Atlanta GA

    Pre-Surgery Thorasic: 70 degrees, Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 68 degrees, lost 4 inches of height in 2011
    Post-Surgery curves ~10 degrees, regained 4 inches of height

    Posterior T3-sacrum & TLIF surgeries on Nov 28, 2011 with Dr. Lenke, St. Louis
    2 rods, 33 screws, 2 cages, 2 connectors, living a new life I never dreamed of!

    http://thebionicachronicles.blogspot.com/

    Comment


    • Forgot to say that my main question will be, what's going on with the lump about 3 inches below the top of my incision. I took some pix in front of the mirror:

      6 month post op bump.jpg
      6 month post op bump II.jpg

      The bump doesn't hurt; the whole area around it is numb.

      Warmly,
      Doreen
      44 years old at time of surgery, Atlanta GA

      Pre-Surgery Thorasic: 70 degrees, Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 68 degrees, lost 4 inches of height in 2011
      Post-Surgery curves ~10 degrees, regained 4 inches of height

      Posterior T3-sacrum & TLIF surgeries on Nov 28, 2011 with Dr. Lenke, St. Louis
      2 rods, 33 screws, 2 cages, 2 connectors, living a new life I never dreamed of!

      http://thebionicachronicles.blogspot.com/

      Comment


      • Safe travels
        Melissa

        Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

        April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Doreen1 View Post
          Forgot to say that my main question will be, what's going on with the lump about 3 inches below the top of my incision. I took some pix in front of the mirror:

          [ATTACH]1317[/ATTACH]
          [ATTACH]1318[/ATTACH]

          The bump doesn't hurt; the whole area around it is numb.

          Warmly,
          Doreen
          That is a strange "bump". It looks to my layman's eyes to be something to do with the muscle right there. I'm wondering if some muscle didn't pull loose where it was reattached after putting the rods in. I would think it would knot up and retract like that if it did. I have a friend who's bicep pulled loose and it left a funny lump in his arm. He also said it didn't hurt. That's my best guess anyway. Let us know how it goes and have safe travels.

          Rohrer01
          Be happy!
          We don't know what tomorrow brings,
          but we are alive today!

          Comment


          • Had my first pat down at ATL airport. Should have showed my TSA card first. Now I know.

            Warmly
            Doreen
            44 years old at time of surgery, Atlanta GA

            Pre-Surgery Thorasic: 70 degrees, Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 68 degrees, lost 4 inches of height in 2011
            Post-Surgery curves ~10 degrees, regained 4 inches of height

            Posterior T3-sacrum & TLIF surgeries on Nov 28, 2011 with Dr. Lenke, St. Louis
            2 rods, 33 screws, 2 cages, 2 connectors, living a new life I never dreamed of!

            http://thebionicachronicles.blogspot.com/

            Comment


            • Glad that you made it safely to St. Louis. Look forward to hearing about your appointment and about Linda's also.
              Kathy
              46 yrs at surgery, now 50
              71 degree thoracolumbar curve corrected to 34 degrees
              8/2/2010 surgery with Dr. Lenke

              posterior T9 to sacrum with pelvic fixation

              4 osteotomies and 1 cage
              http://s1066.photobucket.com/albums/...athK_08022010/

              Comment


              • Doreen--
                Hope the appt. goes well for you! I can relate to the bump. Mine is also about 3 inches below the top of incision but my bump is more directly on the scar. Between the top of incision and the "bump" is a little valley or indention. This wasn't noticeable initially due to swelling but I found a picture I took at about 9 months when I must have become more aware of it. If I asked about it, I don't remember the answer. I've just always assumed the bump is the top of the rod--although it doesn't seem like that's T2 & I'm fused from there to S1. I guess I always thought T2 is where the incision would start. Be interesting to see what he says. Janet
                Janet

                61 years old--57 for surgery

                Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
                Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
                Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
                Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
                T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

                All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

                Comment


                • I actually asked my chiro this morning about the bump. He said it's not the top of the rod but the crossover bars--that's not the right word--that join the two rods together. I suppose that's the only one that shows up so much just due to where it is on the spine. I wonder if most people who are fused up that far have the bump also. Janet
                  Janet

                  61 years old--57 for surgery

                  Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
                  Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
                  Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
                  Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
                  T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

                  All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

                  Comment


                  • I also have bumps at the top of my fusion but they are not as prominent as yours. I believe they show because the hardware is closer to the surface in that area.
                    Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
                    Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
                    T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
                    Osteotomies and Laminectomies
                    Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

                    Comment


                    • I had a great trip in STL and will post details in my blog tomorrow. Here are the highlights:

                      1. Met Linda (babyboomer16) and her hubby last evening; such sweet people! I'm anxiously waiting for Linda's update on what Dr. Lenke can do for her.

                      2. The lump near the top of my incision is not the rod or a muscle but is actually one of my discs! Dr. Lenke said that the muscle that normally covers the bone has since atrophied since the surgery. This won't go away and shouldn't cause me any issues.

                      3. Dr. Lenke said it is too early to tell if fusion is occurring but that my hardware is in place, everything is aligned properly and since I'm feeling so good, he said there shouldn't be an issues with non-fusion.

                      4. I'm allowed to slowing start bending but am still restricted from twisting and lifting. I asked about our dogs and if I still need to stay away from holding a leash. He said I can carefully start holding the leash if I need to, but be careful because he had some patients who got tangled up in the leash and fell and broke a disc or two. Yikes!

                      I was completely shocked that we were in and out of Lenke's office in less than 1 hour! I guess the magic hour is first appointment of the day. Jeremy and I took a lovely walk up to Euclid and Maryland Plaza then called Delta to fly out earlier than planned.

                      So I had a partial pat-down in the STL security after going through the special scanning machine, but I'll save that story for my blog tomorrow. I discovered a wonderful perk to having a fused spine; first on the plane!

                      Warmly,
                      Doreen
                      44 years old at time of surgery, Atlanta GA

                      Pre-Surgery Thorasic: 70 degrees, Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 68 degrees, lost 4 inches of height in 2011
                      Post-Surgery curves ~10 degrees, regained 4 inches of height

                      Posterior T3-sacrum & TLIF surgeries on Nov 28, 2011 with Dr. Lenke, St. Louis
                      2 rods, 33 screws, 2 cages, 2 connectors, living a new life I never dreamed of!

                      http://thebionicachronicles.blogspot.com/

                      Comment


                      • so glad that things look good...
                        i hope fusion occurs soon and all restrictions are lifted...

                        i never thought about a leash....it didn't occur to me that post surgery patients cannot walk the dog,
                        once they can go out walking...
                        bummer....dogs are such great company....
                        but i know my little puppy pulls me everywhere...he is freakishly strong, especially upon glimpsing
                        a squirrel...

                        jess...& Sparky

                        Comment


                        • Doreen,
                          I knew you would get a good report from Dr. Lenke. You have worked hard in your recovery. He didn't want me to walk my schnauzers for many months, but was allowed to start walking them individually at about 5 months. I never had a problem with them tripping me, but watched very closely for any uneven place or hole I might step in when walking them. I keep thinking about Baby Boomers appointment and hope she was given some encouragement from Dr. Lenke. Out of Dr. Lenke's office in less than an hour is definitely a rare occurance!
                          Karen

                          Surgery-Jan. 5, 2011-Dr. Lenke
                          Fusion T-4-sacrum-2 cages/5 osteotomies
                          70 degree thoracolumbar corrected to 25
                          Rib Hump-GONE!
                          Age-60 at the time of surgery
                          Now 66
                          Avid Golfer & Tap Dancer
                          Retired Kdgn. Teacher

                          See photobucket link for:
                          Video of my 1st Day of Golf Post-Op-3/02/12-Bradenton, FL
                          Before and After Picture of back 1/7/11
                          tap dancing picture at 10 mos. post op 11/11/11-I'm the one on the right.
                          http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/pottoff2/

                          Comment


                          • Walking a dog

                            Hey Doreen,

                            You probably found the chairs in the waiting room still warm following my visit on Monday. Lol. I don't know about you, but I don't mind the long wait there because I know that when I was there for my pre-op visits, others had to wait for me too.

                            Thats good news about your visit. The concern for me about walking my dog was that he would suddenly try to dart away and then jar me in the process. So it was quite a long time before I took my dog out on a leash for a walk. You are at that hard stage now when you don't sense drastic changes anymore and you just have to wait until the necessary time passes. Just stay with your game plan. It sounds like it is working. Continue to take care.

                            Donna
                            Female - 49 yrs old at surgery
                            Surgery 5/5/11 - Dr. Bridwell, St. Louis
                            Fused T3-L3
                            60 degree thoracic curve corrected to 30 degrees
                            Tennis player & returning to the courts!
                            http://s1050.photobucket.com/profile/walkingmom1/index

                            Comment


                            • Wonderful news, Doreen. Thanks for the lump info. I wonder if that's the case with everyone with one of those? Janet
                              Janet

                              61 years old--57 for surgery

                              Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
                              Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
                              Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
                              Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
                              T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

                              All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

                              Comment


                              • congrats on the good report Doreen, I think it is scary that we just have to 'assume' that our bones are fusing. I'm the type of person who needs proof, wish there was a better way. I also have the same bump in the same place as you do, I think it is very odd that so many of us have it but it is nice to know that I'm not the only one...
                                Spring
                                42 yrs old
                                Milwaukee braced 1983 to 1989
                                was told my curves would never progress
                                at 19yrs old 1991, T30-L38
                                2010, T38-L56--progression in one year 2011, T40-L67
                                new diagnosis-kyphoscoliosis, DDD, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, 73 degree Kyphosis
                                Surgery 1-09-12....10 hrs all posterior T4-sacrum & 2 cages
                                Dr. Lenke-St. Louis Mo.
                                Surgery to clean out infection 2-10-12
                                Revision for broken rods 1-23-14

                                Comment

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