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  • Daughter had surgery

    The surgery is over and my daughter ( Jazzy) was in the hospital for 5 days. She's home now and in so much pain. I don't know what I would've done without this message board. I knew what to expect every step of the way. Not that it made it any easier. I told her Dr that I googled him and that I've been reading this message board to see what others have gone through so when she was really sick the first couple of days the nurse said I guess you knew this was going to happen because Dr G said you did a lot of research. That made me feel good.
    I can't thank you all enough for telling your stories. It has helped me so much. I will be checking old messages to see what I can do to make Jazzy more comfortable.
    She was in the Hospital on her B-day so they gave her a piece of cake with a candle on it and the nurses all chipped in and bought her a gift. That made her so happy.
    I guess no matter how much you read you never realize how bad it really is. I knew she'd be in pain but I didn't realize it would be as bad as it is. She really doesn't complain but sometimes I see tears in her eyes and I know she was crying. Okay Thanks for listening.

  • #2
    I had the surgery 4 days before my birthday so I spent it in the hospital too! If her recovery is anything like mine was she will be fine

    Comment


    • #3
      It's hard to know exactly what you mean by your comments but when my daughter came home after 5 days, she was on pain meds. That isn't to say she was never in pain. But I never let her miss her meds and she seemed okay enough, never as bad as episodes in the hospital when they were turning her and such.

      I would not have described her as being in as much pain as you describe your daughter. And my general impression is that most other kids had less pain or a higher tolerance and were on meds less time than my daughter.

      Are you talking about pain in her back or along the incision?
      Last edited by Pooka1; 07-12-2009, 08:30 PM.
      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


      • #4
        When I say she's in pain I mean her back hurts so bad that sometimes she can hardly stand up. She's on percocet and valium and I make sure she get's it on time but she still has a lot of pain. She has her good moments but they don't last long. I guess it just takes time. Thanks for listening

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        • #5
          I think the important thing is that she should not be getting worse in the pain department.

          I also wonder if she is getting enough pain meds. There is no reason to suffer.
          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


          • #6
            If I were you, I would definitely call the doctor's office and get them to give her better pain meds. Maybe she needs a higher dose or a different kind or a different combination. My son never had pain like you're describing after he left the hospital. Especially since you said you're keeping on the med schedule, I think her suffering is, to some extent, not adequately being dealt with by the meds that you were given for her.

            I'm so sorry and I hope you get her some better relief soon.
            Laurie

            Mother of Alexander & Zachary:
            Alex is 16 years old and in the 11th grade. He has congenital scoliosis due to a hemivertebrae at T10. Wore a TLSO brace for 3 1/2 years. Pre-op curves were T45 & L65; curves post-op are approx. T31 & L34. Had a posterior spinal fusion from T8 to L3 on 7/12/07 at age 12. Doing great now in so many ways, but still working on improving posture.
            Zach is 13 years old and very energetic.

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            • #7
              For the first 2 weeks or so after leaving the hospital I remember being in pain but it was never excruciating. It was more pain than before I had surgery but the pain felt like it was coming from where the scars were and not from my actual back like it was before surgery. Hope she feels better soon. The first 2-3 weeks after leaving the hospital was the worst for me but it will get better.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Jazzy'smom View Post
                When I say she's in pain I mean her back hurts so bad that sometimes she can hardly stand up. She's on percocet and valium and I make sure she get's it on time but she still has a lot of pain. She has her good moments but they don't last long. I guess it just takes time. Thanks for listening
                Was your daughter's pain well controlled before leaving the hospital? When my daughter was in the hospital, I had them change her pain meds because the one she was on wasn't controlling her pain and I refused to take her home before I knew her pain was well controlled. I don't remember what worked best for her---percocet or vicadin. You might need to switch her pain medication.

                Whenever possible, get your daughter walking. Walking is very good for them during their recovery. It helps keep them from getting stiff. Even at 4 1/2 years post-op, my daughter complains of being stiff if she lays around all day.

                Good luck. Remember to take care of yourself as well as your daughter.

                Mary Lou
                Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I would not have described her as being in as much pain as you describe your daughter. And my general impression is that most other kids had less pain or a higher tolerance and were on meds less time than my daughter.

                  Jamie didn't have very much pain after surgery. In fact, she was off all pain meds by the time she was two weeks post-op. Then again, she is one of the kids you mentioned--she has a high tolerance for pain. Every child recovers differently and has a different level of pain tolerance.


                  Mary Lou
                  Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I think the point here is that the meds at home should be such that the pain is never worse than it was in the hospital and that it should be improving noticeably at least every few days if not every day.

                    I strongly agree with the folks who suggest consulting on the pain meds and also walking as much as possible. Walking made a big difference for my kid. It was a key component in her recovery if not the key component. She realized this so I never had to remind her to walk.
                    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


                    • #11
                      Thanks for your comments. I will be calling the DR today because she is still in a lot of pain. It's been a week now. She handles pain pretty good so when she says she's in pain I know she's really hurting. She said she can't wait to be off all the meds because they make her tired and she doesn't like taking them. She had a lot of pain in the hospital to. I think the valium works better then the percocet but she can only have them every 6 hours.
                      I agree about taking care of myself, I feel like I have a new born baby to take care of. I've only been getting about 4 hours of sleep a night because I don't want her to miss her meds.
                      Listening to all your comments I feel somethings not right that she still has so much pain. She tries to walk but the pain is so bad she can hardly stand up straight. Okay I'm calling the Dr now and will let you know what they say.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        You are giving her both the percocet AND the valium throughout the day. . .not either/ or. . .right?

                        Hugs to Jazzy, and to Jazzy's mom.
                        Fused T-3 to L-3, Aug 25
                        Hardware removal surgery, Nov 2, 2010
                        Fused T-10 to L-2, osteotomy, Feb 22, 2011

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          My daughter was still in quite a lot of pain after we came home from the hospital. I would not say she was in more pain than when she was in the hospital, but it was still significant. She also didn't complain or lie around moaning and groaning, but it's pretty obvious when they're suffering. And
                          not all kids are the same so don't assume something is wrong just because your daughter doesn't follow the same recovery process as others.

                          How long is your dd's fusion? The kids that I knew who had longer fusions, like my dd's, had longer recovery times.

                          Sheena was off prescription meds by 3 weeks but only because she didn't like the way they made her feel. She could have probably stayed on them another week and been in better shape to switch to OTC meds.

                          It's still very early and every day is a tiny bit better. Sheena was sleeping through the night about one week after we were home. Between 4-5 weeks she was feeling much better.

                          Take care, hope Jazzy's feeling better soon.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Again thanks for all your replys. Yes she get's percocet and Valiums. I did talk to the doctor and he said she could have 2 percocets if she needs it. She was fused from T-4 to L-1. I know everyone is different and I can't go by other peoples progress. She did seem a little better today. Maybe I'm expecting to much to soon. I can't tell you how much this message board means to me. It's nice to talk to other who are going through the same thing. Here I am still up at 2:15 in the morning because she get a valium at 3:15. I did fall asleep for an hour or so but woke up because I didn't want to miss her pills. I didn't want to set an alarm because I ddin't want to wake up DH since he has to get up early enough for work. Okay I'll let you know how tomorrow goes or today LOL!

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                            • #15
                              The Mums on this forum deserve a medal.

                              I hope things are starting to ease up for Jazzy now and for you too. It won't be long before this hard part is behind you and you can just enjoy watching Jazzy improve in leaps and bounds.
                              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

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