Good Morning,

I am turning 67 tomorrow and will be having spinal surgery and Bilateral S.I. Joint fusion on May 13th and May 14th.

I was first diagnosed with slight Scoliosis when I was 9, and began physical therapy. In addition to PT, from approx.13 to 16 years old, I wore a Milwaukee Back Brace for 3 years. The Orthopedic doctor released me from his care and I thought everything would be fine for the rest of my life.

At the age of 19, my older sister was working in a physical therapy office at a local hospital and observed many Scoliosis patients that were in severe pain. Although I had no pain and was loving life, at the suggestion of the head of the PT department, I saw Dr. John King, the top Scoliosis surgeon in So. California at that time.

In looking back at my prior x-rays, Dr. King observed that my Scoliosis continued to worsen over the years without being detected by the prior Orthopedic doctor.
At the age of 19, my thoracic curve was 74 and my lumbar curve was 46. Dr. King, stated that if I did not have a spinal fusion, by the time I was 24, I would be confined to a wheelchair due to pulmonary and cardiac problems resulting from the anticipated progression of my Scoliosis.
I decided, along with my family, to proceed with the surgery.

At such a young age, they were able to place me in traction to straighten out my back as much as possible, before surgery. (12 days) The upper curve was reduced to 47 and I don't recall the number for the lower curve. I was fused from T2 to L2, and a Harrington Rod was implanted. The fusion was a success and still is. I have not had any problems in that section of my spine.

Unfortunately, as the years passed the vertebrae below the fusion have taken a lot of wear and tear I have a multitude of issues under the heading "Adult Spinal Degenerative Disease". (Bulging Disc, Stenosis, DDD, arthrosis, spondylolisthesis, lateral listhesis, many perineural cysts, Bertolotti's, etc.)
Up until 2022, I was able to manage my back pain with physical therapy exercises. What use to help, doesn't help now. In addition to back pain, I also began to have sporadic nerve pain, which is now constant.

I am having my surgeries at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. On day one, Dr. Cross will be doing a Bi-lateral Sacroilliac Fusion, and, on Day two, Dr. Fogelson will be doing a Lumbosacral Spinal Fusion.

Post Surgery, once I am able to, I'll try to let everyone know how I am progressing.

My word of advice to you "paltavilla1," is to seek out the best Scoliosis specialists in your area and get a second opinion. Always ask how many cases like yours the doctor has treated? What is their success rate? What is the risk of paralysis? Other Risks and their rate of occurrence? What should you expect? What are your options? What does success look like for you? (Teaching universities are a good place to start. The Scoliosis Research Society has a listing of doctors that concentrate at least 20% of their practice on patients with spinal deformities.) Although I live in California, given the complexity of my case, I chose to go to Mayo Clinic and to two doctors that have seen many patients like me.

My T2 to L2 surgery did not restrict me from the things that I love to do--hike, bike, and swim. In contrast, after my next surgery, as I do not want to risk the consequence of falling, I will not be biking and hiking. Fortunately, I live near the beach, and will be able to do plenty of beach walks.

Best Wishes to you and all of whom are experiencing Orthopedic challenges.
Nadine