Re: New to Group - would love some advice

[Guest guest]

Hi Alpine,

Welcome to the group. I'm a beleiver in pain management. There are all

sorts of things they can do to help. It's worth a try, IMO. There are all

sorts of meds, or combination of meds, and some interventional things like

injections.

Bonnie

New to Group - would love some advice

Happy New Year New Friends! My name is Alpine, I'm almost 48 years

old and I live near Houston, Texas. I had the Harrington Rod

Procedure at UCLA by Dr. Edgar Dawson 21 years ago this month. Two

years later my rod broke due to a boating accident (the welding

weakened and snapped) and I had the rod removed. I started

experiencing upper back pain for a couple of years and just dealt

with it, until it dawned on me that maybe I needed a breast

reduction. I am a size 4-6 and had a cup size of E/EE. I had the

breast reduction last summer (down to a DD) and the upper back pain

and headaches are gone. What I need to know from all you that have

had the harrington rod procedure is are you still experiencing

pain. It seems I'm always in pain, some days better than others. I

spoke to my internal doctor about it wanting to know should I simply

have a stiff upper lip (which is what I'm doing now) and taking a

ton of advil or is something else wrong. He gave me the

recommendation of a doctor to see and talk with him about, but

here's where I'm going with this. I've been through PT many times,

doesn't seem to help and I just don't want to go that route again,

it's extremely time consuming with no real results. I don't want

anymore surgery. I just want to work with someone on pain

management. But I'm not really sure what that means. Can any of

you enlighted me? Wow, I've written a book. I appreciate your time

reading this and any golden nuggets of wisdom will be well

received. Thank you - Alpine - The Gouldian Lady -

www.thegouldianlady.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Alpine...

Welcome to the group. I've always wanted a breast reduction... maybe

some day.

There are no welds on Harrington rods, and they can't be broken by

trauma. They break because there's an area of the fusion that didn't

heal properly. It's usually described as being like a paperclip that

is bent back and forth a dozen times before it eventually breaks.

I'd encourage you to find a scoliosis specialist who has a lot of

experience in treating patients with prior fusions. If possible,

consider Mike LaGrone in Amarillo. He's got an excellent reputation.

Best of luck.

Regards,

>

> Happy New Year New Friends! My name is Alpine, I'm almost 48 years

> old and I live near Houston, Texas. I had the Harrington Rod

> Procedure at UCLA by Dr. Edgar Dawson 21 years ago this month. Two

> years later my rod broke due to a boating accident (the welding

> weakened and snapped) and I had the rod removed. I started

> experiencing upper back pain for a couple of years and just dealt

> with it, until it dawned on me that maybe I needed a breast

> reduction. I am a size 4-6 and had a cup size of E/EE. I had the

> breast reduction last summer (down to a DD) and the upper back pain

> and headaches are gone. What I need to know from all you that have

> had the harrington rod procedure is are you still experiencing

> pain. It seems I'm always in pain, some days better than others. I

> spoke to my internal doctor about it wanting to know should I simply

> have a stiff upper lip (which is what I'm doing now) and taking a

> ton of advil or is something else wrong. He gave me the

> recommendation of a doctor to see and talk with him about, but

> here's where I'm going with this. I've been through PT many times,

> doesn't seem to help and I just don't want to go that route again,

> it's extremely time consuming with no real results. I don't want

> anymore surgery. I just want to work with someone on pain

> management. But I'm not really sure what that means. Can any of

> you enlighted me? Wow, I've written a book. I appreciate your time

> reading this and any golden nuggets of wisdom will be well

> received. Thank you - Alpine - The Gouldian Lady -

> www.thegouldianlady.com

>