Re: Re:New to group & question/Jolene

[Guest guest]

Hi Jolene...thank you for your response. Since I wrote this I've talked to the

surgeon. She said they did the worst part of the curvature in the front which

was the L-1 to L-4, so lower down... then did the double rods in the back.

She said to do anything higher in the front would have been more invasive and

greater risk for complications and he was already high risk. Because we can't

transport him the hour plus drive and have him in his existing wheelchair

(waiting on the molded one), she said we could get x-rays down here and then

sent to her to review...plus said I could mail her pictures of what I am talking

about. I described how his entire front left rib cage is bulging out even more

while the front right side is almost flat and the rib cage on the right side is

bulging out the back creating an elongated raised ridge.

She said that if he grew more....he's going to be 16...then he could be

experiencing the crankshaft thing...that basically the rib cage is continuing to

try and grow and causing the unfused upper frontal area of the spine to twist on

itself thus shoving the rib cage out on one side and back on the other.

I can't remember if attachments are allowed on this group...if it doesn't come

thru I can post a pic at the site. The pic shows the bulge on the back side and

the bulge of the rib cage on the front side.

She basically said that surgically there is nothing that can be done in terms of

the ribcage deformation or trying to go in and do fusion of the spine in the

front higher up. The one thing I realized after talking to her, reading stuff,

posting, is that some of the stuff I'm reading on line is geared towards those

whose only issue is scoliosis...which would be a very different scenario than

with someone who has severe cerebral palsy...whole lot of other issues going on.

The biggy now is how much further can the rib cage rotate, what impact it's

having on his respitory system because we are noticing that there has been a few

changes in the way he breaths...granted we need to get his molded wheelchair so

we can sit him up more and hopefully see if that improves his breathing...see a

pulmonologist and get a real feel for what's going on and what to do.

> From: Buttonjo@... <Buttonjo@...>

> Subject: Re:New to group & question

> Scoliosis Treatment

> Date: Friday, December 12, 2008, 9:55 PM

> ,

> You wrote... " If the spine is fused from the back

> only (which does not fuse

> the

> vertebral bodies to each other, which are in the front)

> while there

> is still significant growth potential remaining, the spine

> can grow

> away from the metal in a twisting ......

> You said your son's surgery was anterior...the above

> quote you found was

> speaking about 'from the back' meaning posterior

> surgery. Yes, crankshaft can

> occur from posterior surgery, but I don't think it can

> from anterior (from

> the front of the spine).

> Jolene

> **************Make your life easier with all your friends,

> email, and

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>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi again...found another site with a description of posterior and anterior

spinal surgery for scoliosis...Tommy didn't have the anterior surgery..didn't

realize what it entailed till I read it...the front area he had done was thru an

incission made just above his hip surgery scar and was mainly done to repair the

damage to those lower vertabrea (sp). I guess I also better understand why she

said it would have been too risky to do an anterior procedure as well as the

posterior...the risk of complications would really have been worse since they

open up the chest, collapse the lung, remove a rib and access the spine that

way....I remember how hard it was after his surgery dealing with his entire back

having been opened up and just the smaller one on the side...can't imagine if

he'd had the whole front opened up too...plus the risk of respitory problems

since he can't walk, sit up on his own...the whole CP issue.

I totally appreciate the input I have gotten here but realized that the issues I

am dealing with in terms of our son and his scoliosis is very different in terms

of otherwise healthy people dealing with it...so probably don't really belong on

the group. Thank you all for allowing me to come on here and sorta

brainstorm...

karen

> From: Buttonjo@... <Buttonjo@...>

> Subject: Re:New to group & question

> Scoliosis Treatment

> Date: Friday, December 12, 2008, 9:55 PM

> ,

> You wrote... " If the spine is fused from the back

> only (which does not fuse

> the

> vertebral bodies to each other, which are in the front)

> while there

> is still significant growth potential remaining, the spine

> can grow

> away from the metal in a twisting ......

> You said your son's surgery was anterior...the above

> quote you found was

> speaking about 'from the back' meaning posterior

> surgery. Yes, crankshaft can

> occur from posterior surgery, but I don't think it can

> from anterior (from

> the front of the spine).

> Jolene

> **************Make your life easier with all your friends,

> email, and

> favorite sites in one place. Try it now.

>

(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp & icid=aolcom40vanity & ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Please don't leave. I do hope you get the answers you are looking for!

Did you have any luck with the national scoliosis forum?

Remember, send a message to the webmaster or contact email and let them know

if you can't post. I know there's one mom there who, even though her child

does not have CP, has a son who has been through a lot of surgeries and

such--many are complicated ones with other health issues.

I do hope you can find the support you seek.

n

Re:New to group & question

>> Scoliosis Treatment

>> Date: Friday, December 12, 2008, 9:55 PM

>> ,

>> You wrote... " If the spine is fused from the back

>> only (which does not fuse

>> the

>> vertebral bodies to each other, which are in the front)

>> while there

>> is still significant growth potential remaining, the spine

>> can grow

>> away from the metal in a twisting ......

>> You said your son's surgery was anterior...the above

>> quote you found was

>> speaking about 'from the back' meaning posterior

>> surgery. Yes, crankshaft can

>> occur from posterior surgery, but I don't think it can

>> from anterior (from

>> the front of the spine).

>> Jolene

>> **************Make your life easier with all your friends,

>> email, and

>> favorite sites in one place. Try it now.

>>

(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp & icid=aolcom40vanity & ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)

>>

>>

>>