Re: Interesting Article--Syringomyelia

[Guest guest]

That’s a load of bunk. I did a search on tethered spinal cord and found 465 citations on PubMed. I’m guessing that at least a small percentage of them were written by surgeons who perform such surgeries. I once read an article that stated that Dr. Shelokov was one of only a handful of doctors performing scoliosis surgery on really large curves. <rolls eyes>

On 12/21/06 8:10 PM, " Carol " <dcvaughan@...> wrote:

This Dr. Woodward said there are only about 8 doctors in

the whole country that can operate on this condition.

[Guest guest]

Carol, I learned an interesting distinction when I visited Dr. Rand on the 7th. I did have a split spinal cord (diastematomyelia), and if Dr. Rand had done my revision surgery without Dr. Woodard (or other skilled spinal neurosurgeon) removing the bit of bone that was stuck through it and uniting the 2 halves of my cord, he would probably have created a tethering situation, because of that bit of bone catching on the spinal cord, which would have stretched my spinal cord and probably caused some neurological defecit.

Miraculously, this operation was possible, and not only did Dr. Woodard unite the 2 halves of my cord, he also cut open the little dural sheaths that surrounded each half and united them into a single dura. It took a couple of subsequent operations (done during the revision surgeries), however, to patch up a couple of leaks in the dura, so that I no longer have cerebral spinal fluid leaks, which caused headache and nausea whenever I was upright.

I'm still only 12 weeks along, but it is amazing to me how much better I'm doing now.

Sharon

[ ] Interesting Article--Syringomyelia

An article caught my eye in the local paper here today. It was on the front page and it's about a 9 yr. old girl named Ashlee that was (finally) found to have Syringomyelia (cyst in her spinal canal). Poor girl was only recently diagnosed after suffering from back and stomach pain most of her life!! She was diagnosed after her legs began giving out under her. A local doctor got on the internet to diagnose her!! It's a good thing that doctor took the time to do that, because most of the other doctors just told her it was growing pains, and dismissed it. I remembered that a few on this site have SM or a tethered cord, which Ashlee also found out she has, too. (luckily she doesn't have scoliosis) She was airlifted to Stanford, and I guess they've found a local doctor at Children's Hospital Central Cal that can operate to de-tether the cord....a Dr. Meredith Woodward. This Dr. Woodward said there are only about 8 doctors in the whole country that can operate on this condition. They can't cure the SM, but the de-tethering should help. They were saying that the recovery for that surgery is only about 8 days. That seems awful quick to me. But, she's also 9 yrs, old, too! I couldn't help but think of Sharon and ie when I read this article. Carol V.

[Guest guest]

Sharon, I am sooooo glad to hear that you are already feeling much

better. It seems to me that you have been pretty active ever since

you got released from the hospital the last time, and it is good to

know that it just keeps getting better.

I am glad you had such a team of talented doctors.

>

> Carol, I learned an interesting distinction when I visited Dr.

Rand on the 7th. I did have a split spinal cord (diastematomyelia),

and if Dr. Rand had done my revision surgery without Dr.

Woodard (or other skilled spinal neurosurgeon) removing the bit of

bone that was stuck through it and uniting the 2 halves of my cord,

he would probably have created a tethering situation, because of

that bit of bone catching on the spinal cord, which would have

stretched my spinal cord and probably caused some neurological

defecit.

>

> Miraculously, this operation was possible, and not only did Dr.

Woodard unite the 2 halves of my cord, he also cut open the little

dural sheaths that surrounded each half and united them into a

single dura. It took a couple of subsequent operations (done during

the revision surgeries), however, to patch up a couple of leaks in

the dura, so that I no longer have cerebral spinal fluid leaks,

which caused headache and nausea whenever I was upright.

>

> I'm still only 12 weeks along, but it is amazing to me how much

better I'm doing now.

>

> Sharon

>

> [ ] Interesting Article--Syringomyelia

>

>

> An article caught my eye in the local paper here today. It was

on the

> front page and it's about a 9 yr. old girl named Ashlee that was

> (finally) found to have Syringomyelia (cyst in her spinal

canal).

> Poor girl was only recently diagnosed after suffering from back

and

> stomach pain most of her life!! She was diagnosed after her legs

> began giving out under her. A local doctor got on the internet

to

> diagnose her!! It's a good thing that doctor took the time to do

> that, because most of the other doctors just told her it was

growing

> pains, and dismissed it. I remembered that a few on this site

have SM

> or a tethered cord, which Ashlee also found out she has, too.

> (luckily she doesn't have scoliosis) She was airlifted to

Stanford,

> and I guess they've found a local doctor at Children's Hospital

> Central Cal that can operate to de-tether the cord....a Dr.

Meredith

> Woodward. This Dr. Woodward said there are only about 8 doctors

in

> the whole country that can operate on this condition. They can't

> cure the SM, but the de-tethering should help. They were saying

that

> the recovery for that surgery is only about 8 days. That seems

awful

> quick to me. But, she's also 9 yrs, old, too! I couldn't help

but

> think of Sharon and ie when I read this article.

>

> Carol V.

>