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14 months post-op and a hello

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  • 14 months post-op and a hello

    Hello!
    I have been meaning to check in with you all, it has been a long time. My year anniversary was a June 14th and I celebrated by going to a concert. Never would I have dreamed I could be dancing a year later! I feel very lucky and very relieved it is behind me. The anticipation, worry, sleepless nights were so hard. But nothing compared to the first 3 months of recovery. Hands down the hardest thing I think a person can endure! If you remember I had the vision mystery and did not see normally for the first 101 days. It was a scary time. It healed overnight and I feel like my back started to heal much quicker. So fast forward to now. We moved this summer and although I didn't lift heavy things, the unpacking was really hard. I don't have daily pain but I can have pain if I over-do it. My issue now is posture. I am finally going to physical therapy. By the end of the day I tend to lean forward.i find the weight of the bars is hard to keep up straight. I promise to keep you updated. My year check up went great. I do have a hook at the very top that slipped a bit so I have a bump, but it was there few weeks after surgery. It hurts if I lean on it so I stay off it. Not worth even a minor surgery to repair in my eyes! I'm done with surgeries hopefully forever! Good to see you all here! You have been awesome support!
    Jana
    Diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis at age 11
    Dr. Edgar Dawson of UCLA
    Braced and "stopped" below 50 degrees
    Age 25: 47 degrees, 48 degrees
    Age 38 (3 babies later): 60 degrees, 63 degrees and 2.5 inches shorter
    Age 41: 64 degrees, 70 degrees
    Dr. Gregory Mundis Jr. of Scripps Hospital, La Jolla CA
    June 2015-ALIF on L5-S1 for a slipped and degenerated disk
    June 14, 2016-T4-L4 spinal fusion with instrumentation
    Post-surgery: 16 degrees, 12 degrees and 2 inches taller

  • #2
    Thanks for the update Jana, so glad to see you moving through your recovery. Sometimes, it can be a rough go in the beginning as you experienced, and its great to see that things are normalizing or settling in....Your in your 2nd year now which I have called my fine tuning year, the continuation of building of the soft tissues....

    For those that do full fusion scoliosis surgeries.....we wonder if we have made the right decisions, this always crosses our minds. Some of us come through with different feelings about this depending on how we feel and our expectations which can be completely out of our control, (Example, your eyesight at 100 days). Then all of a sudden we heal, and our feelings improve on the 101st day. Our complete recoveries is dependent on our hope that we will heal at some point, keeping that positive attitude through thick and thin. Patience, and understanding what is happening with our bodies is never an easy thing....

    Most of us come through ok.....your example is a great testimonial for those that are wondering right now.....

    Congratulations on the dancing. I would dance with you but would probably need some oil as I am getting rusty these days.....(smiley face)

    Ed
    Attached Files
    49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
    Pre surgery curves T70,L70
    ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
    Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

    Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

    My x-rays
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

    Comment


    • #3
      Jana,
      It sounds like your recovery is going well. I noticed slight improvements even after 1 year so hopefully you will, too.
      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


      • #4
        I find the people on this forum so inspirational. We should gather up some of these lovely thoughts from each other and make a book that we can present to all new scoliosis patients. It has been such a help to me to know, in my darkest scoliosis-induced moments, that others have come through the same crucible stronger and wiser.
        Surgery June 18 by Dr. Errico at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases at age 41.
        Fused T10-Pelvis.
        "Ask me about my brand new lordosis!"

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Jjohnsonphd View Post
          Hello!
          I have been meaning to check in with you all, it has been a long time. My year anniversary was a June 14th and I celebrated by going to a concert. Never would I have dreamed I could be dancing a year later! I feel very lucky and very relieved it is behind me. The anticipation, worry, sleepless nights were so hard. But nothing compared to the first 3 months of recovery. Hands down the hardest thing I think a person can endure! If you remember I had the vision mystery and did not see normally for the first 101 days. It was a scary time. It healed overnight and I feel like my back started to heal much quicker. So fast forward to now. We moved this summer and although I didn't lift heavy things, the unpacking was really hard. I don't have daily pain but I can have pain if I over-do it. My issue now is posture. I am finally going to physical therapy. By the end of the day I tend to lean forward.i find the weight of the bars is hard to keep up straight. I promise to keep you updated. My year check up went great. I do have a hook at the very top that slipped a bit so I have a bump, but it was there few weeks after surgery. It hurts if I lean on it so I stay off it. Not worth even a minor surgery to repair in my eyes! I'm done with surgeries hopefully forever! Good to see you all here! You have been awesome support!
          Jana
          Hi, Jana! It is so good to hear from you! We had our surgeries just 10 days apart, and I remember us both posting during our early recovery time - swapping problems! It's good to know that you are doing well. I'm doing well, too. My pain is minimal, but I can still get "tight" in my low left side. I hope your physical therapy is a success for your leaning. Keep us updated.

          Kathy
          Decompression surgery L4/L5
          April 3, 2015
          Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
          Fused from T11 - Sacrum anterior/posterior
          June 24, 2016 - 55 years old at surgery
          Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
          Before Surgery: 42 degrees lumbar, 28 degrees thoracic
          After Surgery: 10 degrees lumbar, ?? Thoracic
          2 inches taller

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by the_baroness View Post
            I find the people on this forum so inspirational. We should gather up some of these lovely thoughts from each other and make a book that we can present to all new scoliosis patients. It has been such a help to me to know, in my darkest scoliosis-induced moments, that others have come through the same crucible stronger and wiser.
            Hi, Baroness. It's funny you mention a book - I've had that same idea but I'm not really a writer so I have a hard time getting started. You mentioned "dark moments." I had lots of those dark moments, and this forum helped me a lot during those times. I often wondered if the high level pain would EVER go away, before & after surgery. But, it does! At my age, I have other aches and pains, but the back pain is pretty much under control at the moment. I find that as each week goes by, I am forgetting how bad it really was - which is nice to not really remember much about the dark moments. I'm so glad the worst of it is behind me....

            Kathy
            Decompression surgery L4/L5
            April 3, 2015
            Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
            Fused from T11 - Sacrum anterior/posterior
            June 24, 2016 - 55 years old at surgery
            Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
            Before Surgery: 42 degrees lumbar, 28 degrees thoracic
            After Surgery: 10 degrees lumbar, ?? Thoracic
            2 inches taller

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by the_baroness View Post
              I find the people on this forum so inspirational. We should gather up some of these lovely thoughts from each other and make a book that we can present to all new scoliosis patients. It has been such a help to me to know, in my darkest scoliosis-induced moments, that others have come through the same crucible stronger and wiser.
              I couldn't agree more! This site did more for me in my recovery than any other resource. Such amazing people!

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by KathyInIowa View Post
                Hi, Jana! It is so good to hear from you! We had our surgeries just 10 days apart, and I remember us both posting during our early recovery time - swapping problems! It's good to know that you are doing well. I'm doing well, too. My pain is minimal, but I can still get "tight" in my low left side. I hope your physical therapy is a success for your leaning. Keep us updated.

                Kathy
                I feel a connection to both of you! In the weeks and days leading up to my surgery on August 1, 2016, I read your updates every day and was right there with you both from afar. I am glad to hear that you both are doing well and hope for your continued recovery. I have been thinking a lot about this site lately and thought I would check in

                Happy Holidays!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by mistybowe View Post
                  I feel a connection to both of you! In the weeks and days leading up to my surgery on August 1, 2016, I read your updates every day and was right there with you both from afar. I am glad to hear that you both are doing well and hope for your continued recovery. I have been thinking a lot about this site lately and thought I would check in

                  Happy Holidays!
                  I hope reading our posts helped you. When I was preparing for my surgery, it was Susan Cook's posts that I kept reading. We had similar curves and were both in a similar age group. It does help to feel a connection with someone, really anyone, that you feel is going through the same thing as you.

                  I, too, am very thankful for the wisdom the people on this forum have. And, the compassion. When people answered my questions, I really felt like they cared. That meant (and still means) alot to me.

                  Kathy
                  Decompression surgery L4/L5
                  April 3, 2015
                  Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
                  Fused from T11 - Sacrum anterior/posterior
                  June 24, 2016 - 55 years old at surgery
                  Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
                  Before Surgery: 42 degrees lumbar, 28 degrees thoracic
                  After Surgery: 10 degrees lumbar, ?? Thoracic
                  2 inches taller

                  Comment

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