T10-pelvis tomorrow morning

[Tina_R]

I wouldn’t say I feel an increase in pain when I lift but more so tightness in my low lower back and pelvis. I am technically still in the no BLT zone of recovery so I don’t lift much. My carrying weight limit is up to 20# though, but I don’t push it. I’m listening to what my body tells me I am ready for, if and when it is. I think the greatest weight I have carried is 2 milk jugs one in each hand.

I do feel pain when I lift even a few pounds and the pain is in my upper back, not lower. But I'm talking about lifting and carrying something at chest level, not carrying milk jugs down by my sides. How much does a jug weigh anyway? So you are doing some physical work at the dairy when you said you wouldn't? You're bad.

As Linda said, it would be interesting to hear about your recovery as it progresses. I think there are comparatively fewer surgeries for people your age. Seems like you hear about either children/teens or older people whose skeletons are degrading and exacerbating their scoliosis. But not so much people in their 30's.

You seem to be showing quick improvement. More like a teen than an older adult.

[JScoli91]

Tina, I don’t feel pain in my back no matter how I carry something whether it is at my sides or at chest level, and I am thankful for that. A full milk jug weighs about 8 pounds. I am no back to work yet, I have authorized leave until the end of September. When I carry milk jugs it’s from the car to inside the house or from the fridge to the kitchen table, no need to scold me, thanks. Especially since I am respecting the no BLT and my weight carrying restriction of 20# or less.

I’m glad that I am seeming to be doing so well. I was definitely expecting more hurdles to jump in the early phases of recovery, or even a slower paced recovery but (knock on wood) things have gone really well. On the days I get frustrated by limitations or pain it is eased when my husband reminds me of how proud he is of me and how much strength he sees in me.

I can get down onto the floor really well and the same for getting up off the floor, it is a step by step process, getting up, but I can do it. I know I shouldn’t this early on in recovery and I don’t do it every day but when our little girl Arla (age 1) sits there crying for me unrelentingly it’s hard not to resist.

Today a friend I met from here on the forum, she doesn’t frequent it anymore, is having her fusion. She had a fusion before and due to circumstances I can’t remember she is now needing to add on to her fusion (T4-L4) and go down to her pelvis. She is roughly my age. I was counseled leading up to my surgery by someone I met on a Facebook group who had T2-S2 fused in February at the age of 34. She is doing REALLY well now and watching her go through recovery as my surgery was looming gave me a lot of strength and encouragement. Long story short, I have been doing the same through my recovery for my friend who is having her fusion today. It’s amazing how cyclic giving back can be and how awesome it feels.

[Tina_R]

I am no back to work yet, I have authorized leave until the end of September. When I carry milk jugs it’s from the car to inside the house or from the fridge to the kitchen table, no need to scold me, thanks. Especially since I am respecting the no BLT and my weight carrying restriction of 20# or less.

I’m glad that I am seeming to be doing so well. I was definitely expecting more hurdles to jump in the early phases of recovery, or even a slower paced recovery but (knock on wood) things have gone really well. On the days I get frustrated by limitations or pain it is eased when my husband reminds me of how proud he is of me and how much strength he sees in me.

I can get down onto the floor really well and the same for getting up off the floor, it is a step by step process, getting up, but I can do it. I know I shouldn’t this early on in recovery and I don’t do it every day but when our little girl Arla (age 1) sits there crying for me unrelentingly it’s hard not to resist.

You have authorized leave from work? I thought you were the boss and could do what you want.

Did they let your family visit you in the hospital with COVID-19 restrictions?

I dream of the day I can get down on the floor. I haven't done that in over a year because of my two surgeries. I can't get onto the floor and can't pick up anything I drop without a grabber stick. That involves twisting and that still hurts. Very frustrating.

It's the difference between being 30 and over 60. I remember being 45 and still feeling strong and physically competitive with younger people. I think I would have recovered well then. But eventually things go downhill physically.

[titaniumed]

It’s amazing how cyclic giving back can be and how awesome it feels.

Indeed!

I had a whole post written but just discovered something......(some of the old posters will remember)

The Surgery Saved My Life video with Juma Genda being operated on by Dr Boachie had quite an effect on me. It was something I had to see, part of the process I guess. His story gave me strength to go ahead with my surgeries......He was operated on in 2006 and now 14 years later, they have him at the end of this film. (warning graphic surgical video)

At 6:10 they show him recently He is 29 now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwu8jBnK-TE

Wow! This is great. I been waiting and wondering how he was doing since 2007, I knew he was going to show up! (smiley face)

Ed

[JScoli91]

You have authorized leave from work? I thought you were the boss and could do what you want.

Did they let your family visit you in the hospital with COVID-19 restrictions?

I dream of the day I can get down on the floor. I haven't done that in over a year because of my two surgeries. I can't get onto the floor and can't pick up anything I drop without a grabber stick. That involves twisting and that still hurts. Very frustrating.

It's the difference between being 30 and over 60. I remember being 45 and still feeling strong and physically competitive with younger people. I think I would have recovered well then. But eventually things go downhill physically.

I am the farm manager and I set my own hours. I checked wi Th my boss, the farm owner, who is also my father in law and he said to take as much time as I need. Starting next week, adding one hour each week, I will be working up to being back at work full time by the beginning of October. Through the state I have qualified for paid family and medical leave while I am not working.

When I was in the hospital I couldn’t have any visitors. I was surprised how little I wished I had visitors though. It was what I was the most worried about going into surgery and surprisingly the last thing in my mind afterwards. I did a lot of FaceTime and google duo (video calls) to my husband, kids, and parents during those 9 days and it helped me pull through during the REALLY hard times.

[JScoli91]

You have authorized leave from work? I thought you were the boss and could do what you want.

Did they let your family visit you in the hospital with COVID-19 restrictions?

I dream of the day I can get down on the floor. I haven't done that in over a year because of my two surgeries. I can't get onto the floor and can't pick up anything I drop without a grabber stick. That involves twisting and that still hurts. Very frustrating.

It's the difference between being 30 and over 60. I remember being 45 and still feeling strong and physically competitive with younger people. I think I would have recovered well then. But eventually things go downhill physically.

Getting down on the floor is easy for me, I know I shouldn’t be right now but with a stubborn 14 month old who isn’t crawling or walking it’s hard not to give in and play with her. It’s easy for me to find a comfy position to be in. The only thing about getting on the floor that is different is getting up, it’s a slower and more multi step process than before.

[titaniumed]

Jessica, just had a call from a member here who had pretty much the same procedure you had. T10-Pelvis, a few XLIF's and a L5-Sacrum ALIF, and the posterior (Almost forgot the screws and rods) Ha ha and she is doing great, riding horses and so forth.

And was wondering how you are doing now at 2 months. I hope everything is fine and dandy.

Ed

[JScoli91]

Jessica, just had a call from a member here who had pretty much the same procedure you had. T10-Pelvis, a few XLIF's and a L5-Sacrum ALIF, and the posterior (Almost forgot the screws and rods) Ha ha and she is doing great, riding horses and so forth.

And was wondering how you are doing now at 2 months. I hope everything is fine and dandy.

Ed

That’s awesome! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you; I still don’t know how to get alerts sent directly to me. Life is going well! Now that I’m 2 months out I feel much less strapped to a pole than during the first month. I have found my biggest challenge so far this month has been remembering to take things easy and slow even though I am feeling more and more normal. I get the occasional pains when I overdo things and that’s usually at the end of the day and at night. So far the only consistent pain that still lingers is in the back of my right knee when I am pressing on the gas pedal in my car like when I’m driving through town. I am hoping this subsided soon. In a few days I meet with my surgeon to see how things are looking so far. Hoping for good news! The only physical setback I have had this month was when my giant dog slammed into the back of my legs and I feel down on the left side of my back and my left hip. After a few days maybe a week I was feeling better and like I was back on track.

[titaniumed]

That’s awesome! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you; I still don’t know how to get alerts sent directly to me. Life is going well! Now that I’m 2 months out I feel much less strapped to a pole than during the first month. I have found my biggest challenge so far this month has been remembering to take things easy and slow even though I am feeling more and more normal. I get the occasional pains when I overdo things and that’s usually at the end of the day and at night. So far the only consistent pain that still lingers is in the back of my right knee when I am pressing on the gas pedal in my car like when I’m driving through town. I am hoping this subsided soon. In a few days I meet with my surgeon to see how things are looking so far. Hoping for good news! The only physical setback I have had this month was when my giant dog slammed into the back of my legs and I feel down on the left side of my back and my left hip. After a few days maybe a week I was feeling better and like I was back on track.

Age 29, 65 days post, and complaining about your knee....I guess after major spine surgery, knee pain is a good thing.

I want to ask what percentage you think you are at right now....even though you will need more time to judge this.

Alerts only come when a member sends you a PM. It will alert you by e-mail. I did not send you a PM, just laid down the post and figured you would eventually see it. No worries.....

This is fantastic news. You have had an easy recovery...

Let us know how things go with your visit.

Ed

[JScoli91]

Ed, when you ask how I feel percentage wise, what do you mean? In terms of feeling normal? Fully recovered? Etc?

Appointment went well today. All hardware is strong and stable and nothing has changed there. Still a bit early to tell how fusion is taking shape so he wants me to come in in 2 months for a full scoli X-ray and we should get a better idea then. As for now, weight lifting and carrying and bending restrictions have been completely lifted and I am cleared to start PT and maybe some aqua therapy also! It’s all now about strengthening, listening to my bodies signs and regaining confidence.

[titaniumed]

Ed, when you ask how I feel percentage wise, what do you mean? In terms of feeling normal? Fully recovered? Etc?

Appointment went well today. All hardware is strong and stable and nothing has changed there. Still a bit early to tell how fusion is taking shape so he wants me to come in in 2 months for a full scoli X-ray and we should get a better idea then. As for now, weight lifting and carrying and bending restrictions have been completely lifted and I am cleared to start PT and maybe some aqua therapy also! It’s all now about strengthening, listening to my bodies signs and regaining confidence.

Yes, fully recovered.

I was 90% recovered in a year. The 2nd year was the soft tissue recovery year, that was the final 10%. It was a 2 year recovery at age 50. Also had a few other surgeries also during this period and that probably slowed things down. I would say the simplest way to look at it would be to figure 10% per month improvement for the age 50 group. (full fusion scoliosis surgery)

It's just amazing how well younger patients do with these surgeries. My surgeon asked me why I waited so long several times. I didn't think I needed to answer that question. They can paint a tough scenario when we go in and have to explain about all sorts of serious complications that can happen....the thing is that most of us come out ok. They never proceed unless they think it will help. It's always exciting to see tough cases come out well and I do like to post about these. I can give you a whole list. These are the patients that give us hope.

Even though you have been released, be extra careful with bending forward. There are testimonials about rod breaks happening after bending forward and twisting getting into lower cabinets in the kitchen. This is a dangerous activity for us. (smug face) Get someone else to do these things. You will learn what feels ok and what doesn't after full fusion to the pelvis. Don't push the bounds of tension too hard, do this slowly. My stool stretches came very slowly at 8 months, hanging arms down to reach shoes. I would NOT pull down. These were simply hanging stretches over a few months. Stool height was 23". Left foot up, hang for 1 minute, Right foot up, hang for 1 minute. I repeated every hour or so.

In bone related literature, bone takes 12 months to fuse....of course there are a lot of parameters involved, but it's a good general rule to follow. The only true way to know is after exerting progressive forces over a period of time. Lift 10#, wait 30-60 days. Lift 20# wait 30-60 days etc. If nothing breaks, your probably good as long as bone quality is maintained. Stretching any material will suffer consequences, the beauty of bone is that it can heal, so if you do stress it, wait. If there is pain, that's a great indicator something has happened.

Recovery examples differ quite a bit from patient to patient and through the different age groups. From the old casting methods of the pre-hardware days of laying in Stryker frames and using turnbuckle casts for extremely long periods of time, to teenagers with T fusions off meds in a week. We have come a long way.

Your doing absoulutley fantastic!

Ed

[Tina_R]

Yes, fully recovered.

I was 90% recovered in a year. The 2nd year was the soft tissue recovery year, that was the final 10%. It was a 2 year recovery at age 50. Also had a few other surgeries also during this period and that probably slowed things down. I would say the simplest way to look at it would be to figure 10% per month improvement for the age 50 group. (full fusion scoliosis surgery)

It's just amazing how well younger patients do with these surgeries. My surgeon asked me why I waited so long several times. I didn't think I needed to answer that question. They can paint a tough scenario when we go in and have to explain about all sorts of serious complications that can happen....the thing is that most of us come out ok. They never proceed unless they think it will help. It's always exciting to see tough cases come out well and I do like to post about these. I can give you a whole list. These are the patients that give us hope.

Ed

I have a doctor, orthopedic, whose mother went through spinal fusion at 63. He says it took her 2-1/2 years to recover. She is now doing great, "hiking in the mountains" and all that. But until then she had "all kinds of pain" and was constantly asking her son for reassurance that it would get better.

This gives me hope because I'm of a similar age and my aftermath has been disappointing so far. I'll give it 2-1/2 years from my 2nd surgery before I pronounce my surgeries a failure. But my recovery has been slow. I keep asking myself how I'm better off than I was before though I'm trying to be patient.

On another scoliosis forum which is more populated than this one I see how the young talk about their fusion surgeries and they seem to bounce back really fast. It's ridiculous. Good for them, though.

[Pooka1]

On another scoliosis forum which is more populated than this one

Which forum may I ask?

[Tina_R]

It's a subforum on Reddit just for scoliosis.

It's mostly younger people who post there, even teens. There is a lack of involvement from the moderators. Some people post do-it-yourself scoliosis fixes that you would disapprove of. But some wiser voices try to keep the conversations sane and medically sound.

[Pooka1]

It's a subforum on Reddit just for scoliosis.

It's mostly younger people who post there, even teens. There is a lack of involvement from the moderators. Some people post do-it-yourself scoliosis fixes that you would disapprove of. But some wiser voices try to keep the conversations sane and medically sound.

Okay thanks. Wow. Didn't know there were very active scoliosis fora out there.