@wascaly Hi Karen,
Thank you for your message. You're not a stranger here because Connect is meant to be the place to find compassion and support. December will be here sooner than you think! When I applied to Mayo to see Dr. Fogelson, I was told it was likely a 3 month wait, and I said OK. I had just wasted 5 months seeing a local spine surgeon doing everything he asked only to be told he would not help me. Then, because of a cancellation, I was offered an appointment 6 weeks later for Dr. Fogelson. Just in case that happens for you, think about your travel plans and what you would need to do. I was also dealing with a lot of fear because this was the first major surgery for me which is why I asked Dr. Fogelson if I could make sketches of him. I told him I had to like him in order to do this surgery and that was a way I could accomplish that. He'll never forget me with that portrait hanging in his home. He absolutely loved getting that and was like a kid at Christmas. This post has pictures from the first day he saw the portrait at my 1 year follow up. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/221703/ There are also other posts I made on this first page of the Art for Healing Discussion. I painted it as a challenge to myself because I had to prove to myself that I could paint again and it meant a lot to me to be able to paint him as the first painting I did after my surgery after he made it possible. It was very healing for me emotionally to be able to do that. I made a print of it for myself and a couple of them that I framed for him. The funny thing is when I delivered the portrait, he had grown a beard and was able to walk right up to me and I didn't recognize him until he started talking. It was kind of funny. I just thought it was another doctor walking past me. Then we went out to an area with the nice stained glass to take the pictures for the article. He knows I'm on here talking about him and my experience at Mayo and is very appreciative of that, and he also helped me when I broke my ankle by giving me a good orthopedic surgeon at Mayo. It turns out they are fishing buddies as well as colleagues.

I do hope he can help you although that likely would mean another surgery. That is a question they will ask when you talk to a nurse is if you want surgery. I know scoliosis can really throw off your balance and you're locked into a position. That must be hard to live with. I imagine you may have had several revisions since your first surgery. How long has it been since your last spine surgery? Do you think there could be a hardware issue causing pain? I'm glad it helps to talk. That's why I'm here.

Jennifer