Re: surgery advice

[Guest guest]

wrote:

>Hope you won't mind me asking an off-topic question too much . . .

>I'll be having surgery in late March. Do you know anything I can do right

>now in order to perpare for speedy healing and recovery? It will be

>outpatient surgery, but requires general anesthesia.

>Thanks,

>

, off-topic is fine on the support list. We are very tolerant. Don't

worry about asking anything!

If you take any aspirin or aspirin products, you should stop a few weeks

before surgery (aspirin prevents clotting and healing of cuts - that's why

in fact they advise heart patients to take some - to prevent blood clots).

If I were you, I would start anti-oxidant supplements, that is, if you don't

already take them, such as Vits C, and E. I would also make sure I were

taking in the foods (fruits and veggies and plenty of them) containing

these, in copious amounts. If you're on a CR type diet, I would think you

would heal very quickly.

[Guest guest]

Hi Roslyn,

Good luck with everything. Sorry but I don't have any advice for

surgery for you as I'm in the situation of having to make a decision

soon myself. Just from what I have read and heard, it seems to be a

long recovery, like you can't do any kind of lifting for months. I

did read on here that the pain after surgery is quite bad, so I would

think having family around to take care of you would be the best

thing, if you can make sure the car ride is comfortable and stable.

I'm 36, and have just discovered that I have scoliosis in Feb 2004,

with a curvature of 45 degrees. The doctors advised me to have the

surgery within 6 months, but I can't have it right now. My husband is

deploying to Iraq next month for 12 months, and I have a 1yo girl. I

feel though that I need to have the surgery soon, as since being

diagnosed with it and now working full-time, I'm feeling more and

more discomfort everyday. Plus the baby is getting heavier, which

doesn't help. I'm due back for another x-ray this month.

Good luck with the surgery. Keep us posted on your progress.

Anita

> Hi everyone, after a few years of debating whether to have surgery

or not,

> my curve shot up quite a bit, when i went for my yearly check up in

May, it

> progressed to 53 degrees, a thoracolumbar curve, which was quite a

scary

> increase from 47 degrees the year before, so I made the decision to

get

> scoliosis surgery next January/February (haven't decided on an

exact day

> yet) with Dr. McCance in NYC. Obviously as the date approaches, I

will

> plan more, but I just wanted to get a sense on how much recovering

after the

> hospital stay could be done independently, was thinking of

recovering in

> Connecticut at my parents house but that would require me being in

a car for

> 2 and a half hours car right after the hospital stay the other

option would

> be recovering in my new apartment which is literally 10 city blocks

away

> from the hospital I am getting the surgery done in.

> The thing with that is I share the apartment with 2 friends, and

will not be

> asking for them for help, since that too huge burden to place on

them. How

> much assistance do you really need from other people after the

surgery? I

> would also maybe prefer being in my apartment as I plan to try to

work from

> home during the time i am recovering.

> was thinking of maybe having my sister stay with me for a week or

so right

> after to help with things. Am 26 years old, and i heard that

recovery time

> around this age won't be as strenuous, but i know this kind of

thing is a

> case by case basis...

>

> thanks, any advice is greatly appreciated

>

> -Roslyn

>

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