Re: Just shy of 6 months post-op

[Guest guest]

That's a good idea to talk to others who are not emotionally

involved in my life.

I would love to be able to change bodies with people for just a

short amount of time so that they knew how frustrating the pain was

and how frustrating it is to not be able to walk up steps or bend

over and pick up something I have dropped or not be able to get in

and out of a chair without assistance or be able to get in and out

of my car..... The list is endless. If only I could have that

power, life would be so much easier. Not that I would wish this on

anyone, but just a small taste of how we all have to cope with this

would be just wonderful.

> > > > ...

> > > > > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and

November.

> I

> > > think

> > > > > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will doubt.

> > > > ...

[Guest guest]

Another 29'er. I plan to stay at this age from this birthday

forward. ;-)

After reading all of these posts in regards to this I have decided

to not feel guilty as I continue on the road of deciding on another

surgery. If those people choose not to understand then they don't

have to come see me as I recover.

> > > > ...

> > > > > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and

November.

> I

> > > think

> > > > > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will doubt.

> > > > ...

[Guest guest]

Sharon, besides the pain in the lower back I could feel my ribs

poking my lungs on the left side. That really concerned me. Also my

sternum was no longer in the center of my chest, it had been pulled

to the right. Also, the MRI showed that one of my kidneys had

started to flatten out on top from the curves. I also had read on

another forum and in some websites that if you wait to long you

might not be able to have the surgery due to other health problems.

I was always afraid that my rib would puncture my lung (I don't know

if that's possible or not). I was 48 at the time of my first two

surgeries with a thorasic curve of 79 and a lumbar curve of 44. I

felt like I was on the borderline of having other health problems

with the lungs and heart and of course the pain. The whole year that

I was recovering I knew something wasn't right. I couldn't stay up

straight very long without help from a cane or something to lean on

or hold onto. I'm fused to the sacrum so the pressure of the forward

lean was really doing a number on my back. When I had asked the

doctor if I had flatback when I was about 3 months post, he said

technically no, because of the way that they fixed me. The actually

diagnosis for the surgery this June was thoracularlumbar kyphosis. I

would come home from work, just almost in tears and bent over about

45 degrees. Most of the time I would just crawl into bed. When PT

didn't help any is when the discussion of surgery came up. The day

couldn't have come fast enough again. This time I got a little

freaked out when I saw all the complications written down on paper.

This paper actually had my name on it and it became very personal to

me. The first two surgeries I didn't get a paper with everything

written down. People are work were reading it and asking whether or

not I was going to do it. I told them to me there was no choice. I

didn't want to continue walking the way I was. If it was something

that could me fixed than I was going to have it done. My mom passed

away 15 years ago, so I knew that she was going to be in that

operating room and make sure that things went right. I was 49 this

last surgery. I'll be 50 in a couple of weeks and plan to have many

years to come. My daughter is 27 and was married last summer, passed

her bar exam this past Christmas and is now looking for a job as a

lawyer in Colorado Springs. I have a good 5 years at least to wait

on grandkids and I hope all of this back stuff has finally settled

down. My son is 20 and a junior in college. He still has a long way

to go as well. At least I'll be healthy when I become a grandma.

Sorry this is so long, I might have rambled in places, I have

already taken my beds to go to bed and decided to check the

computer. I hope I answered your questions. Theresa

> >> ...

> >> > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and November. I

> > think

> >> > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will doubt.

> >> ...

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > scoliosis veterans * flatback sufferers * revision candidates

> >

[Guest guest]

, One of the things that I really miss and find frustrating

is when you're walking and someone walks up behind you and is

talking to you; I have to stop walking and turn around to face them

to see who it is. That one bothers me more than not being able to

turn around when you're driving. I drive the speed limit now, so I

guess that's a good thing! Theresa

> > > > > ...

> > > > > > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and

> November.

> > I

> > > > think

> > > > > > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will

doubt.

> > > > > ...

[Guest guest]

I went through the same thing when I was a kid. I would actually

get in trouble at home because I would complain of pain during those

assemblies in the gym. The teacher would call home and tell my mom

about it.

Tonight at a picnic someone told my daughter to sit with her back

straighter and out of instinct I jumped all over this person and

told them to leave her alone. Then I decided I better explain

myself and said that I was told for years and years to sit up

straight and I couldn't do it. When the time came that the doctor

decided to fix me up so that I would always sit straight not one of

those people appologized to me.

> Titch,

>

> I suspect, from what I " know " of you, that you are able to discern

> boneheads from logical, rational individuals. It's sad that there

> are those individuals who jump to irrational conclusions!

>

> When I was 9 and began to complain that it was painful to sit on

the

> floor during assemblies in school, some of the teachers suspected

> that I just wanted special treatment. Mom took me to a doctor who

> ordered x-rays of my bum and decided I just had a bruised

tailbone.

> For whatever reason, they did not notice the curve on the x-rays.

> So, they prescribed a doughnut pillow for me to carry around and

sit

> on for six weeks. When that didn't fix me, a doctor told my mother

> that he thought I just needed attention and was " acting out " to

get

> it. About nine months later after six months in a Milwaukee brace,

I

> had surgery to correct my 51 degree lumbar curve and prevent my

> vertabrae from wedging. My current PCP, God bless her, told me a

few

> months ago that I should definitely trust my instincts when it

comes

> to what is going on with my body. That's why I went to see Dr.

> Bridwell and am so grateful that there is hope. It is pretty

> miserable to consider that you may have to " just learn to live

with "

> debilitating chronic pain.

>

> kam

[Guest guest]

Theresa, you hit the nail on the head with that statement. I have

received some very strange looks from people when I do this so, so I

just tell them that I like to look people in the eye when I talk to

them. I fuss at my daughter all of the time to stay beside me so

that I can see her, if she goes behind me I have to turn around to

see her and I don't like that.

I always try to park somewhere that I don't have to backup because I

have the worst time with it. People don't like to ride with me

because sometimes I end up parking pretty far away from the door.

I drive the speed limit too because after my revision surgery and

the slow recovery I learned that life is to short to be rushing

through it. I never hurry, I never rush and I never get all excited

about being someplace right now. Yep, plenty of drivers get angry

with me because I am taking my time, enjoying the drive, singing to

the music and I'm not all stressed out. To bad they can't

understand what a good feeling it is.

> > > > > > ...

> > > > > > > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and

> > November.

> > > I

> > > > > think

> > > > > > > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will

> doubt.

> > > > > > ...

[Guest guest]

, I don't blame you for needing to vent! Trying to get attention;

that's a new one! That's a good one to whip out a copy of your x-rays for.

As for a humorous reply, I would say that I'm not quitting until I have a

body like Crawford's (or pick your favorite supermodel or movie star).

Sharon

[ ] Re: Just shy of 6 months post-op

>I don't like the comments I have been hearing from people I know

> lately. My mom told me that I couldn't have another surgery because

> it would be to much on me and would probably kill me. A friend told

> me I was crazy to consider another surgery because I already had had

> so many. And yet another 'friend' told me I was just having these

> surgeries for the attention. I really can't imagine someone going

> through something like that just for the attention. It's to bad

> that people can't understand that when we loose our quality of life

> due to the pain that we need to do whatever it takes to get back

> what we can. I turned 29 on my last birthday, have had five

> surgeries and I know there are more coming. If I can't get this

> pain under control the only other option is praying for an early

> death to release myself from this.

>

> A good friend did tell me that he can tell that I am in a lot of

> pain again because I am more crabby towards others. That was very

> sad for me to hear, I love being around people and pull my positive

> energy from those that I am around. To think that I am being crabby

> or short with them troubles me.

>

> Sorry for the venting there. Theresa's statement of others telling

> her that they can't believe that she had the nerve to go through

> another surgery just brought back all of the recent comments I

> heard. I am sure I will hear more as I move on to the next step of

> my 'full body makeover'. I need to come up with something witty to

> tell them when they make their comments. Any ideas would be very

> appreciated, I like to make people laugh.

>

>

>

>

>> > ...

>> > > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and November. I

>> think

>> > > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will doubt.

>> > ...

>

>

>

>

>

>

> scoliosis veterans * flatback sufferers * revision candidates

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Theresa. That does answer my question.

[ ] Re: Just shy of 6 months post-op

> Sharon, besides the pain in the lower back I could feel my ribs

> poking my lungs on the left side. That really concerned me. Also my

> sternum was no longer in the center of my chest, it had been pulled

> to the right. Also, the MRI showed that one of my kidneys had

> started to flatten out on top from the curves. I also had read on

> another forum and in some websites that if you wait to long you

> might not be able to have the surgery due to other health problems.

> I was always afraid that my rib would puncture my lung (I don't know

> if that's possible or not). I was 48 at the time of my first two

> surgeries with a thorasic curve of 79 and a lumbar curve of 44. I

> felt like I was on the borderline of having other health problems

> with the lungs and heart and of course the pain. The whole year that

> I was recovering I knew something wasn't right. I couldn't stay up

> straight very long without help from a cane or something to lean on

> or hold onto. I'm fused to the sacrum so the pressure of the forward

> lean was really doing a number on my back. When I had asked the

> doctor if I had flatback when I was about 3 months post, he said

> technically no, because of the way that they fixed me. The actually

> diagnosis for the surgery this June was thoracularlumbar kyphosis. I

> would come home from work, just almost in tears and bent over about

> 45 degrees. Most of the time I would just crawl into bed. When PT

> didn't help any is when the discussion of surgery came up. The day

> couldn't have come fast enough again. This time I got a little

> freaked out when I saw all the complications written down on paper.

> This paper actually had my name on it and it became very personal to

> me. The first two surgeries I didn't get a paper with everything

> written down. People are work were reading it and asking whether or

> not I was going to do it. I told them to me there was no choice. I

> didn't want to continue walking the way I was. If it was something

> that could me fixed than I was going to have it done. My mom passed

> away 15 years ago, so I knew that she was going to be in that

> operating room and make sure that things went right. I was 49 this

> last surgery. I'll be 50 in a couple of weeks and plan to have many

> years to come. My daughter is 27 and was married last summer, passed

> her bar exam this past Christmas and is now looking for a job as a

> lawyer in Colorado Springs. I have a good 5 years at least to wait

> on grandkids and I hope all of this back stuff has finally settled

> down. My son is 20 and a junior in college. He still has a long way

> to go as well. At least I'll be healthy when I become a grandma.

> Sorry this is so long, I might have rambled in places, I have

> already taken my beds to go to bed and decided to check the

> computer. I hope I answered your questions. Theresa

>

>

>

>

>> >> ...

>> >> > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and November. I

>> > think

>> >> > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will doubt.

>> >> ...

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> > scoliosis veterans * flatback sufferers * revision candidates

>> >

[Guest guest]

I tried the x-ray thing once and a bunch of the people that were

around acted like they were going to be sick if they had to look at

it and told me how unthoughtful I was to even think of showing

something like that. I had to laugh, I thought that everyone knew

what an x-ray looks like and that it is very non-threatning, but I

guess some people are just more 'tender' than others. ;-)

Oh yeah, trying to make my body like a supermodel's, that is a great

idea. I like it.

> >> > ...

> >> > > You will have 100 changes of heart between now and

November. I

> >> think

> >> > > that is normal. The closer it gets the more you will doubt.

> >> > ...

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > scoliosis veterans * flatback sufferers * revision candidates

> >