Has anyone had scoliosis surgery?

Posted by me75 @me75, Sep 4, 2023

Has anyone had scoliosis surgery? I'm having one this month. It will be from the lumbar to the thoracic spine, I know I will be in the hospital for seven days and ICU for two days and need a blood transfusion. I need to know more about what to expect in the hospital and after surgery and what the therapy will be like. I appreciate your information.

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Profile picture for cynthi13 @cynthi13

Has anyone had surgery to repair their scoliosis? I am 73, with a 48 degree curvature and have all kinds of issues that are resulting in severe sciatica. The crippling kind that affects my ability to walk. My pain doctor and neurosurgeon have said this is my only option, other than the Spinal Cord Stimulator, which would be a temporary fix, ifit is successful. I used to workout 4-5 times a week and bowl in 2 leagues. Now, I can not do any of these. If you have had this surgery, were you able to return to your activities that you loved? Thanks for your response.

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I had surgery for scoliosis 5/1/24, since it was a surgery that combined relieving cord compression and myelopathy, I don't really know the specific effects of that correction. I do feel that I'm glad I did it. Even though healing is a work in progress, I think it's better to do it sooner rather than later. Especially before winter sets in. I wish you the best.

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Profile picture for cynthi13 @cynthi13

Has anyone had surgery to repair their scoliosis? I am 73, with a 48 degree curvature and have all kinds of issues that are resulting in severe sciatica. The crippling kind that affects my ability to walk. My pain doctor and neurosurgeon have said this is my only option, other than the Spinal Cord Stimulator, which would be a temporary fix, ifit is successful. I used to workout 4-5 times a week and bowl in 2 leagues. Now, I can not do any of these. If you have had this surgery, were you able to return to your activities that you loved? Thanks for your response.

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Thanks so much for your reply! Are you able to resume all your normal activities? Are you pain free now? As you can probably tell, I am terrified of having the surgery, but can’t live like this either. I am experiencing acute sciatica due to the curvature, which is compressing nerves. I need assistance with a cane to walk. This is so difficult because I have always been an active person. You have given me hope that the surgery is worth it. Wishing you good luck with your recovery!❤️‍🩹

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Profile picture for cynthi13 @cynthi13

Has anyone had surgery to repair their scoliosis? I am 73, with a 48 degree curvature and have all kinds of issues that are resulting in severe sciatica. The crippling kind that affects my ability to walk. My pain doctor and neurosurgeon have said this is my only option, other than the Spinal Cord Stimulator, which would be a temporary fix, ifit is successful. I used to workout 4-5 times a week and bowl in 2 leagues. Now, I can not do any of these. If you have had this surgery, were you able to return to your activities that you loved? Thanks for your response.

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YES! As we age the muscles can't hold the scoliosis spine erect. Surgery to straighten helps relieve your body over going into spasm and radiating pain and nerve compression/impingement.
1) find the best surgeon you can (I kissed some really bad frogs before landing on my prince ortho surgeon at UCSD over 20 years!
The surgeries continue to get better and better.
My last cervical surgery last summer went from one to two! Unfortunate. However, I understand my body is in better shape even though it is a B___ch to recover from the more massive second cervical surgery. They didn't know until they went in what the problems were going to be on the first one. My bones fell apart in their hands so the screws wouldn't hold.
If I didn't have all my myriad of surgeries I would be helpless at 67.
You can also try MFR (there is a section here). I am doing that NOW after all the surgeries. Honestly, it wouldn't have changed the spasms because the spine needed straightening. But now I can work on everything and heal.
It takes a while, no lie.
Botox can help stop the spasm pain from muscles continually pulling.
The only time I didn't have pain is when I did pilates for 9 months. But I couldn't keep it going.

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Profile picture for cynthi13 @cynthi13

Has anyone had surgery to repair their scoliosis? I am 73, with a 48 degree curvature and have all kinds of issues that are resulting in severe sciatica. The crippling kind that affects my ability to walk. My pain doctor and neurosurgeon have said this is my only option, other than the Spinal Cord Stimulator, which would be a temporary fix, ifit is successful. I used to workout 4-5 times a week and bowl in 2 leagues. Now, I can not do any of these. If you have had this surgery, were you able to return to your activities that you loved? Thanks for your response.

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Thanks for your response! That is very encouraging to hear. I also have osteoporosis, which makes this surgery a little more risky. I have been getting treatment for that the past 10 years, which has stabilized. I now am osteopenic. I am more than likely going to have the surgery.

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Profile picture for sassytwo @sassytwo

Hi 👋
I am looking at a similar surgery fusion from T12-S1 and am an active 67 years old and the sciatica pain from stenosis etc keeps me from
standing or walking. I am going to try an ablation to see if I can buy more time. I will post next month after the procedure.

However, my scoliosis is not as significant as yours. I believe 50% is the threshold where you can start to affect organs and breathing etc. I would definitely check that out.

I have spoken to 2 other females (similar ages ) who had the surgery that have returned to an active lifestyle .. adapted for new mobility restrictions. they both said the 1st year was difficult and to keep the faith and not give up.

I have consulted with 5 surgeons and have a pain doc. Feel free to write me for further discussion.
Good luck
Tamra

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Thanks for your response! It truly is a big decision, except when the pain from scoliosis has taken control of your life. I am definitely leaning toward the surgery. Good luck to you.

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Profile picture for cynthi13 @cynthi13

Thanks so much for your reply! Are you able to resume all your normal activities? Are you pain free now? As you can probably tell, I am terrified of having the surgery, but can’t live like this either. I am experiencing acute sciatica due to the curvature, which is compressing nerves. I need assistance with a cane to walk. This is so difficult because I have always been an active person. You have given me hope that the surgery is worth it. Wishing you good luck with your recovery!❤️‍🩹

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No, I'm not pain free. Some days are better than others. I'm in physical therapy and seeking to build up to more activity. I went in knowing it's a process (lengthy). I'm trying to get ready for a family wedding next year. I've been there with having to get surgery, because what I was living with was too much. It was the lesser of 2 evils. As far as the cane, I have several. Better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them. Give yourself grace.

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Profile picture for cynthi13 @cynthi13

Thanks for your response! It truly is a big decision, except when the pain from scoliosis has taken control of your life. I am definitely leaning toward the surgery. Good luck to you.

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Yes, I am adapting my lifestyle to work around pain vs working around limitations and surgery. Not sure when the scale will tip towards surgery, but I think within this year. Dealing with pain is affecting every decision I make. Sounds like for you too. Let me know when you schedule.
Tamra

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Profile picture for geekygirl9 @geekygirl9

Hi @me75 , welcome to Connect. How are you doing? I know prepping for this procedure can be overwhelming, but the feeling of standing tall afterward was so worth it for me, and I hope you'll be as excited as I was! My scoliosis surgery was from T3-L1, and the hospital stay was basically a cycle of napping and walking (can't emphasize enough how much walking helped). Some patients use a walker at first. I tried it, but it felt kind of awkward. If you do use one, just remember not to bend over like you might be used to seeing people do when using one.
Pain was moderate for the first couple days and usually mild after that. I recommend setting a pain goal, the threshold level where you want to be taking something for it, so you've got a plan for keeping it nice and stable and won't have a cycle of highs and lows; my nurse had me do that on day 1. Meds made me sleepy, but they were effective. The physical therapy sessions were short and basically involved a little walking, learning to stand up and sit down, and after a few days, stair climbing. (Your upper leg muscles get a workout with everything after this surgery.)
Best wishes for a successful procedure. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be praying for you.
Hugs,
geekygirl9

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Hi there!
Thank you for your post. I have scoliosis and osteoporosis. It was suggested to me to consider surgery which was a shock. I'm 75 yrs old, pretty high functioning and I don't have a lot of pain. I'm wondering what was it about your condition that warranted the surgery, if you don't mind sharing. Thank you!

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Profile picture for mariahcb @mariahcb

Hi there!
Thank you for your post. I have scoliosis and osteoporosis. It was suggested to me to consider surgery which was a shock. I'm 75 yrs old, pretty high functioning and I don't have a lot of pain. I'm wondering what was it about your condition that warranted the surgery, if you don't mind sharing. Thank you!

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Hi @mariahcb! So sorry for not responding sooner. The reason I had my fusion was because my curve was progressing very quickly and had just reached 50 degrees, the threshold where surgery is often considered because the spine is unstable and likely to keep getting worse. I was pain-free, but my doctor figured that since I was just 17 and my curve was continuing to progress at 5 degrees a year even though my teenage growth spurt had long since ended, I would eventually have to have surgery anyway and the procedure might not be quite as successful (i.e., they might not have been able to straighten it as much or I might have chronic pain because I waited too long). What I didn't realize was that it seems like scoliosis was also impacting my digestion, by squeezing my organs into a smaller space. That happens with some patients. I was completely backed up and miserable all the time, and then after surgery the situation improved dramatically. So it was definitely the right choice for me. What I'm trying to point out is that in some cases, scoliosis can cause symptoms other than pain. With that said, if I were you, I think I would weigh this really carefully and not take a step like this without a very good reason because the recovery is long and very difficult at any age, and I've read that osteoporosis can cause serious problems like a failed bone graft fusion or loose hardware if it's not managed well enough. Do you know why your doctor is recommending that you think about surgery, if you don't mind my asking? Also feel free to private message me if you want. Hope this helps!

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Profile picture for me75 @me75

I've had the scoliosis surgery 9\28 now on the road to recovery it has been rough but worth it to me.I was so humped over from broken vertebra in thoracic spine and L345 and s1 surgery .and so then had the scoliosis surgery because of so much pain and balance beening off . I have had a full scoliosis surgery from bottom of neck to tailbone it took 14 hours to do and 4 pints of blood and 5 days in hospital two of them in ICU then went to Tirr Rehabilitation for 10 days and now Home Health Care 3days a week for 3 months ,Medicare has paid for it all .It is had to get use to my body being different and had to learn new ways to doing things but I have a wonderful husband that helps me so much. I go back to doctor next week I'll post you to let you know what he says I hope I have helped you in some way to know what to do , I prayed a lot about it and I know God got me through it all and still is getting me through it all I know Jesus is the #1 Physician and was in surgery with me and sill helping now . Many blessings to you. Let me know what you decide.

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Good Morning me75,

May I ask how you are feeling post-surgery?
I can only imagine how frightened you were when you heard about the curvature, the surgery details, and the outcome.
May I ask your age, please?
I am almost 70, very fit and active, playing tennis, pickle, bike-riding, gym, walking and at times hiking in Arizona. The scoliosis has progressed 6 degrees from April 2024-October 2024. After reading your post, what an ordeal you went through. I see the above post was almost 1.5 years ago. How are you today?

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