Has anyone had surgery for Scoliosis, if so how was it and how are you doing aft!
Question: We're pretty close. I had my fusion at age 39.
It still takes two months to be doing basic things. You'll be cleared to do more things at six months. At one year, you'll be able to do about anything you could do before the surgery. Take it easy. This is major surgery. It takes a while for the spine to fuse.
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Let me talk about the hospital stay.
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You'll have meds to help with the pain. You'll start out with stronger meds and then wean yourself from them over time. So, yes, it does hurt, but you shouldn't be left hurting.
Your hospital stay will probably be between four and seven days.
As for what happens, each case is different. Here's one possible scenerio. Its incomplete as I'm describing things pretty quickly. The amount of time spent doing things will probably differ. Maybe even the order that things are done will differ. But it will give you kind of an idea of what happens. Just take it with a grain of salt.
You'll arrive at the hospital early to check in. You'll change into your gown and get an IV hooked up. You will talk to your nurse(s) and perhaps a couple of other staff members. You'll then get put to sleep (injected through the IV that you had put in earlier). The operation then happens. You'll wake up, probably in the ICU, but possibly in your hospital room. Probably on the first or second day after surgery, you'll be shown how to sit and then stand. You'll be able to take walks up and down the hallway but you'll tire quickly. Your IV will be removed in a couple of days as will the catheter you've had in you since the surgery. You'll be allowed to go home once your stomach starts rumbling, you're eating, and going to the bathroom. When you are in the hospital, your scar will be checked by a doctor each day.
When in the hospital, you will probably have a machine that will dispense morphine (or something just as good) when you hit the button. It has circuitry to keep you from overdosing so if you hit the button too often, it won't give you anything. You will be weaned off of whatever's in the machine and given meds in pill form...maybe Percocet and/or Oxycontin.
You will have prescriptions for Oxycontin the day you're leaving the hospital. You'll need major pain relief especially during the first two weeks but your pain management needs will continue for a couple of months. you'll be taking Oxycontin during this time. You'll be weaned off of the narcotics, maybe starting after a month or two.
Even though you will be in pain, by taking these meds you won't stay in pain. They will do the job.
There's a couple of things, off-topic, that will make life easier for you.
o Make sure you has a robe in case you gets up in the middle of the night when the house is colder. The surgery may mess up your body's temperature control.
o Get a toilet seat extender so that you don't have to squat as far. These also have handles and certainly made my life a lot easier. Since your chest muscles are fine, you'll be able to use them to raise and lower yourself.
o It might be nice to get a "grabber" which will help you pick things up from the floor.
o You may or may not have a walker when you get home from the hospital (probably not, but...). I did and discovered that I had to meneuver through the bathroom door sideways because the walker was too wide. This works, but it may be a bit more difficult.
o You will be sleeping an awful lot. This is a combination of your body needing rest and the pain meds knocking you out. Expect it.
o When I was in my bed, my wife made kind of a "nest" with pillows so I wouldn't roll out. I don't normally roll but I think it made both of us feel better. You might want to do the same.
o It will be helpful to sit in a chair with arms when you're having his meals and is sitting at the dining room table. Since your chest muscles are fine, you'll be able to use them to raise and lower yourself.
Please email me if you have questions.
Answers: We're pretty close. I had my fusion at age 39.
It still takes two months to be doing basic things. You'll be cleared to do more things at six months. At one year, you'll be able to do about anything you could do before the surgery. Take it easy. This is major surgery. It takes a while for the spine to fuse.
=====
Let me talk about the hospital stay.
=====
You'll have meds to help with the pain. You'll start out with stronger meds and then wean yourself from them over time. So, yes, it does hurt, but you shouldn't be left hurting.
Your hospital stay will probably be between four and seven days.
As for what happens, each case is different. Here's one possible scenerio. Its incomplete as I'm describing things pretty quickly. The amount of time spent doing things will probably differ. Maybe even the order that things are done will differ. But it will give you kind of an idea of what happens. Just take it with a grain of salt.
You'll arrive at the hospital early to check in. You'll change into your gown and get an IV hooked up. You will talk to your nurse(s) and perhaps a couple of other staff members. You'll then get put to sleep (injected through the IV that you had put in earlier). The operation then happens. You'll wake up, probably in the ICU, but possibly in your hospital room. Probably on the first or second day after surgery, you'll be shown how to sit and then stand. You'll be able to take walks up and down the hallway but you'll tire quickly. Your IV will be removed in a couple of days as will the catheter you've had in you since the surgery. You'll be allowed to go home once your stomach starts rumbling, you're eating, and going to the bathroom. When you are in the hospital, your scar will be checked by a doctor each day.
When in the hospital, you will probably have a machine that will dispense morphine (or something just as good) when you hit the button. It has circuitry to keep you from overdosing so if you hit the button too often, it won't give you anything. You will be weaned off of whatever's in the machine and given meds in pill form...maybe Percocet and/or Oxycontin.
You will have prescriptions for Oxycontin the day you're leaving the hospital. You'll need major pain relief especially during the first two weeks but your pain management needs will continue for a couple of months. you'll be taking Oxycontin during this time. You'll be weaned off of the narcotics, maybe starting after a month or two.
Even though you will be in pain, by taking these meds you won't stay in pain. They will do the job.
There's a couple of things, off-topic, that will make life easier for you.
o Make sure you has a robe in case you gets up in the middle of the night when the house is colder. The surgery may mess up your body's temperature control.
o Get a toilet seat extender so that you don't have to squat as far. These also have handles and certainly made my life a lot easier. Since your chest muscles are fine, you'll be able to use them to raise and lower yourself.
o It might be nice to get a "grabber" which will help you pick things up from the floor.
o You may or may not have a walker when you get home from the hospital (probably not, but...). I did and discovered that I had to meneuver through the bathroom door sideways because the walker was too wide. This works, but it may be a bit more difficult.
o You will be sleeping an awful lot. This is a combination of your body needing rest and the pain meds knocking you out. Expect it.
o When I was in my bed, my wife made kind of a "nest" with pillows so I wouldn't roll out. I don't normally roll but I think it made both of us feel better. You might want to do the same.
o It will be helpful to sit in a chair with arms when you're having his meals and is sitting at the dining room table. Since your chest muscles are fine, you'll be able to use them to raise and lower yourself.
Please email me if you have questions.
Hi
I had a friend who had this when she was young, she had the surgery and then a brace to hold her back in position, she is doing great now and has had children etc and leading a normal life.
My daughter has had surgery for Scoliosis,she is only six years old.
She is now in a wheelchair and will remain there for the rest of her life.
Not trying no scare you , but that is what is going on with her.
They also has to put rods in her back ....
I had 2 surgeries and I am doing just fine. You will be in pain for a while (1-3 months), but after that I was able to swim, jog, practice all that I was doing before. Please check the doctor's history and resume before. Good luck