FW: thanks for all the Flatback help!!

January 11, 2007

Hello , Deb.M., , and Cam,

Thank you all for the wealth of helpful information and your kind support.

I'll try to answer some of the questions you all have asked me.

I only discovered a curve in 1992, when in a yoga class the teacher

mentioned that she noticed I had a curve in my spine. I had an xray which

showed a 20 degree curve. This had progressed to 60 degrees in 2004.

No one in my family has had scoliosis and I seem to be the one who is

afflicted with many joint and bone problems. I have arthritis, especially in

my hands which I did inherit from my Grandmother and Mother.

In 2001 I had both hips replaced and have had excellent results from

that. Now I wonder if this was a factor in causing the forward tilt ?

So I went into surgery already with a tilt. I want to emphasize that the

tilt is less, but walking is really tiring and standing for any length of

time gives me a lot of low back and leg pain.

I sing in a chorus and will have to use a stool for the performances.

(Actually lucky, yes?)

At my last appt. with the surgeon, I told him that I still could not

stand up straight. His notes from the appt. say, " X-rays demonstrate

decrease in lumbar lordosis. " " I feel the patient does have a positive

forward balance. " But I knew all that about 3 weeks after the surgery when I

was still tilted forward.

Cam, you asked what the goal was for this surgeon, and he never

mentioned or was concerned about any forces on any of my internal organs.

So my question still is whether the surgeon could have done a better job

at regaining my sagittal balance in the first place.

Another question is what if I do nothing, and make the best of this

with exercise and swimming. I imagine this posture will cause problems with

my knees and neck and maybe other parts of me!

What other questions do I ask when I see the other doctors? You

mentioned that there is a list of questions on the website.

I will make an appt. with Stanley Lee at UM and Frances Farley at UM

who was recommended by the Scoliosis Assoc.

Regards,

Phyllis Ponvert

By the way, Deb mentioned Geiger as a possible second opinion.

A friend of mine had an bad surgery experience with him and had to sue him.

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