Re: Post to Feisty Flatbackers' group. [Note: This is not medical advice.] Re: need info on revision surgery

[Guest guest]

Hi in Texas. I'm not exactly sure about where my fusion starts & ends. I'm pretty sure the bottom 3 vertebrae are not fused on me. I just peaked in on my films sitting here in my kitchen but I can't tell. I'm sure I was told at some point but I guess it never really mattered to me. Like you I have been overwhelmed with information since I found this site just a few weeks ago. I'm so glad I did. There are lots of things to consider. I have no problems with my upper back neck or shoulders. The ortho Dr. I saw here in my little quiet corner of CT took one look at my films about 9 months ago & said "Oh yes, you have problems." He said I had flatback syndrome resulting from my scoliosis surgery. I had never heard of such a thing. Also my bottom 3 discs were bulging from taking all the wear & tear. I'm 107 lbs. & 5ft 4" tall, but probably the extra 30 lbs. with each pregnancy & then having a child constantly hanging on my hip accelerated a problem that would have come up eventually. Any way I didn't really care for him especially because he scared the heck out of me with a mylogram he wanted me to have. He said I would have moderate to severe headaches after the test & may have to go back to the hospital for shot to relieve the headaches! I left his office crying. I drove home & looked through my files for a letter I had received from Dr. Kiem several yrs. before saying he was retiring & referring his patients to a Dr. co. I found the letter! I saw Dr, E 2 weeks later & he said the same thing about flatback & bulging discs & he thought I was young & healthy & should think about having the surgery to correct it. I really liked him. No mylogram needed! Thank goodness. I just had an MRI & series of xray done a couple of weeks ago & I'm hoping I can just mail them to him Instead of doing the 7 hr. round trip. I'm not quite ready to jump into surgery. I've found so much info on the web I now have tons of ?'s to ask & everything I read says to be sure your surgeon does 50 to 100 revision surgeries a year. My youngest is 8.. He was born in Nov.94 & I didn't go to see my old surgeon Dr. Keim again until 95 or 96. Sorry if I got my dates mixed up. Thanks for writing & good luck to you too! Holly in CT

Post to Feisty Flatbackers' group. [Note: This is not medical advice.] Re: need info on revision surgery

Hello Holly,What levels are you fused? I had a 48 degree curve and 30 degree curve fused T4 - L2 and T5 - T10 in 1985. Who did your first surgery?"No problems until the birth of ny third child late in 96*ME too, except I had dealt with fatique pain, but not chronic. We must both have 6 year olds!The past year It's > gotten much worse, at times unbearable so I decided to find another > Dr. since my old one has since retired. *ME too!We are alike in that our symptoms are not as crippling as many people on this site. Except for my neck and shoulders leaning forward, my main deal is chronic pain. Many of my friends are clueless that anything is wrong with me. I do not have classic flatback syndrome, they tell me I am not fused far enough down (L2). I do have significant flatening of the thorasic spine and my upper back is where all my pain comes from. Sometimes my hips and lower back ache, but not to the degree of my upper back. Right now two revision specialists have offered to remove my rod or rods giving me a 50/50 chance of pain relief. Since every doctor I have seen in the last 14 years (until now) had discredited the pain being related to my fusion, I am really in over my head with all the information I have learned through this site and others (fell into all this last Nov. and so grateful for this site!!). I am now back into believing I have a life-long disease and must think long-term with whatever course I choose. Be sure and take time to research and find the right solution for you! Unfortunately, you will probably get many opinions, but in the end it will hopefully help with the right choice. Please give me more details of your flatback diagnosis, and what are they proposing for revision surgery.You are not alone!Rodsapain in Texas - Adult scoliosis support; focus on fixed sagittal imbalance. WE DO NOT ENDORSE ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED HERE AND HAVE NO CONTROL OVER ADS.