19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[debbei]

My suggestions, consume all of the following that you can every day:

1) Prune Juice (you might think it's nasty but boy oh boy does it work)
2) High fiber cereals (at least 9 or 10g of fiber per serving)
3) Fruits and Veges
4) Dried Beans

[spinalfusion09]

Hi John! I'm happy to hear that you're home and I know the first few weeks are unpleasant but it gets better and better! About sleeping I was on Soma (a muscle relaxer that worked wonders) and norco for pain. I too couldn't sleep for more than 3-4 hours at first which isn't good because the doctor said sleep is so important for recovering. I was put on Ambien for sleep for 3 weeks or so and that put me out so fast which is good. I was like a new born baba haha by mom would comein every 2-3 hours when I couldn't sleep or if I needed help turning or something. It does gewt better though even though it made not be comfortable at all right now. And my scar looked pretty gnarly at first but it looks pretty close to perfect now keep it clean!
Maliha

[JDM555]

John

You need to go every day. Write it down, along with your med intake. Mark as BM. Document your sleeping also.

Once your clear, like now, you have depleted everything in your intestines. This needs to be replaced, I used pedialyte. Yogurt has bacteria, etc that your intestines need. Pickles are put on hamburgers for this reason, also excellent. Read about digestive health.

DO NOT abuse laxatives... That's a no-no. Only use when necessary. Start drinking water, and start walking. Smaller multiple walks a few times per day. The movement will help keep things moving.

Get some organic granola.Throw some fresh blueberries on top. I like a low fat skim or soy milk. No fat, no cholesterol. Fats are hard to digest. Ice cream is pure fat......Throw a container of ice cream outside for 5 days, then look at the contents. You will see what I mean.

Cholesterol starts the day you are born. It keeps building up and becomes an issue when you are older.

Apples, apples, apples......Wash em first....Don't eat the label. LOL

Study about eating good foods. Google it. Your body needs good foods right now. Smaller meals 6x per day.
You are what you eat.

Stay out of the center of the supermarket.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/digest...ing/index.aspx
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
Ed

EVERY DAY!? Wow, even when I use to eat full meals I would sometimes skip and take 2 days instead of go everyday. I don't think I have enough food to even go daily. I will try all the prune juice and stool softeners. I don't like taking laxatives because they hurt my stomach as well.

I eat a lot of tangerines and sometimes some apples. I drink a lot of gatorade to hydrate myself and I try to walk daily. I'm pretty much off the Oxycodone and only on the 20mg Oxycontin, it still is a very strong drug though. I need to start taking it every 13-14-15 hours instead of every 12 so I can not get too used to it.
John

My suggestions, consume all of the following that you can every day:

1) Prune Juice (you might think it's nasty but boy oh boy does it work)
2) High fiber cereals (at least 9 or 10g of fiber per serving)
3) Fruits and Veges
4) Dried Beans

Yeah, I try to eat as many fruits/veggies/salads as I can. I will tell my dad to get me pomergranate juice and prune juice to help with my blood count and to help with my BM's.
John

Hi John! I'm happy to hear that you're home and I know the first few weeks are unpleasant but it gets better and better! About sleeping I was on Soma (a muscle relaxer that worked wonders) and norco for pain. I too couldn't sleep for more than 3-4 hours at first which isn't good because the doctor said sleep is so important for recovering. I was put on Ambien for sleep for 3 weeks or so and that put me out so fast which is good. I was like a new born baba haha by mom would comein every 2-3 hours when I couldn't sleep or if I needed help turning or something. It does gewt better though even though it made not be comfortable at all right now. And my scar looked pretty gnarly at first but it looks pretty close to perfect now keep it clean!
Maliha

Yeah, it's a little hard. First night I couldn't sleep more than 2-3 hours. Second/Third/etc. I was in a lot of pain from the shower bending and I couldn't even sleep more than 1 hour at a time. But I took the Oxycontin and I can sleep for like 5-6-7 hours without being in pain. I love it. I hope I can recover without getting used to taking a lot of pain meds.
John

[LindaRacine]

.have you tried rice pudding...just the stuff from the section in store where they sell jello.. tasy shack or some brand name like that...it kills my nausea with the oxy & goes down better than ensure...

Careful... I think rice is constipating.

[JDM555]

Hmmm, since Ed said I need to go everyday, I felt my stomach was ready, so I went for the bathroom even though I didn't take any stool softeners/laxatives/etc. Let me say, the first few minutes were brutal, but I managed. I think I will ask for some Prune Juice and Miralax lol.
John

[jrnyc]

Hi John
Glad to see that you seem to be getting thru this really tough time with your sense of humor intact!

i have lost alot of weight..down to 95 pounds..so i know what it feels like to not feel like eating, but then being told i must eat. i have done well with rice pudding...as far as constipating (per Linda) i have not found that to be so...maybe because the sugar in the pudding prevents that effect from happening...its not like just eating rice...so i may start out drinking vanilla ensure & end up eating kozy shack brand rice pudding....no constipation probelms, & am taking oxy & hydrocodone! also, i have a juicer...when i have the energy, i make apricot, strawberry, blueberry & kiwi & apple juice...delicious...throw it in a blender with a banana....if i want, i add whey protein..a liitle milk (i know you dont like yogurt) & a little ice cream (just a little, titaniumed)...i love yogurt, so i use it in smoothies...maybe if you tried the vanilla or other flavored ones in a smoothie you wouldnt notice the taste...but milk & ice cream can substitute....
i use plain baked potatoes (nothing on them) for nausea..sometimes dry oatmeal..made with very little milk or water, & the same for cream of wheat, help me.

is there a way you could get e mail addresses for professors/instructors from the disabilities offices at your colleges? can you ask the disability people how other students with major surgeries have handled it? once the professors know your situation, i am sure they will cooperate with your needs...it is required by law actually...but you might not want to point that out to professors the first time you meet them if you need the protection of the law, i hope you will make use of it...it is just so that accommodations will be made for you to take into account what your present needs are...including leaving early, arriving later, etc...all kinds of accommodations!

feel better
jess

[JDM555]

Hi John
Glad to see that you seem to be getting thru this really tough time with your sense of humor intact!

i have lost alot of weight..down to 95 pounds..so i know what it feels like to not feel like eating, but then being told i must eat. i have done well with rice pudding...as far as constipating (per Linda) i have not found that to be so...maybe because the sugar in the pudding prevents that effect from happening...its not like just eating rice...so i may start out drinking vanilla ensure & end up eating kozy shack brand rice pudding....no constipation probelms, & am taking oxy & hydrocodone! also, i have a juicer...when i have the energy, i make apricot, strawberry, blueberry & kiwi & apple juice...delicious...throw it in a blender with a banana....if i want, i add whey protein..a liitle milk (i know you dont like yogurt) & a little ice cream (just a little, titaniumed)...i love yogurt, so i use it in smoothies...maybe if you tried the vanilla or other flavored ones in a smoothie you wouldnt notice the taste...but milk & ice cream can substitute....
i use plain baked potatoes (nothing on them) for nausea..sometimes dry oatmeal..made with very little milk or water, & the same for cream of wheat, help me.
is there a way you could get e mail addresses for professors/instructors from the disabilities offices at your colleges? can you ask the disability people how other students with major surgeries have handled it? once the professors know your situation, i am sure they will cooperate with your needs...it is required by law actually...but you might not want to point that out to professors the first time you meet them if you need the protection of the law, i hope you will make use of it...it is just so that accommodations will be made for you to take into account what your present needs are...including leaving early, arriving later, etc...all kinds of accommodations!

feel better
jess

Hey, yeah, even though I'm in pain, I try to joke around. Now I think I got a new thing I am feeling in my rib area, maybe from rolling in and out of bed? I try to log roll like the Doc told me, but maybe I did something wrong? I'm suppose to get BETTER over time not worse, whats happening to me. I can't walk as much now.

I feel like my left leg is fine when I walk, but the right, I can't really extend it. Like when I take a step, the right hamstring/hip hurts as if something doesn't fit. Do you think nerve damage can cause that? Or idk, no idea?

I am trying to eat more, and I had 4 meals today instead of 2-3. I had In-N-Out hamburger too so that should add some calories. I just want this darn pain to start going away.

As far as emails for the teachers, I found two, but I can't find the other three via website or even google. I will try to call the college and ask them. I need to let them know. All three of those teachers are the long night classes I have except for a 4 hour Art class on Friday 10AM. I have NO idea what I'll do for 4 hours in a freakin' ART class, but I know I'm going to try to kill myself.

There is no WAY I'll stay seated for that long (3-4 hours) without being in a huge amount of pain. I hope everything works out somehow.
John

[jrnyc]

Hi John

sorry you are having these pains..dont know where it is coming from ..someone who has had the surgery can maybe suggest what could be going on....

maybe it is time to seek out the disabilities office at your college....explain your situation & current needs for alterations/accommodations & see if the office can help you get the word out to professors & also get disability office's opinion as to how do-a-ble it would be....for whatever it is that you need adjusted/altered. or...you could find the professors offices & try to go to see them before classes start, but perhaps you are not up to that physically. if they have office hours when they must be available to students, that may be the last resort. also, could you print up a generic letter of what you need in terms of changes you need due to your surgery & leave it in their mailboxes, if there are no other options? under the law, accommodations includes shortening a class or the requirements in that class if it interferes with the disability, no matter how temporary the disability may be.

best of luck
jess

[JDM555]

I emailed my professors at the state university since their emails are posted online. But for the community college which are the 3-4 hour long classes, I can't find their emails. I will have to call Monday and ask for them.

So far, 1 professor replied and said he will try to accommodate me as much as possible after reading my message and viewing my x-rays. His class is only 50 minutes, it's a lecture, I'm worried about the lab which is 3 hours. I will have to tell that professor if it's possible to do the work at home and turn it in via email or the next wednesday when my lecture meets. 8:00-8:50 AM, then my lab is at 1:30-4:15, no way I'm staying on campus those hours.

[debbei]

I feel like my left leg is fine when I walk, but the right, I can't really extend it. Like when I take a step, the right hamstring/hip hurts as if something doesn't fit. Do you think nerve damage can cause that? Or idk, no idea?

John,
I know exactly what you mean about the hip, I had the same problem after surgery. Your hip joints were used to the way they were, and then you were straightened. According to my physical therapist, the joint has to adjust to the new 'even' way your body is now. Does it feel like the ball doesn't feel like it fits into the socket? I had lost range of motion in the left hip and if I tried to move it further I wanted to go through the roof. Over the 3 months that I was at physical therapy, my PT helped me stretch it in a way that I couldn't have done myself. Also, because of this the hamstrings were very tight which she also helped me stretch. Sometimes she'd hold my leg up and push it a tiny bit too far and she could always tell it was too far by the look on my face. It took time, but now it's perfectly back to normal, and was by I'd say 4-5 months post op.

This operation isn't just about straightening our spines. Our whole bodies have to adjust to the new 'us.'

Good luck with school.

[kt2009]

Yes...sometimes my back is the least of my worries. PT helps so much. Hamstrings and hip abductors and adductors are all out of kilter and PT helps a lot with that. My femoral nerve (which runs from the middle of the back, over the hip and down the quad) might be a bit impinged which has led to difficulty raising my right leg...PT helps with that as well. So hang on and in a couple of months when you can do some stretching and PT, you'll begin to feel a little better. Keep log rolling...when I stopped doing this my pain increased, so I still do it!
Take your iron with citrus (OJ)...helps with it's absorption. But it definitely can be constipating (I remember from my pregnancy days).
Avoid rice, bananas, apple sauce (apples are fine) which are binding.
The stool softener prescribed for me was the same as the over the counter...100 mgs of docusate sodium. Take seperately from pain meds for more effectiveness.

You're making it!!!

[JDM555]

John,
I know exactly what you mean about the hip, I had the same problem after surgery. Your hip joints were used to the way they were, and then you were straightened. According to my physical therapist, the joint has to adjust to the new 'even' way your body is now. Does it feel like the ball doesn't feel like it fits into the socket? I had lost range of motion in the left hip and if I tried to move it further I wanted to go through the roof. Over the 3 months that I was at physical therapy, my PT helped me stretch it in a way that I couldn't have done myself. Also, because of this the hamstrings were very tight which she also helped me stretch. Sometimes she'd hold my leg up and push it a tiny bit too far and she could always tell it was too far by the look on my face. It took time, but now it's perfectly back to normal, and was by I'd say 4-5 months post op.

This operation isn't just about straightening our spines. Our whole bodies have to adjust to the new 'us.'

Good luck with school.

Yeah, I guess you're right. I will talk to my doctor at the Post-Op meet on Feb. 8 about PT. I will start walking close to a mile a day now so I can get my body back in shape instead of laying down all day.
John

Yes...sometimes my back is the least of my worries. PT helps so much. Hamstrings and hip abductors and adductors are all out of kilter and PT helps a lot with that. My femoral nerve (which runs from the middle of the back, over the hip and down the quad) might be a bit impinged which has led to difficulty raising my right leg...PT helps with that as well. So hang on and in a couple of months when you can do some stretching and PT, you'll begin to feel a little better. Keep log rolling...when I stopped doing this my pain increased, so I still do it!
Take your iron with citrus (OJ)...helps with it's absorption. But it definitely can be constipating (I remember from my pregnancy days).
Avoid rice, bananas, apple sauce (apples are fine) which are binding.
The stool softener prescribed for me was the same as the over the counter...100 mgs of docusate sodium. Take seperately from pain meds for more effectiveness.

You're making it!!!

Thanks for the tips! I will keep all of them in mind. I will start drinking OJ in the morning to take my Iron pill. I'm trying to not take too many laxatives as they aren't good for me, but I'm dying with the constipation. I spent 1 hour on the toilet yesterday and I wanted to cry lol. I will try some Miralax, but damn the prune juice my dad got taste like....ASS...sorry but it's disgusting.

John

[spinalfusion09]

awww John I know what you mean about the constipation. its the drugs and your body waking up and it sucks!!!! I know prune juice is gross but it definitely helps I drank that a lot before and after surgery and its one of the highest foods/drinks with iron. My mom even warmed it up for a little in the mircrowave so it was lukewarm and it wasn't so bad. Hope it gets easier and easier it will!!!!
Maliha

[Radiogirl]

Just another suggestion for constipation, if you can't stand prune juice.....Pear Juice!...it's made for babies, and is in the baby food isle. It does work well and tastes good. Not sure if they have it in the regular juice isle, always found it in baby food isle.

[titaniumed]

John

You could also try castor oil. Years ago, that was standard issue and as kids, we had no choice. Dad decided that it was time for a lube job and that was it. You might say we were pretty clean cut kids......

Its a little better tasting than prune juice. On the shelf, they only sell small bottles for some reason. I guess you wouldn't want to go overboard with it. One teaspoon. I guess they want to prevent a repeat of what happened in the movie "Dumb and dumber"

Ok, enough of the jokes.

Its a fine balance between surgical pain, and pain from being constipated. Eventually, you will need to cut down on the meds and this needs to be done slowly. I would e-mail your surgeon about cutting back and weaning off your medications. Some pills can be cut in half with a knife, and some cannot. I think it has to do with "binders" in the pill and can be dangerous, so talk to your surgeon.

My constipation felt like I ate a bag of cement, and then added the water. Man-o-man! It got to the point where my bowel pain considerably outweighed my surgical pain. This issue was the decisive factor on my decision to get off the drugs.

Hang in there, it does get better.
Ed