New to Site

[Guest guest]

Dear Shelle,

Welcome to the group. I'm new too and have found it most

educational and supportive.

Regarding sugar cravings, try to increase your intake of vanadium.

Vanadium is found in radishes, eggs, vegetable oils, shellfish, and

some other stuff I deleted because I'm allergic to it. Check out

mercola.com on the importance of eating your eggs raw and how to do

so safely and gradually.

Take care,

> Hello, I'm new to the site and looking for support. I was

diagnosed

> with systemic Candida approximately 3 years ago. I am a

competitive

> fitness/figure and bikini model and spend alot of time

on " diets " .

> While dieting (high protein, lower carb, 2100 calories) my candida

> tends to be better. I have taken the last year off from

competitions

> due to a move from WI to AZ, finding new work/friends, etc. Yes,

the

> stress has been HIGH this past year. My candida has reached new

> heights along with the process. I have eczema in areas I'd rather

> not share, discharge, bad eczema in my scalp and eyebrows, my hair

> falls out, but the thing that worries me most is the severe

> depression. I'm not sure how to combat this. I'd like to find a

> local support group or i'm hoping to find guidance here.

>

> I've recently started taking pilates classes (yoga just doesn't do

it

> for me) and i'm back in the gym. I play Australian rules football

so

> that gets plenty of aggression out. I was diagnosed by my

> chiropractor back home (WI) and am taking FC-Cidal, Liquid

chromium,

> Vitamin C (plenty of it) and something for my adrenals... can't

> remember the name off the top of my head. Its by Biotics.

>

> I saw a naturopath here in AZ but wasn't impressed. They sent me

> home with 3 tests (to the tune of $200) to see how bad the candida

> yeast is and to test for leaky gut syndrome. I have not taken the

> tests yet because i have to go off my supplements and garlic, etc

for

> a week before i can take them. I'm struggling enough as it is on

my

> supplements, I'm worried about going off of them.

>

> I'm also still struggling with sugar cravings, i swear the sugar

is

> going to kill me :-(

>

> Thanks for letting me vent, anyone else in the same boat or with

> suggestions?

[Guest guest]

Hi Shelle

> Hello, I'm new to the site and looking for support. I was diagnosed

> with systemic Candida approximately 3 years ago. I am a competitive

> fitness/figure and bikini model and spend alot of time on " diets " .

> While dieting (high protein, lower carb, 2100 calories) my candida

> tends to be better. I have taken the last year off from competitions

> due to a move from WI to AZ, finding new work/friends, etc. Yes, the

> stress has been HIGH this past year. My candida has reached new

> heights along with the process. I have eczema in areas I'd rather

> not share, discharge, bad eczema in my scalp and eyebrows, my hair

> falls out, but the thing that worries me most is the severe

> depression. I'm not sure how to combat this. I'd like to find a

> local support group or i'm hoping to find guidance here.

We have had a lot of success with people taking Topically Everything as a

topical supplement. It delivers amino acids, vitamins and minerals right

through your skin. See

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/prod_topical.htm

The Ultra version has natural mood elevating supplements that work very

well.

[Guest guest]

Dear Shelle,

By reading through all the posts carefully you'll find so much help. The

more you'll learn the better you'll feel. This beast is reaching one by one

all different aspects of your life. First of all you have to clean all the

organs that are congested such as liver, kidneys, colon and then you can

start a successful maintenance program with some of the supplements you are

already taken. I started my battle only taking supplements of all kind as

well as dieting but with very few results.

To you and all who's new to this list.

All the best.

Simona

New to site

Hello, I'm new to the site and looking for support. I was diagnosed

with systemic Candida approximately 3 years ago. I am a competitive

fitness/figure and bikini model and spend alot of time on " diets " .

While dieting (high protein, lower carb, 2100 calories) my candida

tends to be better. I have taken the last year off from competitions

due to a move from WI to AZ, finding new work/friends, etc. Yes, the

stress has been HIGH this past year. My candida has reached new

heights along with the process. I have eczema in areas I'd rather

not share, discharge, bad eczema in my scalp and eyebrows, my hair

falls out, but the thing that worries me most is the severe

depression. I'm not sure how to combat this. I'd like to find a

local support group or i'm hoping to find guidance here.

I've recently started taking pilates classes (yoga just doesn't do it

for me) and i'm back in the gym. I play Australian rules football so

that gets plenty of aggression out. I was diagnosed by my

chiropractor back home (WI) and am taking FC-Cidal, Liquid chromium,

Vitamin C (plenty of it) and something for my adrenals... can't

remember the name off the top of my head. Its by Biotics.

I saw a naturopath here in AZ but wasn't impressed. They sent me

home with 3 tests (to the tune of $200) to see how bad the candida

yeast is and to test for leaky gut syndrome. I have not taken the

tests yet because i have to go off my supplements and garlic, etc for

a week before i can take them. I'm struggling enough as it is on my

supplements, I'm worried about going off of them.

I'm also still struggling with sugar cravings, i swear the sugar is

going to kill me :-(

Thanks for letting me vent, anyone else in the same boat or with

suggestions?

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

> We have had a lot of success with people taking Topically Everything

> as a topical supplement. It delivers amino acids, vitamins and

> minerals right through your skin. See

> http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/prod_topical.htm

>

> The Ultra version has natural mood elevating supplements that work

> very well.

>

>

>

An online search found little about Topically Everything. We both

know that very little is absorbed though the skin; it's impervious to

most chemicals, minerals and proteins, even those that are good for

you. Does it contain free-form amino acids, then, or does it use

penetrants to carry supplements through the skin?

If you could pease send me the studies I'd be grateful and I might

even condone/promote their use.

regards,

Duncan Crow

[Guest guest]

Right on Simona! My story is very similar. Now that I have finally started

cleansing my liver, colon, and kidneys I am finally feeling better. Much!

I finally have the energy to go to the gym again. The drastic change in my

diet had helped as well.

For information on cleansing go to Curezone

For a truly nourishing diet go to www.westonaprice.org

Dear Shelle,

By reading through all the posts carefully you'll find so much help. The

more you'll learn the better you'll feel. This beast is reaching one by one

all different aspects of your life. First of all you have to clean all the

organs that are congested such as liver, kidneys, colon and then you can

start a successful maintenance program with some of the supplements you are

already taken. I started my battle only taking supplements of all kind as

well as dieting but with very few results.

To you and all who's new to this list.

All the best.

Simona

[Guest guest]

Hi Sam, Just wanted to welcome you. Info on links,files etc. Also buy the book

Healing Lyme by Buhner when you can. Blessings to your healing Joyce

wannabehealthyagain <skzawada@...> wrote:

Hello, I just want to introduce myself. I just now joined the group.

I found out I had LD two days ago. So far I've got a lot of good

info. I'm hoping to be able to keep my job and still work. My

hurting was really getting bad fast. Plus just yesterday I had a

heavy brain plus brain fog. Very disturbing. I hope to learn a lot.

Sam

---------------------------------

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

[Guest guest]

Hi Sam,

Welcome to the list.

I guess you have the distinction of being the 'most recently

diagnosed' (smile). It's certainly to your advantage to be getting all

the good information sooner rather than later.

I was diagnosed May 1 06, so I am fairly recent too.

If you don't mind a couple of questions: [if you do, just ignore me!]

Do you have an idea how long you've had LD?

What test revealed it?

What treatment are you following?

best,

ellen

>

> Hello, I just want to introduce myself. I just now joined the group.

> I found out I had LD two days ago. So far I've got a lot of good

> info. I'm hoping to be able to keep my job and still work. My

> hurting was really getting bad fast. Plus just yesterday I had a

> heavy brain plus brain fog. Very disturbing. I hope to learn a lot.

> Sam

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

That's kind of funny because I haven't gone to a doctor for years. They never

knew my symptoms when I had insurance and I certainly can't afford them now that

I don't have insurance.

Actually, my niece is a member of this group and she wanted me to join. She has

been so helpful to me. Just by reading the symptoms I diagnosed myself. My

symptoms were getting so bad so fast and I have symptoms that can only be Lyme.

I can feel movement in my sides and body.

I probably have had Lyme for many, many years. It is hard for me to know if I

had it as a child but I think it was passed on to me from birth. I'm 57 now.

From the symptoms I am almost positive my mother has it as well as my dad. I

think a lot of my relatives have it. My uncle just had an operation where he

had some nerves cut around his heart because the palpulations were so bad. I

can see a lot of symptoms in my grown children. One daughter has been extremely

tired in the last year and was diagnosed with mono. All of us suffer from

depression and my liver is only working about 50%

Just two days ago my brain felt very heavy and I had brain fog to boot. I have

had arthris coming on so fast that I did not know if I could work. Each day I

could see it getting to the place where it would be debilitating in just a short

while. I was getting to the point where I could not remember how to get

somewhere. This all just started getting worse within about a week. Actually,

I have felt pretty good some periods of my life. But have felt movement for the

last two years. Just in the last 4-5 months my right arm and neck have really

been hurting and burning.

I would say with all my symptoms (didn't list them all) that I have Lyme. I've

started taking the vit c/salt and already I feel better. I think with all the

healthy living I've done in the past 20 years that it has helped me be

productive and fairly healthy. Now that my liver is not functioning very well I

am getting hit with all these symptoms.

How about you. How long have you known you have Lyme? Did you get diagnosed by

a dr.?

Sam

rasheedaas <rasheedaas@...> wrote: Hi

Sam,

Welcome to the list.

I guess you have the distinction of being the 'most recently

diagnosed' (smile). It's certainly to your advantage to be getting all

the good information sooner rather than later.

I was diagnosed May 1 06, so I am fairly recent too.

If you don't mind a couple of questions: [if you do, just ignore me!]

Do you have an idea how long you've had LD?

What test revealed it?

What treatment are you following?

best,

ellen

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

My name is , I'm 42, mixed race, and from Erie, PA. I'm happily

married to a wonderful bisexual woman named, Peggy. I have

Kleinfelters, and I'm Intersexual-a " Hermaphordite " , and had a

Hysterectomy at birth. I can't have kid's, but still have a working

penis and small testes. My Endo put me on Testosterne Shot's, 100-

200mg's, every 3 wks., and they check my levels every month. Just

recently he put me on Testosterne Gel, 100mg's a day. My folk's

learned about my Kleinfelters, after I went to Cleveland Clinic as a

child. They, nor me and my wife had any idea about my Intersexuality,

until I opened my sealed adoption records, 7 years ago. It's been hard

on me and my wife and family but we're going thru to the other side.

Sincerely,

[Guest guest]

Hi Avis,

Welcome to the group. I am sorry that you had to undergo such difficult

surgeries. I am also a little confused about your case.

Are you saying that you did not have scoliosis (or any other deformity/spine

condition), but you had a more " run of the mill " disc degeneration type event

and thus had a 3 level fusion in 2005, the result of which was flatback,

ultimately resulting in kyphosis?

And for the surgery to correct all of this you had surgery with DrRand just 2

months ago? As mentioned I also had revision surgery with DrRand just over

4 years ago and am now fused T4 to the sacrum...however, my guess is that my

surgery was quite different from yours. In my case he was able to do most of the

work in the lumbar area and did not need to disturb much of the old work as he

left my old harrington rod in place and attached the new implants to the old. It

was a staged A/P surgery, two days one week apart.

In comparison...you probably need quite an extensive surgery and my guess is

that 2 months is a very short time to know what your " recovered " state will be.

DrRand gave me a 12-18 month " recovery " period...although he indicated that

there was good likelihood that I would be able to return to work at 3-4 months.

He was correct about that. And at 12 months post op I was doing very well...but

as I just said in an earlier post tonight...how I felt at 12 months pales in

comparison to how well I feel now. I think the healing just takes longer as we

age, and is somewhat dependent on what kind of condition we were in going in to

the surgery. My guess for what you shared of your story is that you were fairly

sedentary?

Anyway...I hope you are able to get some information that sets your mind at ease

from your tests and will be interested to hear how they come out. My advice is

to also recognize you have just had a HUGE surgery and you have every right to

expect that 8 weeks might just be the beginning of your recovery. I know that

the doctors tend to be somewhat vague on this topic and it can be frustrating. I

think it helps to realize there are several versions of " healed " . The surgeons

generally have one state...which is the 8-12 weeks following surgery when most

of the soft tissue damage is mended and most folks are backing off any pain

control meds.. Then there is " healed " as in solid fusion which takes place 12-18

months post op. Then there is " healed " ....which for most of us patients is a

state of mind where we no longer give too much attention to our backs. We have

learned to accommodate our bodies, its needs and we have moved past its

constraints to a point where it feels " normal " to us. When we were teenagers I

think these states all occurred much closer together than they do in these older

bodies!

Be patient with yourself if you can...you have lots of healing ahead.

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

Hi Cam,

Let me clarify. I have scoliosis, degenerative disk disease, stenosis,

kyphoscoliosis. The old 3 level fusion was to take get rid of pain in my right

calf and stabilize my spine and to straighten a very small portion of my curve.

At that time I also had spondythiliosis (sp?) After surgery, I was leg pain

free, stable, an inch taller and had the beginnings of lower back pain. The

lower back pain continued to increase and along with leg weakness eventually

brought me to Dr. Rand. My old surgeon indicated that my scoliosis was bad and

needed to be corrected but he no longer performed anything more than 3 levels.I

went to him originally because he was advertised as a scoliosis and fusion

specialist.

There was a time when he he did Dr. Rand type surgeries but he stopped. I was

told I had a 53 degree lumbar curve. The lower back pain and weakness was,

according to Dr. Rand, the result of the top of my spine tipping over so to

speak from where the L2-l5 fusion was. That made total sense. He described how

he would rework that area and extend the fusion up to T6 and anchor it in the

pelvis. The majority of the work occurred in the first 13 hour surgery where he

took apart the hardware and laid the groundwork for the thoracic hardware. He

said there was no need to correct the scoliosis curve because in his opinion,

all my pain and weakness originated and was the result of what was going on in

the lumbar area and below. I can't say exactly what or how it was done but with

his hands he demonstrated how it would work and it made sense to me. The first

surgery was Feb. 10th and the second was 2/18. in between i was at rehab as are

most of dr. rand's patients. the in between time was shortened due to some

misunderstandings between the social workers, case managers at the hospital and

rehab and my health insurance, all of which meant i was in Boston for only 3

weeks instead of 5 weeks, which I was happy about. Now I am an inch taller

again but I am still 2 inches shorter overall. After my first fusion I was 5'3 " .

Before this surgery I was 5' and now I am 5'1 " . Had he corrected my curve I

would have grown and I wanted to grow. So that is that and I hope it is somewhat

clearer and more understandable. Although I have still have some weakness and

some new sciatica, I am still way better than I was and I am only at 2 months

from surgery. Now I am waiting on an appointment for another myelogram/ct scan

to make sure that there is nothing wrong, or lurking that needs to be corrected.

Dr. Rand is meticulous and thorough. The place I wanted to get the test done

won't do it because they don't feel they cannot adequately do the test to dr.

rand's specifications so I am waiting to hear from hillary about where to get it

done. if there is any problem with dr. rand it is his office staff. They are 2

people who should be 4 or 5 people and consequently they never get back to you

in a timely fashion.

again, so sorry for the length but I do hope I have clarified everything. My 3

month visit with Dr. Rand is May 14th and hopefully I will be able to start pt.

avis

>

> Hi Avis,

>

> Welcome to the group. I am sorry that you had to undergo such difficult

surgeries. I am also a little confused about your case.

>

> Are you saying that you did not have scoliosis (or any other deformity/spine

condition), but you had a more " run of the mill " disc degeneration type event

and thus had a 3 level fusion in 2005, the result of which was flatback,

ultimately resulting in kyphosis?

>

> And for the surgery to correct all of this you had surgery with DrRand just 2

months ago? As mentioned I also had revision surgery with DrRand just over

4 years ago and am now fused T4 to the sacrum...however, my guess is that my

surgery was quite different from yours. In my case he was able to do most of the

work in the lumbar area and did not need to disturb much of the old work as he

left my old harrington rod in place and attached the new implants to the old. It

was a staged A/P surgery, two days one week apart.

>

> In comparison...you probably need quite an extensive surgery and my guess is

that 2 months is a very short time to know what your " recovered " state will be.

DrRand gave me a 12-18 month " recovery " period...although he indicated that

there was good likelihood that I would be able to return to work at 3-4 months.

He was correct about that. And at 12 months post op I was doing very well...but

as I just said in an earlier post tonight...how I felt at 12 months pales in

comparison to how well I feel now. I think the healing just takes longer as we

age, and is somewhat dependent on what kind of condition we were in going in to

the surgery. My guess for what you shared of your story is that you were fairly

sedentary?

>

> Anyway...I hope you are able to get some information that sets your mind at

ease from your tests and will be interested to hear how they come out. My advice

is to also recognize you have just had a HUGE surgery and you have every right

to expect that 8 weeks might just be the beginning of your recovery. I know that

the doctors tend to be somewhat vague on this topic and it can be frustrating. I

think it helps to realize there are several versions of " healed " . The surgeons

generally have one state...which is the 8-12 weeks following surgery when most

of the soft tissue damage is mended and most folks are backing off any pain

control meds.. Then there is " healed " as in solid fusion which takes place 12-18

months post op. Then there is " healed " ....which for most of us patients is a

state of mind where we no longer give too much attention to our backs. We have

learned to accommodate our bodies, its needs and we have moved past its

constraints to a point where it feels " normal " to us. When we were teenagers I

think these states all occurred much closer together than they do in these older

bodies!

>

> Be patient with yourself if you can...you have lots of healing ahead.

>

> Take Care, Cam

>

[Guest guest]

Avis, your experience may be completely different than mine, but at the

3-month point Dr. Rand ok'ed me for swimming, as long as I entered and

exited the pool by stairs and didn't push off the side of the pool with

my feet. But he wanted to wait until 6 months for PT. I hadn't asked

him about pool PT at that point; maybe he'd let you do that earlier, or

maybe not. But he very much liked the idea of pool PT for me, and

specified it on the PT order sheet.

Sharon

theizzard wrote:

Hi Cam,

Let me clarify. I have scoliosis, degenerative disk disease, stenosis,

kyphoscoliosis. The old 3 level fusion was to take get rid of pain in

my right calf and stabilize my spine and to straighten a very small

portion of my curve. At that time I also had spondythiliosis (sp?)

After surgery, I was leg pain free, stable, an inch taller and had the

beginnings of lower back pain. The lower back pain continued to

increase and along with leg weakness eventually brought me to Dr. Rand.

My old surgeon indicated that my scoliosis was bad and needed to be

corrected but he no longer performed anything more than 3 levels.I went

to him originally because he was advertised as a scoliosis and fusion

specialist.

There was a time when he he did Dr. Rand type surgeries but he stopped.

I was told I had a 53 degree lumbar curve. The lower back pain and

weakness was, according to Dr. Rand, the result of the top of my spine

tipping over so to speak from where the L2-l5 fusion was. That made

total sense. He described how he would rework that area and extend the

fusion up to T6 and anchor it in the pelvis. The majority of the work

occurred in the first 13 hour surgery where he took apart the hardware

and laid the groundwork for the thoracic hardware. He said there was no

need to correct the scoliosis curve because in his opinion, all my pain

and weakness originated and was the result of what was going on in the

lumbar area and below. I can't say exactly what or how it was done but

with his hands he demonstrated how it would work and it made sense to

me. The first surgery was Feb. 10th and the second was 2/18. in between

i was at rehab as are most of dr. rand's patients. the in between time

was shortened due to some misunderstandings between the social workers,

case managers at the hospital and rehab and my health insurance, all of

which meant i was in Boston for only 3 weeks instead of 5 weeks, which

I was happy about. Now I am an inch taller again but I am still 2

inches shorter overall. After my first fusion I was 5'3". Before this

surgery I was 5' and now I am 5'1". Had he corrected my curve I would

have grown and I wanted to grow. So that is that and I hope it is

somewhat clearer and more understandable. Although I have still have

some weakness and some new sciatica, I am still way better than I was

and I am only at 2 months from surgery. Now I am waiting on an

appointment for another myelogram/ct scan to make sure that there is

nothing wrong, or lurking that needs to be corrected. Dr. Rand is

meticulous and thorough. The place I wanted to get the test done won't

do it because they don't feel they cannot adequately do the test to dr.

rand's specifications so I am waiting to hear from hillary abou

t where to get it done. if there is any problem with dr. rand it is his

office staff. They are 2 people who should be 4 or 5 people and

consequently they never get back to you in a timely fashion.

again, so sorry for the length but I do hope I have clarified

everything. My 3 month visit with Dr. Rand is May 14th and hopefully I

will be able to start pt.

avis

>

> Hi Avis,

>

> Welcome to the group. I am sorry that you had to undergo such

difficult surgeries. I am also a little confused about your case.

>

> Are you saying that you did not have scoliosis (or any other

deformity/spine condition), but you had a more "run of the mill" disc

degeneration type event and thus had a 3 level fusion in 2005, the

result of which was flatback, ultimately resulting in kyphosis?

>

> And for the surgery to correct all of this you had surgery with

DrRand just 2 months ago? As mentioned I also had revision

surgery with DrRand just over 4 years ago and am now fused T4 to the

sacrum...however, my guess is that my surgery was quite different from

yours. In my case he was able to do most of the work in the lumbar area

and did not need to disturb much of the old work as he left my old

harrington rod in place and attached the new implants to the old. It

was a staged A/P surgery, two days one week apart.

>

> In comparison.. .you probably need quite an extensive surgery and

my guess is that 2 months is a very short time to know what your

"recovered" state will be. DrRand gave me a 12-18 month "recovery"

period...although he indicated that there was good likelihood that I

would be able to return to work at 3-4 months. He was correct about

that. And at 12 months post op I was doing very well...but as I just

said in an earlier post tonight...how I felt at 12 months pales in

comparison to how well I feel now. I think the healing just takes

longer as we age, and is somewhat dependent on what kind of condition

we were in going in to the surgery. My guess for what you shared of

your story is that you were fairly sedentary?

>

> Anyway...I hope you are able to get some information that sets

your mind at ease from your tests and will be interested to hear how

they come out. My advice is to also recognize you have just had a HUGE

surgery and you have every right to expect that 8 weeks might just be

the beginning of your recovery. I know that the doctors tend to be

somewhat vague on this topic and it can be frustrating. I think it

helps to realize there are several versions of "healed". The surgeons

generally have one state...which is the 8-12 weeks following surgery

when most of the soft tissue damage is mended and most folks are

backing off any pain control meds.. Then there is "healed" as in solid

fusion which takes place 12-18 months post op. Then there is

"healed".... which for most of us patients is a state of mind where we

no longer give too much attention to our backs. We have learned to

accommodate our bodies, its needs and we have moved past its

constraints to a point where it feels "normal" to us. When we were

teenagers I think these states all occurred much closer together than

they do in these older bodies!

>

> Be patient with yourself if you can...you have lots of healing

ahead.

>

> Take Care, Cam

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Avis,

Welcome to the group. Sorry you need to be here, but glad you found us. Like Cam, I'm a bit confused about your time line, but I think you said your big surgery was just 2 months ago. If so, please know that 2 months is just the beginning of a very long recovery period. Of course, everyone is different, so everyone recovers at a their own individual rate. I was one of the slower recoverers. My flatback surgery was in 1997, at age 56. After discharge from the hospital, I spent 2 1/2 weeks at an inpatient rehab facility for rehab to gain back the strength to get out of bed by myself, take care of myself in the bathroom and walk a few stairs. I still needed help for a few weeks after I returned home for showering and dressing, because of weakness. At one year, I felt that I had regained about 80% of my pre-surgery strength. The rest came later.

Feeling weak at 2 months post op is not unusual but you are the first person I know of who is going for tests to determine a reason for weakness at that stage. Why did Dr. Rand think testing was needed at that point?

I hope the test results indicate a normal recovery. Hang in and keep in touch.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Hey Izzy,

Sounds like the worst is over...

You made it thru the "super brutal" parts...

now...its just flare-ups here and there...

At least the summer weather is kicking in, which is a major boost...to loosen things up, a bit more...allow you a bit more freedom...

Now I don't think you are ready to run up those famous steps in Philly, that Rocky Balboa did...but if you wanna chug a glass of raw eggs, by all means, have at it...

Great to hear your continued progress, Avis, from a fellow "Kyphosis Klown".....or I like to call us...

"Corkscrew Warriors"...

Best Wishes & Healing Thoughts,

Jim

[ ] new to site

Hi everyone. I thought I would introduce myself and say hello. I am 2 months out from scoliosis surgery that was more like kyphosis surgery. I didn't get scoliosis until I was over 40. In 2005 I had a 3 level lumbar A/P fusion which apparently caused the top of my spine to tip over. Anyway, things went from bad to worse and last June, my surgeon released me saying it was time to find a surgeon who would do a full spine fusion to correct my scoliosis. Up until then, he would check me out every few months saying it sometimes took a long time to recover from a fusion. I made the consultation rounds and met with 5 doctors including Dr. Boachie who I really wanted but could not afford and I settled on Dr. Rand because he took my insurance and other than Boachie, was the best. I live in Philadelphia and traveled to Boston for the surgery, which turned out to be 2 posterior surgeries from my pelvis through T6. It was supposed to be anterior and posterior but he was able to do the anterior work from the back, which I was happy about. Anyway, I am in recovery mode although I am experiencing new sciatica pain and the old leg weakness when going up stairs and attempting to walk distances. I am waiting on an appointment for a myelogram/ct scan combo to see if there is any type of problem. For the most part I am in really good shape. I have far less pain than I had before although I am still on painkillers but they are greatly reduced since the surgery. I walk more than before surgery but I feel that I should be feeling better as far as the weakness is concerned. The weakness was the driving issue for me to have the surgery and to still feel it is rather disconcerting. I apologize for such a long and winded intro. Before my surgery every symptom I had was consistent with Flatback. Ok that's it for now.again sorry for the length.avis

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[Guest guest]

Hi Cam,

Let me clarify. I have scoliosis, degenerative disk disease, stenosis,

kyphoscoliosis. The old 3 level fusion was to take get rid of pain in my right

calf and stabilize my spine and to straighten a very small portion of my curve.

At that time I also had spondythiliosis (sp?) After surgery, I was leg pain

free, stable, an inch taller and had the beginnings of lower back pain. The

lower back pain continued to increase and along with leg weakness eventually

brought me to Dr. Rand. My old surgeon indicated that my scoliosis was bad and

needed to be corrected but he no longer performed anything more than 3 levels.I

went to him originally because he was advertised as a scoliosis and fusion

specialist.

There was a time when he he did Dr. Rand type surgeries but he stopped. I was

told I had a 53 degree lumbar curve. The lower back pain and weakness was,

according to Dr. Rand, the result of the top of my spine tipping over so to

speak from where the L2-l5 fusion was. That made total sense. He described how

he would rework that area and extend the fusion up to T6 and anchor it in the

pelvis. The majority of the work occurred in the first 13 hour surgery where he

took apart the hardware and laid the groundwork for the thoracic hardware. He

said there was no need to correct the scoliosis curve because in his opinion,

all my pain and weakness originated and was the result of what was going on in

the lumbar area and below. I can't say exactly what or how it was done but with

his hands he demonstrated how it would work and it made sense to me. The first

surgery was Feb. 10th and the second was 2/18. in between i was at rehab as are

most of dr. rand's patients. the in between time was shortened due to some

misunderstandings between the social workers, case managers at the hospital and

rehab and my health insurance, all of which meant i was in Boston for only 3

weeks instead of 5 weeks, which I was happy about. Now I am an inch taller

again but I am still 2 inches shorter overall. After my first fusion I was 5'3 " .

Before this surgery I was 5' and now I am 5'1 " . Had he corrected my curve I

would have grown and I wanted to grow. So that is that and I hope it is somewhat

clearer and more understandable. Although I have still have some weakness and

some new sciatica, I am still way better than I was and I am only at 2 months

from surgery. Now I am waiting on an appointment for another myelogram/ct scan

to make sure that there is nothing wrong, or lurking that needs to be corrected.

Dr. Rand is meticulous and thorough. The place I wanted to get the test done

won't do it because they don't feel they cannot adequately do the test to dr.

rand's specifications so I am waiting to hear from hillary about where to get it

done. if there is any problem with dr. rand it is his office staff. They are 2

people who should be 4 or 5 people and consequently they never get back to you

in a timely fashion.

again, so sorry for the length but I do hope I have clarified everything. My 3

month visit with Dr. Rand is May 14th and hopefully I will be able to start pt.

avis

>

> Hi Avis,

>

> Welcome to the group. I am sorry that you had to undergo such difficult

surgeries. I am also a little confused about your case.

>

> Are you saying that you did not have scoliosis (or any other deformity/spine

condition), but you had a more " run of the mill " disc degeneration type event

and thus had a 3 level fusion in 2005, the result of which was flatback,

ultimately resulting in kyphosis?

>

> And for the surgery to correct all of this you had surgery with DrRand just 2

months ago? As mentioned I also had revision surgery with DrRand just over

4 years ago and am now fused T4 to the sacrum...however, my guess is that my

surgery was quite different from yours. In my case he was able to do most of the

work in the lumbar area and did not need to disturb much of the old work as he

left my old harrington rod in place and attached the new implants to the old. It

was a staged A/P surgery, two days one week apart.

>

> In comparison...you probably need quite an extensive surgery and my guess is

that 2 months is a very short time to know what your " recovered " state will be.

DrRand gave me a 12-18 month " recovery " period...although he indicated that

there was good likelihood that I would be able to return to work at 3-4 months.

He was correct about that. And at 12 months post op I was doing very well...but

as I just said in an earlier post tonight...how I felt at 12 months pales in

comparison to how well I feel now. I think the healing just takes longer as we

age, and is somewhat dependent on what kind of condition we were in going in to

the surgery. My guess for what you shared of your story is that you were fairly

sedentary?

>

> Anyway...I hope you are able to get some information that sets your mind at

ease from your tests and will be interested to hear how they come out. My advice

is to also recognize you have just had a HUGE surgery and you have every right

to expect that 8 weeks might just be the beginning of your recovery. I know that

the doctors tend to be somewhat vague on this topic and it can be frustrating. I

think it helps to realize there are several versions of " healed " . The surgeons

generally have one state...which is the 8-12 weeks following surgery when most

of the soft tissue damage is mended and most folks are backing off any pain

control meds.. Then there is " healed " as in solid fusion which takes place 12-18

months post op. Then there is " healed " ....which for most of us patients is a

state of mind where we no longer give too much attention to our backs. We have

learned to accommodate our bodies, its needs and we have moved past its

constraints to a point where it feels " normal " to us. When we were teenagers I

think these states all occurred much closer together than they do in these older

bodies!

>

> Be patient with yourself if you can...you have lots of healing ahead.

>

> Take Care, Cam

>

[Guest guest]

Avis,

I think I understand better now how you progressed. What a challenge for you.

Your 3 surgery dates were almost exactly the same as mine...4 years ago. Back

then the rehab between surgeries was actually in a different part of NEBH, which

was nice as DrRand could still pop in and check up on things.

I hope things begin to go better for you as time progresses. Really I bet as

time goes on things will continue to improve...although I realize that you must

be frustrated right now.

I know that some have found the small office staff at DrRands to be frustrating,

but it helps to realize that the reason he can be the kind of surgeon he is,

taking long amounts of time with each patient and dedicating a lot of time to

each surgery is because he left the group practice he was in. When I first

started with him he was still with the Boston Spine Group....and a large

practice does benefit from additional staff....but that set up can be a factory

that requires each doctor to hit their numbers, etc, and I think it makes it

difficult to be patient centered. My own experience was that after some

difficulties getting scheduled for surgery things went fine and eventually all

my questions have always been answered. I hope that you are able to find a local

hospital who can do your tests. Where in PA are you? There is a gal who also

travelled up to DrRand from outside Philly.... is her name and she is about

3 years post op. She might have some ideas for you if necessary...although I

think she has had most of followup testing done back up in Boston.

I will put your follow up appt on the calendar so we remember to get an update

from you!

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

Hi PC

Welcome welcome.

You have landed in a good spot.

We have folks in all walks of HCV - newly DX'd [diagnosed], pre-TX like you, in HCV TX now [treatment], and post TX in various stages.

We all help one another with info, experiance, and support.

Please feel free to interact with us at any time.

I am don in ks, 59, genotype 1B, DX'd 2008, no biopsy or TX yet. [My day is comming.]

I try to be the research guy, to help everyone access info.

I am building the HCV Links Library to help everyone research for answers, by bringing all the info scattered all over the web to one place.

Please feel free to use it. It is created for you.

Click this link.

http://health.dir./group/ /links <--- click

PC, you ask about weither to do the HCV treatment or not.

No one can tell you what to do, but we can help you with info so that you can make a good decision.

There are both pros and cons to doing the HCV TX.

The big pro is that you may be able to rid yourself once and for all, of this virus, and live the rest of your life free of the dragon.

The cons are that you will be putting poison in your body, and that you may suffer from side effects during the treatment, and some people do have other health issues that arise from the TX.

It is a balancing act, 'what do you want to do, what do you need to do', to regain your health and/or move forwards with your life.

Folks here can help you with lots of info, and personal experiance.

We can stand beside you, and try to be supportive as you face issues.

We can give you encouragement when everything turns dark.

Your not alone here, we are your friends.

I would suggest that you begin by reading in the Library - 'treatment' - folder about HCV TX.

Educate yourself, ask questions here, and keep up with what your doctors can tell you.

Info is power.

Click this link.

http://health.dir./group/ /links/TREATMENT_OF_HEPATITIS_C_001253393566/

Others here will also have input for you. Stand by.

If you need me to help you find info, just hollar. I will be glad to.

love

don in ks

From: pcgranillo <pcgranillo@...>Subject: [ ] New to site Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 5:10 PM

Hep C for 22 years, To Interferon or not ?? looking for pros and cons------------------------------------