#scoliosis
I have a question for the people who have gone through spinal fusion: if you workout, what are you able to do for abs? I know I can’t do anything any time soon, but I have no clue what I will be able to do when I get cleared. Thanks in advance!
My nerves around my shoulder blade have started stinging throughout the day and I’m really hoping that goes away soon
I have so much anger inside of me lately and I’m having a difficult time letting it go. I’m going to try to let it go by letting it out in text. Feel free to send advice because I am at a loss.
I feel anger because after everything, my back still hurts. I still have daily pain. I feel anger because this keeps me from working and I don’t enjoy being poor. I feel anger because I am no longer sober. I feel anger because my sister views our relationship as a competition. She always has and cannot seem to simply be happy for me or herself for that matter. I feel anger because my parents stopped parenting when I left home. They play games and try to guilt me. I feel anger because they cannot love me the way I deserve to be loved. I feel anger towards myself for not being more at peace. I don’t like feeling angry. The anger inside of me frightens me.
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It has been quite some time since I have posted anything and the xrays should explain why. On March 28th I underwent Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion for my deteriorating lower back caused from previous scoliosis surgery. I am now beginning to function normally.
I had my original scoliosis surgery (spinal instrumentation and fusion) in 1992. It was a very successful surgery. However, as you can see in the before xray it is a very long fusion (T4-L4). Over 20 + years that much fusion, hardware and immobility of my spine caused a lot of wear and tear on my lower lumbar and everything involved. I have been in chronic pain for two years.
So unable to bare it any longer one month ago I underwent surgery. They opened me from the front first and removed two discs. They then put bone graft in a little cage and put them in place of the discs. They closed me up and turned me over. They then removed a portion of my original hardware (T10 and below). There, they removed a piece of bone from my spine to relieve my flatback syndrome and placed hardware and screws to keep me stable from T10 to my hips (you can see the 6" screws in each of my hips and the new rods in the after xrays. The surgery took six hours.
I spent two days in ICU and a total of six days in the hospital. They had me up and walking the day after surgery. The first two weeks of recovery were extremely brutal and very, very painful. However, the more I got up and moved around the better it got. By the end of the second week I was walking outside 3-4 times a day for 15-20 minutes each time. Everyday was better than the day before.
I have had my first follow up appointment and everything looks good. My doctor is very pleased with my progress. I no longer have any hip or lower back pain. Which is fabulous! I only ache from the surgery and front and back incisions. I am driving short distances and even doing some socializing. It is fantastic!
There are some temporary drawbacks to all of this but considering the gain, they aren’t so bad. I won’t be able to bend at the waist, twist or lift more than five pounds for two more months, my sex life is temporarily on hold and I have to wear a bone growth stimulator 30 minutes a day for eight more months. All of this is still better than the pain I was in everyday and I think a few more weeks and I will be good as new…maybe even better!
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I haven’t told many people but late last year my son (now 15) was diagnosed with scoliosis by our family physician during his annual physical. It is mild and will hopefully stay that way but we are keeping a close eye on it. I was diagnosed at 12 when a nurse came to gym class. I don’t believe they do that anymore but they should. Early detection is very important. Check your child or request that your physician does.
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Feeling very alone and overwhelmed. The upcoming surgery, the lengthy recovery from surgery, finances and sobriety (which isn’t going so well) has me feeling exhausted. I have very supportive friends but I still feel very alone in my worries. I’m sure everything will be fine and there is really no point in stressing when I could be hit by a bus tomorrow. But I’m still stressing…and now about getting hit by a bus.
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cupcakes-butterflies-n-buddha:
Greetings my friends,
As some of you are aware I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a teen and underwent spinal instrumentation and fusion to correct it in my twenties. Twenty plus years later I am suffering the repercussions of that surgery. For the past few years I have been dealing with chronic pain caused by spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, arthritis, deteriorating facet joints as well as SI joint problems. It has become difficult for me to perform simple daily tasks and has greatly affected the quality of my 44 year old life. I am unable to sit, stand, bend, twist or walk for more than a few minutes at a time. My only relief is lying down and even that has become painful.
My upcoming surgery (anterior/posterior Lumbar fusion) is going to create a huge burden on me financially as the deductible alone is $15,000. However, this surgery should greatly reduce my pain by 70% or more and bring me back to life! Please follow the link below and if at all possible, please donate. If you are unable to donate please share this link. Your time and effort will be appreciated beyond measure.
Sincerely,
Lena Slaughter
If you cannot donate please share! Someone somewhere might be able to.
Namaste & blessings,
Lena
Greetings my friends,
As some of you are aware I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a teen and underwent spinal instrumentation and fusion to correct it in my twenties. Twenty plus years later I am suffering the repercussions of that surgery. For the past few years I have been dealing with chronic pain caused by spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, arthritis, deteriorating facet joints as well as SI joint problems. It has become difficult for me to perform simple daily tasks and has greatly affected the quality of my 44 year old life. I am unable to sit, stand, bend, twist or walk for more than a few minutes at a time. My only relief is lying down and even that has become painful.
My upcoming surgery (anterior/posterior Lumbar fusion) is going to create a huge burden on me financially as the deductible alone is $15,000. However, this surgery should greatly reduce my pain by 70% or more and bring me back to life! Please follow the link below and if at all possible, please donate. If you are unable to donate please share this link. Your time and effort will be appreciated beyond measure.
Sincerely,
Lena Slaughter
Good news! I am scheduled for surgery February 23rd. I will be having anterior/posterior Lumbar fusion. This will greatly ease the pain that I have from the previous spinal instrumentation and fusion surgery that I had for my scoliosis 20+ years ago. It will be a lengthy recovery but I am ready to get my life back!!
My art journal page for today. I am 20+ years post operative spinal instrumentation and fusion for scoliosis. The surgery was and still is a success but I have serious facet joint problems at L3, L4 and L5 which causes me chronic pain. Lumbar fusion is in my very near future. It will get better. I believe it.
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Happy June to all my gay and curvy bitches ❤️️
#highfiving myself for this #pressup #handstand from #parasaritapadotanasana , as this was one of the many things I stopped practicing when I got #pregnant. #10WeeksPostpartum and I am happy that some poses are starting to come back to me little by little. But also shocked to see my #fuckedup #scoliosis hip and spine. Carrying my baby on one shoulder all the time and #breastfeeding is probably making my spine to suffer. Well I just need more #yoga to counter this! . #OneStepAtATime #OneBreathAtATime #PracticeYogaChangeYourWorld #practiceandalliscoming (at www.blackswanyoga.tv/Reiko)
This is why I love this girl. Meet my girlfriend.
my back hurts
recently i realized i dont give a fuck anymore if i post pics of myself (on fb) where i look ‘stupid’ or I have my brace on
MY BRACE BROKE AGAIN couple of days ago and im tired of this bullshit, i dont want to wear it anymore, i cant sleep normal. i just want to throw it away
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wearing (milwaukee) brace in the summer is fucking torment
today we had school field trip and we went to church and there was already a group of pupils AND A BOY WHO SAT LIKE 5M AWAY FROM ME ALSO HAD MILWAUKEE BRACE AND HE TURNED AROUND AND I SMILED AT HIM. IM SO HAPPY IM NOT THE ONLY ONE AROUND HERE
have had my brace for half year. felt like i should announce it
Vintage Orthopedic Back Brace for S size female figure.
As stamp indicates, it is probably from 1961 and made by ZEUS company.
available at www.StraitJacketShop.com
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Scars come in many forms. At the end of our lives, I believe we are all left with some array of emotional scars. It would be a truly sheltered person who dies unscathed. Along with my emotional scars, I have physical ones to match.
When I was a young girl, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. Eventually, my doctor recommended me for surgery, realizing that non-invasive correction was not working. A few days after my 11th birthday, I had my first surgery. Small incisions were made in my right side and four titanium screws were fused to my spine. My surgery lasted for 19 hours and, shortly after, I had a complication in which a screw came loose and nearly punctured my lung.
A few months later, I was hopeful that I would never have to worry about my back again and everything seemed to be healing well. I was wrong. My spine was becoming worse and I required another surgery.
At the beginning of 2004, I was anesthetized for surgery yet again. A long incision was made down my back and titanium rods were fused to my spine. This surgery was my last. Happy to be alive, I left the hospital with a some get-well teddy-bears and a fear of doctors.
When the insecurities of teenage years set in, I hated my scars. The surgery had left me with one shoulder blade that stuck out farther than the other and very prominent lines on my back. I was always naturally skinny and in-shape, but I hated the summer for all its bikinis and backless tank-tops.
As a left my years of teenage angst, I came to see my scars with pride. I was confident and beautiful; scars were the last of my concerns.
Unfortunately, I broke down today, all because of a silly physical insecurity. A few days ago, as I was riding on the back of my boyfriend’s motorcycle, I burned my leg on a hot tail pipe. The wound was initially searingly painful but looked insignificant. I avoid doctors like the plague and decided to simply ignore my burn. As it swelled up and turned a strange purple-brown color, I decided to consult a pharmacist. She said it wasn’t a third-degree burn but I should definitely put aloe and gauze on my leg for a few days. She also mentioned that I would likely be left with a small scar.
I don’t know why hearing that affected me so strangely. It’s been years since I’ve been physically insecure. I’ve learn to love my flaws and feel comfortable in my own skin. But when I heard that I would have yet another scar, an insecure little girl inside me broke down and cried.
The media receives so much backlash for its portrayal of skinny/curvy/short/tall girls. As if these are the only flaws a body can have. I’m 5'8" and 120 pounds. Weight has never been my issue but scars have. And unlike girls with motivation and a gym membership, I can’t lose them; they will be with me forever.
I suppose the lesson I take away from this is that we don’t reach a point of confidence and never look back. I’ve always seen it as a Buddhist like state of enlightenment, a stopping point on a long journey. But it’s not that at all. Just like in relationships with people, everyone has their ups and downs. We fight with ourselves, we want to be anyone but ourselves, but at the end of the day the most important element to being happy and confident, is learning to love ourselves– and to love our scars.
