Registered User
I'm done :(
After going to a SUPPOSED SPINE SPECIALIST. Lets just say from the Orthopedic Surgeon {70+} years of age told me that my procedure was a failure and fixing the Pain of it all would just start complications. But if were 35 years ago they might of been able to repair the damage.....With all the new medical technology out there I was hoping, In God's hands now.
Last edited by plainjane; 08-22-2016 at 10:10 AM.
Registered User
Please get a second opinion! Please pick a surgeon who has extensive revision experience. Maybe Linda knows the people with the most experience.
Don't give up.
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."
Registered User
Dear Jane,
Please go to another in maybe a large university setting. Or a teaching hospital where there are many minds focusing on complicated problems. I'm not sure where you live but Linda may have an idea of someone near you.
T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
T2--T10 fusion 2/11
C 4-5 fusion 11/14
Right scapulectomy 6/15
Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
Broken neck 9/28/2018
Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
Osteotomy
Registered User
Please find another surgeon. There is help for you/
Melissa
Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011
December 8, 2014 - Another Broken Rod Surgery
Registered User
Yes Melissa is right and she has first hand knowledge. Don't give up . Someone can help.
T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
T2--T10 fusion 2/11
C 4-5 fusion 11/14
Right scapulectomy 6/15
Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
Broken neck 9/28/2018
Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
Osteotomy
Registered User
Please don't believe this man. I had my primary and a spine surgeon tell me I was too old for surgery (I was 53). Please do your homework, use the internet for reviews, use this site for reviews, look for a large hospital; and most of all, you are INTERVIEWING the person you're trusting your body to. You have to hire him/her. It's a job interview. If they don't impress you, show you X-rays of successful patients with similar problems as yours, don't bother. Also, ask other spine surgeons - you'd be surprised how the humble orthopedic spine community of specialists will help. If they think they are Ortho-Gods, forget them. Ask if they have colleagues they work with. It takes time but it's so worth it.
Just a FYI, the "large teaching hospital" here had a TERRIBLE revision surgeon. They were tops in other types of ortho surgeries, but not the spine surgery I needed. It's a lot of work, but you're worth it - don't give up!
Susan
XLIF/Posterior Surgery 6/16/08. Fused T10-L5 in CA by Dr. Michael Kropf (don't go there unless it's simple, I hear he's at Cedar's now). Very deformed, had revision w/5 PSO's, rods from T-3 to sacrum including iliac screws, all posterior, 5/23/16 with Dr. Purnendu Gupta of Chicago.
Owner of Chachi the Chihuahua, So Cal born and bred, now a resident of 'Chicagoland' Illinois. Uh, dislike it here....thank God there was ONE excellent spine surgeon in this area.
Registered User
My surgeon has done surgery on patients in their 80's
Melissa
Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011
December 8, 2014 - Another Broken Rod Surgery
Moderator
The surgeon you saw may be partially right in that your pain might not be fixable. With that said, the surgeons at UCSF routinely do surgery (both primary and revision) on patients as old as in their 90s. Where are you located?Originally Posted by plainjane
--Linda
Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
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Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation
Registered User
Hey there Plain Jane: Unsure who told you the info about your back and like Linda said, maybe whatever is going on in your back is not fixable, but there are lots of great ortho spine surgeons who work on us older folks. I just had a revision in Jan2016 by Dr. Robert Hart and I will be 70 this year. My friend, Jim is 74 and just had a revision by him also. UCSF has surgeons who specialize in older folks.
Talk with Linda or send me a PM .
Susan
Adult Onset Degenerative Scoliosis @65, 25* T & 36* L w/ 11.2 cm coronal balance; T kyphosis 90*; Severe disc degen T & L stenosis
2013: T3- S1 Fusion w/ ALIF L4-S1/XLIF L2-4, PSF T4-S1 2 surgeries
2014: Hernia @ ALIF repaired; Emergency screw removal Spinal Cord Injury T4,5 sec to PJK
2015: Revision Broken Bil T & L rods and no fusion: 2 revision surgeries; hardware P. Acnes infection
2016: Ant/Lat Lumbar diskectomy w/ 4 cages + BMP + harvested bone
2018: Removal L4,5 screw
Registered User
Good advice from Susan and also good to hear from you.
T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
T2--T10 fusion 2/11
C 4-5 fusion 11/14
Right scapulectomy 6/15
Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
Broken neck 9/28/2018
Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
Osteotomy
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