My 16 yrs old son will be having surgery for Scoliosis

[Guest guest]

I was just old last week by an orthopedist that my 16 yrs son ,who

has Scoliosis, will need surgery. His x-ray revealed it is a 55%

curve. With the operation she has a 70% chance of bringing his

curved down to 25-22%. There is a 3% chance of paralysis

We will be going back to the doctor in 6 weeks after we see another

specialist.

I was also told he would be in ICU for two days and he will be in the

hosp. about a week.

My hubby and I plan to stay with him, each taking turns.

It would be great if I could get honest feedback as to what to expect.

Any help would be great.

Take Care,

Angel

[Guest guest]

Honest Feedback:

My daughter now 24, has had 3 spinal surgeries for scoliosis. Yes you will be

scared when you see him -

Yes there will be the puffy face and the surgery usually lasts about 8 to 10

hrs.

Yes he will be encouraged to get out of the hospital as soon as possible:

However, make sure that a physical thereapist sees your son for some adaptive

devices

If your insurance company covers it, get a hospital bed for rent for a little

while. Most beds are too low to the ground to facilitate easy or comfortable

movement after surgery.

If need by, rent a port a pot chair for a week again, most toilets are too low

for easy bending. Most of these devices are covered by insurance.

The hardest thing was getting bandages and stuffy sticky off around the

incision. My daughter was 10 at the first one and then 15/16 for the 2nd one.

She survived it well. You will cry when you see him and there might be brusing

at some of the sites. There may be so much puffiness that it looks like a mack

truck hit him in the face. but it is because he is lying down, anterior surgery

or posterior surgery will determine this.

If you need any mor factual remininceses, let me know. Also, staying with him

is a good idea and some hospitals encourage this even though he is not a chid.

Check w/hospital staff, social services and see what the hospital offers. If

not a child, then there might be " exceptions " to the rule of parents staying in

the hospital.

Cherie and Janene

[Guest guest]

> Honest Feedback:

>

> If you need any mor factual remininceses, let me know. Also,

staying with him is a good idea and some hospitals encourage this

even though he is not a chid. Check w/hospital staff, social

services and see what the hospital offers. If not a child, then

there might be " exceptions " to the rule of parents staying in the

hospital.

>

>

Dear Cherie and Janene,

It was really so very kind of you to share with me what you are going

through. My hubby and I really have to prepare ourselves.

We are not sure what to tell our 16 yrs old. The doctor told him/us

little right now. We have to try to find out what parents tell thier

kids about this surgery

We also have to help our 10 yrs old son deal with this. He is upset

just finding out that his brother is going to have surgery.

Any factual reminisces that you feel that we would need would be

great. We never been through this and know very little about it

(Scoliosis /the surgery).

We are in shock as a family and we have much to learn and much to do.

In the hospital we will be using one parent can stay with their child

(even 16 yrs old) 24-7. So we are find on that end.

I'll go over what you wrote with my hubby.

Take Care,

Angel

[Guest guest]

Angel -

Our daughter was 15 when she had scoliosis surgery last March. Her dad or I

stayed with her the whole 6 days that she was in; they brought me in a

recliner chair that made an OK bed. It comforted her to know one of us was in

the

room; she was pretty scared of being alone and helpless, and sometimes the

nurses couldn't respond to her calls right away.

She didn't have very much facial puffiness and no bruising. What surprised

me is how fast they got her moving again - she was sitting in a chair within 48

hours and walking the hall shortly after that. We didn't use any of the

assistive devices and her doctor recommended against a hospital bed or bedside

potty at home. They considered prescribing a walker but decided she could make

it around the house without it. The ride home in the car (25 minutes of mostly

highway driving) was pretty painful, but once she got home, she bounced back

quickly and was working with an in-home tutor shortly thereafter. Her first

shower, 2 weeks after surgery, was a great day!!!!

If you have any specific questions, we would be happy to answer them. Good

luck to you.

, mom to , now 16

fused T2 - T12 3/03

voted " most spirited " cheerleader on her squad, 2004