Re: scoliosis/kidney size-connection???

[Guest guest]

from Suzy

> If you had surgery in the 1960s, did they fix your curve at all or just

> fuse it in the state it was in?

Yes, Suzy, in 1960 my ortho fused my spine where it was from my hip bone

site. There was no straightening, stopping the progression was the only

goal. That was before instrumentation-at least before it was practiced in

Central Calif. Not much later the Harington Rod was used extensively.

My curve is now around 85% thoracic, but with my lower S progression over the

years the lumber curve has affected the upper by throwing it off center even

more. My hump is on the normal adolescent idiopathic scoliosis side-the

right. My smaller kidney is also on that side. That seems to be the

opposite side of yours. My right side is where most of my hip/pelvic pain

originates-bone spurs under my orginal fusion is what the ortho says.

Without the renal ultrasound, it would not have been detected that one kidney

was smaller. There were no symptoms or blood markers.

Jolene, 55, severe S curve AIS, lung restriction, fibromyaliga, high blood

pressure, apnea, but unique!

[Guest guest]

I had a different experience with my first fusion in 1961. No, the

surgery itself did not incorporate any straightening (e.g., by

distraction with the Hszrrington rod, which I did not experience

until my second fusion in 1986). This was the purpose of

interventions such as the Risser Table, wich allowed technicians

to " push you straight " -- or push you straighter, anyway -- before

encasing much of your body in plaster. If I'm not mistaken, the

Risser procedure entailed pulling down on your hips and up on your

chin, and, once you were stretched out as far as possible, pushing

in on the side of your torso in a direction opposite to that of your

major curve. Like many others with progressive idiopathic scoliosis,

I was in a Risser jacket for several months pre-op, when I was 13,

and was later in various other types of plaster jackets after the

chin traction of the Risser began to push my teeth out of alignment.

All of the casts involved some sort of device for straightening

scoliotic curvatures. All of the casts I was in (pre-op and again

for one year post op) extended to my hips, except for the one I wore

while confined to bed for the six months after my first fusion. That

one extended to my right hip and my left knee.

Those were the good old days, all right. Once when I was still on my

back in bed (a hospital bed my parents had arranged to have in our

house), some girls from school came over to visit and brought some of

their favorite " LP's " and " 45 R.P.M.'s " to play on the old

phonograph. Alas, someone left one of these beloved

plastic " platters " on my bed. I accidentally rolled over on it and

broke it into innumerable pieces with the force of my plaster cast

and my body weight. Someone managed to piece together enough of it

so that we could read the title of the record -- " Breaking Up Is Hard

to Do. " We all got a good laugh out of that one.

I know this may sound very dorky and exotic to some people today. So

for anyone who requires a little historical detail, let me just add

that, contrary to some folks' perceptions, the world was actually

available in color back then, not just black and white. Television,

it's true, was often black and white only -- life, however, usually

was not . . . .

Eliana

> from Suzy

> > If you had surgery in the 1960s, did they fix your curve at all

or just

> > fuse it in the state it was in?

>

> Yes, Suzy, in 1960 my ortho fused my spine where it was from my hip

bone

> site. There was no straightening, stopping the progression was the

only

> goal. That was before instrumentation-at least before it was

practiced in

> Central Calif. Not much later the Harington Rod was used

extensively.

> My curve is now around 85% thoracic, but with my lower S

progression over the

> years the lumber curve has affected the upper by throwing it off

center even

> more. My hump is on the normal adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

side-the

> right. My smaller kidney is also on that side. That seems to be

the

> opposite side of yours. My right side is where most of my

hip/pelvic pain

> originates-bone spurs under my orginal fusion is what the ortho

says.

> Without the renal ultrasound, it would not have been detected that

one kidney

> was smaller. There were no symptoms or blood markers.

> Jolene, 55, severe S curve AIS, lung restriction, fibromyaliga,

high blood

> pressure, apnea, but unique!

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Eliana,

When I read your response about the risser era, brought back memories, streching

you so much that you would actually might add a few inches to your height. I

had the risser in 1974 but what you described was pretty much what they did to

me and I was 10 at the time.

I got a laugh about what you said about the 45 " Breaking Up Is Hard To Do " , in

that case it was the easiest way to break up.

Betty

Madison, WI