Hi
I had a spinal fusion in 2006. I was fused from T2 through L4. I had suffered many years from pain due to scoliosis as well as the other many common spinal ailments, spondlyothedisis, degenerative disc disease , etc. My plan was never to do surgery, choosing instead to do epidurals at different times. A car accident changed everything,making my very complicated spine completely unstable, hence the surgery. The first surgery in 2006, took 12 hours and did not fuse. The entire thing had to be done again in 2007, this time the fusion took hold. Many years have passed and I am so disappointed, left with chronic pain and what looks like a dowagers hump as my surgeon said my problem went so high she had to slightly bend the rod at the top otherwise I might have tipped forward or backward. I hate looking at myself when walking by a store front, I look l8ke a turtle. Is there anything that can be done just at the top, where this hump is? I just hate it but am petrified to have all the hardware removed. My surgeon told me to remove the hardware would be another two days of surgery at about 12 hours each time, with no guarantee’s. Is it possible to just corrrect the top where that ugly hump is? Does it mean they would have to break my bone where the hump has grown over the rod? I am guessing this is probably the only way and that frightens me to death. I am also on Warfarin as I had aortic valve replacement in 2001 and have a mechanical valve. Due to valve I have to be on this blood thinner forever, which when having surgery has much more additional risks, either losing too much blood or cutting back on the blood thinner too much and risk having a blood clot. Why can’t something be easier for me? Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated.

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