Re: specialist #2

[Guest guest]

Hi Carol,

Thanks for all of your help!

Re: specialist #2

> Hi -

>

> First of all, I want to emphasize that there are a number of

> reasons for

> anterior surgery - the following is an account of the reasons for

> mine. My

> flatback condition was caused by very different reasons that most

> (all?)

> people on this site.

>

> Both of my surgeries entailed a combined anterior/posterior

> approach. At the

> time of my 1st surgery, I had degenerative scoliosis of the lumbar

> spine with

> lateral listhesis. This means there was great instability and lots

> of

> movement in the spine. I had virtually no lumbar lordosis, and was

> flatback

> due to the degenerative disc disease. With degenerative scoliosis,

> a combined

> A/P approach is needed for several reasons. My fusion would not

> have been

> strong enough with just a posterior approach. The anterior fusion

> was needed

> to provide maximum strength to prevent further movement of the

> spine. Without

> the anterior fusion, I would have risked pseudoarthrosis. Also,

> because of

> the loss of lordosis was caused by loss of disc height anteriorly,

> it was

> necessary to do a diskectomy and insert cages from the front to

> help maintain

> disc height. I begged my surgeon to do only a posterior approach

> for my

> revision surgery. He said he would if he could, without

> compromising the

> outcome. But when I woke up, there was another anterior scar!

>

> Regarding your physical therapy, it won't cure your flatback, but

> it might

> help to strengthen weak muscles if you've been sedentary due to

> pain. And if

> surgery is your eventual decision, you want to be as strong as

> possible. Keep

> on doing that research!

> Carol from sub.Chicago

>

[Guest guest]

Carol,

Thanks for the encouragement though my scars have never bothered me so much (as far as affecting my self image) I guess I have had back scars since I was 9 years old so I don't really think about them that much. The one at my waist though is sore and I worry about adhesions so I try to stretch. After 2 months, I think my "innards" (how's that for a southern word?!) are still trying to find their way back to their original position. I also have not had a period since my surgery - (2 months) but I don't miss it! Just hope they knew where my uterus was supposed to go -- you know how specialized these surgeons can get ! HA!

Banner-Lach, RN, CCM, RN-WCCMNurse Case ManagerFirst Rehabilitation Resources, Inc.

Re: specialist #2

,Ouch, your description of that hip screw makes me shudder! You are so right about prior areas of grafting being extra thin - I just received a copy of my medical records and it does make mention of that with my revision surgery. About your scar - as a nurse, I know that you know this, but your scar will fade and become almost imperceptible. (Sometimes it helps just to hear that, even though you know it!)Carol from (the suburbs of) Chicago Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

[Guest guest]

,

Going in ateriorly for fusions has become much more popular in the last few

years as they believe it will be much more stable instrumented from the

front and back. They did a discectomy and fusion with a plate and screws at

my L5-S1, then returned posteriorly to fix the 2-3 spots I had from my old

fusion that had never healed properly and do an osteotomy on my lumbar spine

and put hardware there to hold the lumbar curve in place. At about 2 months

out, I can now see a difference when I stand sideways - I have a curve and a

butt!!! Now if they would just let me do some exercises to get my

abdominals and trunk muscles in to shape I would be happier as my scar on my

side is beginning to bother me the more I force myself to stand up straight.

Another fun thing you find after revision surgery is that you THINK you are

standing straight up but if you look in the mirror you are leaning to one

side. To make yourself actually stand straight takes a lot of

concentration. I want to start exercising those muscles as soon as possible

so they will hold me in the right position as for now I am having to be

aware of it all the time. So far though I am only allowed to do leg

exercises to get stronger and they have made a big difference, as has a

GREAT physical therapist! He doesn't let me get away with anything!

Sorry, started rambling!

Banner-Lach, RN, CCM, RN-WCCM

Nurse Case Manager

First Rehabilitation Resources, Inc.

Re: specialist #2

> >

> >

> > ,

> >

> > The scar that winds half way around your waist - was it from

> > your revision surgery that you just had in March, or from your

> > prior surgery? And by the way, I am very glad that this surgery

> > was not as painful as you expected (except for the hip screw!). My

> > revision surgery was a year ago February, and also not very

> > painful at all. I was off all meds by three weeks! Oops, everyone -

> > please don't use that as a rate of comparison! Everyone is

> > different - I'm just reporting my own response!

> >

> > Carol from Chicago

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have a question for ya! Physical therapists in my small Texas

town, have no clue how to help a person with a fused spine. My

hardware removal surgery was done over 2 hours from home, so all I

have been doing are probably the same leg exercises you have been

doing.

Would you ask your physical therapist if there are any resources

that could help me do this on my own? What's good and what to stay

away from doing?

Thanks and good luck on your continued recovery! You made it!

Fused T4 - L2 1985 Harrington Rods

Rods removed April 2003

[Guest guest]

,

I just finished PT. (Fused in 69 & rods out in 71). Now lots of degeneration, etc & 2 bulging discs (T4 & 5).

Anyway, I have to do these exercises for strengthening, especially abd muscles. No bending forward (in exercises-hard to do in life). They have helped & I do them every morning. I have the instruction sheets & I'll be glad to forward them to you if you'd like. Probably be better if I send them directly to you instead of the entire group.

chasjoyt@...

Joyce in Atlanta

[Guest guest]

,

If you have access to a fax, I could fax you over copies of the exercises I

have been doing. They are very self explanatory. Just email me personally

at denise.lach@.... If not, I will check with him. I could also

get you a copy and mail it to you. It has really made a difference. I am

sooo much stronger than I was just a few weeks ago, though I went through a

couple of weeks in which my legs really HURT! Now they are just sore

afterwards, like they should be. I can go up and down the stairs normally

and only use my can for balance when I have to go out of the house. I still

tend to list to the right!

Banner-Lach, RN, CCM, RN-WCCM

Nurse Case Manager

First Rehabilitation Resources, Inc.

Re: specialist #2

> Hi ,

>

> I have a question for ya! Physical therapists in my small Texas

> town, have no clue how to help a person with a fused spine. My

> hardware removal surgery was done over 2 hours from home, so all I

> have been doing are probably the same leg exercises you have been

> doing.

>

> Would you ask your physical therapist if there are any resources

> that could help me do this on my own? What's good and what to stay

> away from doing?

>

> Thanks and good luck on your continued recovery! You made it!

>

>

> Fused T4 - L2 1985 Harrington Rods

> Rods removed April 2003

>

>

>

>

> Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment

Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any

advertised products.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Please be careful in phrasing a statement such as this one. I do not

doubt that this was your experience after revision surgery. But other

people have not had such an experience after revision surgery. It is

not necessarily the norm.

In fact, no particular experience reported at this list is

necessarily the norm for anyone but the person reporting it.

We are all posting entirely too many horrifying and hair-raising

experiences here, in such a way as to imply that everyone else is

likely to have the same or similar experiences. As old-timers, we may

not stop to think how this might be affecting someone who has only

just learned that she may need revision surgery.

I wish there had been more information available when I first came to

grips with my own Harrington deformity. If I had seen some of the

stuff now getting posted at this list, however, I might have run

screaming and never have signed up for revision at all.

I do not mean to single you out, either, . What you describe

below is pretty mild compared to some of the stories I am seeing

here. I just got to this one after reading 3 or 4 others. Before I

even read your comments, I was feeling the cumulative impact of a

dreadful foray into a veritable Little Shop of Horrors. It was at

this point in my catching-up reading that I finally thought: Wait a

minute, I think I'd better pipe up about this . . .

C'mon guys, we all know revision surgery is no fun and may

unfortunately be associated with some unexpected or challenging

problems for some individual patients. Do we really have to swap

lurid tales from the crypt in which we are forever proving that " my

surgery was hairier than yours " ?

Maybe we should at least take a break and try something different,

e.g., " My Labor and Delivery and How I Lived to Tell About It " ?

And then there was the recent unfortunate and somewhat alarming

procedure I just heard about, involving an inflamed diverticulum in

the colon of my former spouse. . .

-- In , " denise LACH "

<denise.lach@v...> wrote:

> ,

>

>.

> Another fun thing you find after revision surgery is that you THINK

you are

> standing straight up but if you look in the mirror you are leaning

to one

> side. To make yourself actually stand straight takes a lot of

> concentration.

[Guest guest]

Eliana, I can certainly feel for those who have just begun to deal with the

emotions associated with having learned that the surgery which had

supposedly cured them has actually been the cause of a new deformity. When

I was in that position I could only lurk and read on the Salvaged Sisters

site. It took a lot of courage to actually begin posting.

A couple of years later and I'm still in the same situation physically, but

continuing to gather and weigh information from personal experiences

online. I'm still waiting to hear from SOMEONE who has gone through HARMS

revision surgery and is now pain-free and greatly improved functionally.

Perhaps these people are feeling too good to waste their time commiserating

on the internet. But the other possible explanation is scary. Perhaps

they don't exist!

More specifically, I'd love to hear from someone who had a " fair amount " of

sagittal imbalance, discomfort, activity limitations, and aching but little

true pain, has had the surgery, and now feels great.

Maybe we need a private nitty-gritty horror-story site for those of us who

are over the initial shock but still apprehensively weighing the pros and

cons, where you veterans can " spill your guts " (UGH!) about whether your

guts were actually put back in properly, etc. Because I find this stuff to

be necessary reading. It could keep me from doing something stupid.

Perhaps it already has.

Sharon in southern New Hampshire :^)

Congenital scoliosis w/ spina bifida and other vertebral anomalies

1971 fusion T5 to L4 w/ single Harrington rod

Flatback, congenital thoracolumbar kyphosis, L5-S1 degeneration, etc.

At 12:01 PM 5/12/03 -0000, you wrote:

> We are all posting entirely too many horrifying and hair-raising

> experiences here, in such a way as to imply that everyone else is

> likely to have the same or similar experiences. As old-timers, we may

> not stop to think how this might be affecting someone who has only

> just learned that she may need revision surgery.

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

Anytime you want a gut spilling adventure, feel free to email me privately,

if this is something we need to avoid at this site. I was sagittally (is

that a word?) imbalanced, limited in activities, but at the time of surgery

had an immense amount of pain. Pain was my final deciding factor. I had

tolerated the rest for many years, but the pain pushed me into surgery. I

feel great now, some bad days (like weather fronts coming through) and some

days I get upset over my limitations, but my family gently reminds me of pre

surgical days and I thank God again for where I am at.

Donna

(dmdurgin@...)

..

>

>More specifically, I'd love to hear from someone who had a " fair amount " of

>sagittal imbalance, discomfort, activity limitations, and aching but little

>true pain, has had the surgery, and now feels great.

>.

_________________________________________________________________

Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online

http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

[Guest guest]

Donna,

I'm on the journey to deciding, if the Canadian physicians qualify me, when and if I should have surgery. You mentioned that the pain was the deciding factor. Can you describe, privately if you prefer, the amount and type of pain? I find that I have to keep myself in check from going into depression because the pain feels overwhelming and tiring and I'm generally an optimistic person by nature, which I guess why the doctors don't believe that I'm in any amount of pain and won't prescribe the pain meds. They won't even diagnose me as having Fixed Saggittal Imbalance, they keep looking for other answers, even though I fit the symptoms/conditions! How did you get the doctors to believe in your situation? Does it take a diary, your family's response or what? My doctor did forward a request to the Spine Clinic in Vancouver, but there is a 3 year waiting list, and I'm afraid of what I will be like by then since it has taken me over 5 years now to get to this stage. Thanks for listening and I appreciate any advice you may have.

Llweyn in BC

-----Original Message-----From: D Durgin [mailto:dmdurgin@...]Sent: May 12, 2003 6:05 PM Subject: Re: specialist #2Sharon,Anytime you want a gut spilling adventure, feel free to email me privately, if this is something we need to avoid at this site. I was sagittally (is that a word?) imbalanced, limited in activities, but at the time of surgery had an immense amount of pain. Pain was my final deciding factor. I had tolerated the rest for many years, but the pain pushed me into surgery. I feel great now, some bad days (like weather fronts coming through) and some days I get upset over my limitations, but my family gently reminds me of pre surgical days and I thank God again for where I am at.Donna(dmdurgin@...).>>More specifically, I'd love to hear from someone who had a "fair amount" of>sagittal imbalance, discomfort, activity limitations, and aching but little>true pain, has had the surgery, and now feels great.>._________________________________________________________________Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Donna. I may take you up on that adventure, and I'm sure I'm not

the only member who'd be interested.

Pain does indeed seem to be the deciding factor for just about everyone. I

still have the question as to whether early surgical intervention would

prevent irreparable injury to joints. That would be my only reason for

considering it at this point, since my activity level is ok considering,

and my pain level is manageable.

Sharon in southern New Hampshire :^)

Congenital scoliosis w/ spina bifida and other vertebral anomalies

1971 fusion T5 to L4 w/ single Harrington rod

Flatback, congenital thoracolumbar kyphosis, L5-S1 degeneration, etc.

At 08:05 PM 5/12/03 -0500, you wrote:

> Sharon,

>

> Anytime you want a gut spilling adventure, feel free to email me privately,

> if this is something we need to avoid at this site. I was sagittally (is

> that a word?) imbalanced, limited in activities, but at the time of surgery

> had an immense amount of pain. Pain was my final deciding factor. I had

> tolerated the rest for many years, but the pain pushed me into surgery. I

> feel great now, some bad days (like weather fronts coming through) and some

> days I get upset over my limitations, but my family gently reminds me of

pre

> surgical days and I thank God again for where I am at.

>

> Donna

> (dmdurgin@...)

> .

>>

>> " " of

>>sagittal imbalance, discomfort, activity limitations, and aching but little

>>true pain, has had the surgery, and now feels great.

>>.

>

> _________________________________________________________________

>

> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Sharon:

At the risk of sounding like Pollyanna, I may be your gal--the

poster child for revision surgery. I chose to have the operations

last January and February. At the time, I had no obvious physical

deformity--I didn't lean forward, and it really takes a trained

orthopedist staring at someone in a bathing suit to notice a missing

lordosis. But, my back hurt all the time, and I hadn't slept flat on

my back since 1998, and travel with my family was curtailed because

I couldn't always arrange for wedges or a hospital bed at the

destination. By 2001, it wasn't just travel, but general activities--

playgrounds, shopping, occasionally work.

My surgeon considered me to be an unusual patient in her experience

because I was relatively young--her typical revision patient is in

her 50s--and not as disabled as most; apparently her typical patient

waits until she's visibly leaning over.

I chose to go ahead and have the surgery because it seemed, to me,

that I was eventually going to have it, and my outcomes were going

to be better if I did it sooner, before I suffered more permanent

damage to my disks, rather than later. I'm not sure what you mean

by " Not suffering true pain " --I certainly feel like I was in pain--

but since I never had to quit a job or go on disability before the

surgery, perhaps that wasn't true pain? I will say that I was able

to maintain a normal, though limited, daily existence before

surgery, so maybe that was just discomfort and not true pain? (Let's

put the " true pain " thing aside; arguing semantics about who's in

true pain and who's whining about mere discomfort seems like a

really bad idea.)

So, 3.5 months post op, I can sleep through the night flat on my

back. I have no more pain associated with the HARMS deformity. (I

can tell what's related to the surgery--pain along the spine that

feels, well, like there's new instrumentation and like things got

cut up to get it there--as opposed to the lower-back facet grinding

pain that radiated into my hips.

Sure, I have a little bulge in my lower groin. Big freakin' deal.

Compared to how I felt before, when I couldn't sleep through the

night without drugs, I feel freakin' great. I still have a lot of

pain from the surgery, but it's fading consistently, so I expect

that I will continue to improve and eventually " feel great all the

time. " (As much as it's possible for someone as cranky as I am to do

so, but that has more to do with life circumstances than my back.)

Seriously, even though the bulging groin bugs my vanity, it's a hell

of a lot more important for me to be able to travel, ski, sleep,

skate again.

I've tried to be somewhat circumspect about my positive outcomes so

far because everyone's circumstances are different, I may be

freakishly lucky, etc., etc., but my quality of life is already

improved even though I'm still technically disabled (can only work

part-time, must spend afternoons lying down to avoid exacerbating

pain, oh, sorry, discomfort.)But certainly, compared to others like

Kathleen, I'm an unqualified success story and an argument to

consider the surgery with a qualified surgeon sooner rather than

later.

Perhaps you and others consider this to be addled post-op ramblings,

but I'm alert enough to be back at work and responsibly manage

client projects, so I have reason to think that I'm not entirely

insane.

At just four months out, would I do it again? Absolutely. Was it the

most miserable experience of my life, putting me through two months

of sheer hell with unexpected post-op complications? Beyond a doubt.

But again, I'd do it again in a minute. I'd just order more cable

channels for my bedroom at home.

Elissa

>

> > We are all posting entirely too many horrifying and hair-raising

> > experiences here, in such a way as to imply that everyone else

is

> > likely to have the same or similar experiences. As old-timers,

we may

> > not stop to think how this might be affecting someone who has

only

> > just learned that she may need revision surgery.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the update, Elissa. I think we kind of needed a poster child about now!

Hope you continue to do well. Your comments on "pain" vs. "discomfort" were certainly apropos. I second them.

Re: specialist #2

Hi, Sharon:At the risk of sounding like Pollyanna, I may be your gal--the poster child for revision surgery. I chose to have the operations last January and February. At the time, I had no obvious physical deformity--I didn't lean forward, and it really takes a trained orthopedist staring at someone in a bathing suit to notice a missing lordosis. But, my back hurt all the time, and I hadn't slept flat on my back since 1998, and travel with my family was curtailed because I couldn't always arrange for wedges or a hospital bed at the destination. By 2001, it wasn't just travel, but general activities--playgrounds, shopping, occasionally work. My surgeon considered me to be an unusual patient in her experience because I was relatively young--her typical revision patient is in her 50s--and not as disabled as most; apparently her typical patient waits until she's visibly leaning over. I chose to go ahead and have the surgery because it seemed, to me, that I was eventually going to have it, and my outcomes were going to be better if I did it sooner, before I suffered more permanent damage to my disks, rather than later. I'm not sure what you mean by "Not suffering true pain"--I certainly feel like I was in pain--but since I never had to quit a job or go on disability before the surgery, perhaps that wasn't true pain? I will say that I was able to maintain a normal, though limited, daily existence before surgery, so maybe that was just discomfort and not true pain? (Let's put the "true pain" thing aside; arguing semantics about who's in true pain and who's whining about mere discomfort seems like a really bad idea.) So, 3.5 months post op, I can sleep through the night flat on my back. I have no more pain associated with the HARMS deformity. (I can tell what's related to the surgery--pain along the spine that feels, well, like there's new instrumentation and like things got cut up to get it there--as opposed to the lower-back facet grinding pain that radiated into my hips.Sure, I have a little bulge in my lower groin. Big freakin' deal. Compared to how I felt before, when I couldn't sleep through the night without drugs, I feel freakin' great. I still have a lot of pain from the surgery, but it's fading consistently, so I expect that I will continue to improve and eventually "feel great all the time." (As much as it's possible for someone as cranky as I am to do so, but that has more to do with life circumstances than my back.) Seriously, even though the bulging groin bugs my vanity, it's a hell of a lot more important for me to be able to travel, ski, sleep, skate again. I've tried to be somewhat circumspect about my positive outcomes so far because everyone's circumstances are different, I may be freakishly lucky, etc., etc., but my quality of life is already improved even though I'm still technically disabled (can only work part-time, must spend afternoons lying down to avoid exacerbating pain, oh, sorry, discomfort.)But certainly, compared to others like Kathleen, I'm an unqualified success story and an argument to consider the surgery with a qualified surgeon sooner rather than later. Perhaps you and others consider this to be addled post-op ramblings, but I'm alert enough to be back at work and responsibly manage client projects, so I have reason to think that I'm not entirely insane.At just four months out, would I do it again? Absolutely. Was it the most miserable experience of my life, putting me through two months of sheer hell with unexpected post-op complications? Beyond a doubt. But again, I'd do it again in a minute. I'd just order more cable channels for my bedroom at home. Elissa > > > We are all posting entirely too many horrifying and hair-raising > > experiences here, in such a way as to imply that everyone else is > > likely to have the same or similar experiences. As old-timers, we may > > not stop to think how this might be affecting someone who has only > > just learned that she may need revision surgery.Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

[Guest guest]

Elissa, thank you for the encouraging post. Maybe I shouldn't wait around

5 years or so to find out how you feel THEN, but long-term success is

something I'd really want to know about. It does sound like you had more

back pain then than I have, even though I'm visibly tilted and have been

told my lumbosacral joint is degenerated. I have aches, stiffness, muscle

tension, tendonitis, etc. all over my body, and I especially feel it in the

neck. But if I try to do one of those " rate your pain from 0 to 10 "

questionaires, the numbers aren't too impressive. I am on medication to

help control things and keep the pain levels manageable, but I'm still not

quite convinced it would be worth it to go through major surgery and

convalescence. Maybe that's why so many revision patients are older and

more bent over than you were. It's a lot to convince a person of.

Because I have congenital scoliosis and spina bifida, there are

complicating factors. I also have a bit of congenital thoraco-lumbar

kyphosis, so I wonder if I ever had good sagittal balance. In other words,

what would they restore me to? (Aside to Eliana: Don't you just love how

I use prepositions to end my sentences with?!)

Well, I guess these are questions to bother the docs with; I'm not looking

for answers here, just using you for a sounding board. But I am really

glad to hear that you are feeling improved since your surgery, and hope to

hear of continued healing and well-being for you, Elissa.

Sharon in southern New Hampshire :^)

Congenital scoliosis w/ spina bifida and other vertebral anomalies

1971 fusion T5 to L4 w/ single Harrington rod

Flatback, congenital thoracolumbar kyphosis, L5-S1 degeneration, etc.

At 11:06 PM 5/13/03 -0000, you wrote:

> Hi, Sharon:

>

> At the risk of sounding like Pollyanna, I may be your gal--the

> poster child for revision surgery. I chose to have the operations

> last January and February. At the time, I had no obvious physical

> deformity--I didn't lean forward, and it really takes a trained

> orthopedist staring at someone in a bathing suit to notice a missing

> lordosis. But, my back hurt all the time, and I hadn't slept flat on

> my back since 1998, and travel with my family was curtailed because

> I couldn't always arrange for wedges or a hospital bed at the

> destination. By 2001, it wasn't just travel, but general activities--

> playgrounds, shopping, occasionally work.

>

> My surgeon considered me to be an unusual patient in her experience

> because I was relatively young--her typical revision patient is in

> her 50s--and not as disabled as most; apparently her typical patient

> waits until she's visibly leaning over.

>

> I chose to go ahead and have the surgery because it seemed, to me,

> that I was eventually going to have it, and my outcomes were going

> to be better if I did it sooner, before I suffered more permanent

> damage to my disks, rather than later. I'm not sure what you mean

> " " --I certainly feel like I was in pain--

> but since I never had to quit a job or go on disability before the

> surgery, perhaps that wasn't true pain? I will say that I was able

> to maintain a normal, though limited, daily existence before

> surgery, so maybe that was just discomfort and not true pain? (Let's

> " " thing aside; arguing semantics about who's in

> true pain and who's whining about mere discomfort seems like a

> really bad idea.)

>

> So, 3.5 months post op, I can sleep through the night flat on my

> back. I have no more pain associated with the HARMS deformity. (I

> can tell what's related to the surgery--pain along the spine that

> feels, well, like there's new instrumentation and like things got

> cut up to get it there--as opposed to the lower-back facet grinding

> pain that radiated into my hips.

>

> Sure, I have a little bulge in my lower groin. Big freakin' deal.

> Compared to how I felt before, when I couldn't sleep through the

> night without drugs, I feel freakin' great. I still have a lot of

> pain from the surgery, but it's fading consistently, so I expect

> " feel great all the

> " (As much as it's possible for someone as cranky as I am to do

> so, but that has more to do with life circumstances than my back.)

> Seriously, even though the bulging groin bugs my vanity, it's a hell

> of a lot more important for me to be able to travel, ski, sleep,

> skate again.

>

> I've tried to be somewhat circumspect about my positive outcomes so

> far because everyone's circumstances are different, I may be

> freakishly lucky, etc., etc., but my quality of life is already

> improved even though I'm still technically disabled (can only work

> part-time, must spend afternoons lying down to avoid exacerbating

> pain, oh, sorry, discomfort.)But certainly, compared to others like

> Kathleen, I'm an unqualified success story and an argument to

> consider the surgery with a qualified surgeon sooner rather than

> later.

>

> Perhaps you and others consider this to be addled post-op ramblings,

> but I'm alert enough to be back at work and responsibly manage

> client projects, so I have reason to think that I'm not entirely

> insane.

>

> At just four months out, would I do it again? Absolutely. Was it the

> most miserable experience of my life, putting me through two months

> of sheer hell with unexpected post-op complications? Beyond a doubt.

> But again, I'd do it again in a minute. I'd just order more cable

> channels for my bedroom at home.

>

> Elissa

>

>

>

>>

>>> We are all posting entirely too many horrifying and hair-raising

>>> experiences here, in such a way as to imply that everyone else

> is

>>> likely to have the same or similar experiences. As old-timers,

> we may

>>> not stop to think how this might be affecting someone who has

> only

>>> just learned that she may need revision surgery.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Dannelle.

More fuel for the pro side of the argument. I wonder if she would talk to

me. Not that I want to be talked into it...

:^\

At 03:11 PM 5/14/03 -0700, you wrote:

Sharon - you may be glad to hear that I have spoken to another poster

child. One of the specialists I saw put me in touch with a woman whom he

treated with a case similar to mine, " only much worse. " (Disclaimer - this

was one person's story, told by a third person. Individual results may

vary. : ) ) She is thrilled with her results. Her exact words regarding

revision were, " It was the most horrible experience of my life, but I wish

I had done it five years earlier. " She described her life as active, and

is able to keep up with her sixth grader, goes on vacation, etc... She said

it took about three years until she felt totally herself again after the

surgery, but returned to work after only four months (teacher). So, there

you go...

Dannelle

[Guest guest]

Well, I wonder if she could be talked into posting her story here at "Feisty." We need all the poster children we can get!

Re: specialist #2

Thanks, Dannelle.More fuel for the pro side of the argument. I wonder if she would talk tome. Not that I want to be talked into it...:^\At 03:11 PM 5/14/03 -0700, you wrote:Sharon - you may be glad to hear that I have spoken to another posterchild. One of the specialists I saw put me in touch with a woman whom hetreated with a case similar to mine, "only much worse." (Disclaimer - thiswas one person's story, told by a third person. Individual results mayvary. : ) ) She is thrilled with her results. Her exact words regardingrevision were, "It was the most horrible experience of my life, but I wishI had done it five years earlier." She described her life as active, andis able to keep up with her sixth grader, goes on vacation, etc... She saidit took about three years until she felt totally herself again after thesurgery, but returned to work after only four months (teacher). So, thereyou go... Dannelle Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

[Guest guest]

My libido improved some time after revision. I also have some new nervous pathway I did not have before, some kind of new or additional "G spot." I would try to describe this but frankly do not have enough anatomic expertise to begin to try. I think it was an accident, but it is not unwelcome.

Re: specialist #2

> Hi - , , , Elaina, and - Thank you all for your candid info - it's exactly what I'm looking for! (Who ever thought you'd be glad to share and hear this sort of stuff with people you've never met??) Since we're being frank, a new thought occurred to me today.....would any of you feel comfortable talking about how the fusion affected your sex life? Obviously there's less movement possible, but....I really hope I'm not overstepping....I've been struggling with whether I should reply to this one, not to mention *how* to reply. I'll leave it to the other ladies to talk gender-specific experiences, but I can remind that if you're on (or have to go back on) any pain meds, it may be rough getting in the mood. This is really obvious to all who've had the oxycodone, vicodin, etc. Also, staying in the mood may be a challenge because turning over or otherwise changing position may (sometimes?) be difficult. Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

[Guest guest]

I am beginning to wonder if I should just skip all the May correspondence I missed and return to July!

Just kidding.

So far I think my insides are fine.

The vascular surgeon who "opened for" my spinal specialist was a dapper and flashy lad with a Rolex and an ego the size of Boston, but maybe that was all for the good, eh? That is, maybe his soaring self-assessment was actually well deserved.

Sure hope so.

In a somewhat flippant mood,

E.

Re: specialist #2

,I took the story about your friend who had anterior surgery in France very seriously. I have so much internal activity around my anterior scar that I honestly wondered if my intestines were put back incorrectly!Carol from sub.Chicago Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.