Re: Problems from Surgery

[Guest guest]

I too have had major scoli surgery whhich has resulted in daily pain to the

extent that I can not work and struggle with some daily tasks. Looking down

(while cooking etc. makes my foot and lower leg pain worse. I go through bad

times but the prognosis had be paralisis and then death due to failing heart

lung function. need less go say i rook them up on sugefy/ That was in 1988 and

I have gotten a little worse each year. this year I am riding a recumbant trike

and having a blast with that. It's the burning, the shocks and the spasms that

bother me the most.

marti

cena75 <turtle_one@...> wrote:

Hi - I've been a member of this list for awhile, but don't get

around to posting much. I just want to vent and share what's been

going on for me lately. I had the CD rod procedure 17 years ago

when I was 13. Two years after that I had a revision due to

pseudoarthrosis. SInce that time I've been in an accident, which

resulted in soft tissue damage and scar tissue. I'm 30, and I work

full time as a teacher...I also am a graduate student (needless to

say one of my coping mechanisms is being really busy!). I'm in pain

constantly. I was recently diagnosed by a new specialist (I wasnt'

followed for awhile once I " outgrew " my paedatrician), with a myriad

of problems - all related to having adolescent spinal fusion which

was really large to correct a really large curve. I have flat back

syndrome, spinal stenosis, osteoarthitis and equina cardia

(tethering of the spinal nerves). This was discovered after I

started experiencing kidney and bladder infections a year ago (I

rarely had them previously), and increasingly severe bowel urgency.

It turns out that I have significant narrowing of the spinal canal,

and the nerves exciting the spine are being pinched off as well. I

also experience some leg numbness. Over the years I've become quite

educated about scoliosis - and these problems are not something

experienced by many people with surgery. So...I'm now slated for a

third surgery, which will fuse my last two segements of the spine

(one will remain mobile at the base), my rods will be cut, bone

removed, spinal column expanded, and new rods/caging system put in

place. I'm remaining upbeat, because I honestly believe I wouldn't

be the person I am today without my experiences. I also have to

believe that this surgery will help some of my problems. I've done

all sorts of pain management techniques, been on medication,

therapies etc. (for the person who asked about acupuncture - I had

it done on my shoulders and neck, and helped for awhile). I would

love to hear from others who have had similar complications from

previous scoliosis surgeries. I know my problems would be far

greater if I hadn't had it done 17 years ago.

Thanks,