Re: Bracing before and after harrington Rod surgery

[Guest guest]

and all,

I was not a foster kid but was one of ten kids. My curves were

big also by the time they were found. I choose, (the operative) word

here, to believe, that I progressed very quickly then believe it was

neglect on my mothers part. I was trying on bathing suits when she

spotted it but it was too late for anything but surgery. 3 months

striker frame, one year body cast. Ouch! those memories hurt.

>

> Dear Gals,

>

> I had my Harrington Rod surgery in 1973, at UCSF, in San Francisco.

I had no streaching, frames, or casts, before or after surgery. I had

no bracing prior to surgery, my curves were found far too late for

that, I was a foster kid, and truly no one paid attention till my

curves were soooo big you couldn't help but see them. We were going

to go with our local doc in Santa Ca, with the casts etc, till

he said he had a friend who did the surgery at UCSF, with Harrington

Rods and bracing afterwards. From Diagnosis till surgery took nearly

a year with my curves increasing, because Medi-Cal in California

deamed my condition non-life threatening and wouldn't pay for the

surgery, so my foster Mom set out to find funding with private

groups, and Chrippled Children's group paid for it. So my story is

hugely different from those of my time, lucky, you bet, because I

didn't face a lot of the torturous stuff you guys talk about. I had

the surgery, it was awful, and remember waiting for what seemed

forever in awful pain for those pain shots in my thighs. They had to

keep in in a perfect line in bed or I'd scream bloody murder from the

pain( mind you no cast to keep me that way). At ten days post op they

got me up to do the cast that would be the form to make my brace. Two

interns and a brace guy used a tip table, stood me up, and they

wrapped me in plaster, it got sooooo hot they had to use a little

hammer type thing at the base of the back of my head to keep me from

passing out. The whole time of course I'm naked as a jaybird, and of

course on my period, complete with those lovely pad holders of the

day, and due to the lightheadedness, telling the interns just how

cute I thought they were. I look back on it and am mortified in about

a hundred ways. I got my brace in a few days and was up walking. The

brace was very similar to the TLSO of today, except it was very hard

plastic, and rubbed awfully, I still have scars on my hips and chest

from it. I was in the hospital for a month, went home for two weeks

and was back to school. Wore the brace six months, and with much

ceremony through it over the edge at the dump, and watched a

bulldozer run over it. So there are people from the 70's that didn't

have all that terrible stuff done to them, I was lucky to be where I

was in 1973, at a learning hospital, where I guess they were on the

cutting age of care for the time.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

and others--I didn't have a plaster cast before surgery,

either. I was told that my curves were too bad. (this was in 1974)

But my surgeon at Oakland (CA) Children's Hospital said that they

liked to wait for a person to mature so their skeleton wouldn't grow

any more, anyway. The reason I didn't need the casts or traction

prior to surgery was because my spine was very flexible. I had gone

to a chiropractor for almost 10 yrs, and the manipulations kept my

spine supple. Yes, I remember the cast(s) I wore for 9 months after

surgery. (they were changed every 3 months) I guess according to some

of you they were " walking casts " . It went from my jaw (going up into

the bottom of my hair in the back) and to right above my pubic bone

in the front. In the back it went to my tailbone. I didn't have any

stomach " cut-outs " at all. I just had to stay at the weight I was at

surgery time.

Yes, I don't remember those days fondly, especially since I went to

high school every day. People just saw the neck portion of my cast

and some thought something had been done to my neck. My surgery was

in July, was in the hospital for two weeks, came home and then

started school right after Labor Day. The doctor told me to live my

life as normal as possible, and I just couldn't bear the thought of

staying home for 9 months!! Cabin fever!! I also tried to drive once,

but gave it up after that--was too scary not being able to turn my

head to see to the right or left or behind me. I just waited until

the 9 months was over. I was 16 at the time of my surgery, and

luckily, I already had my driver's license!!

Oh, and they DIDN'T use a tilt table there. I wish they had, because

when they finally sat me up after putting the cast on (first time in

2 weeks) I almost blacked out and then got nauseous and dizzy and DID

throw up!! It made a mess on my stockinette portion of my cast around

my chin. One memory I'd rather forget.

Carol V.

>

> Dear Gals,

>

> I had my Harrington Rod surgery in 1973, at UCSF, in San Francisco.

I had no streaching, frames, or casts, before or after surgery. I had

no bracing prior to surgery, my curves were found far too late for

that, I was a foster kid, and truly no one paid attention till my

curves were soooo big you couldn't help but see them. We were going

to go with our local doc in Santa Ca, with the casts etc, till

he said he had a friend who did the surgery at UCSF, with Harrington

Rods and bracing afterwards. From Diagnosis till surgery took nearly

a year with my curves increasing, because Medi-Cal in California

deamed my condition non-life threatening and wouldn't pay for the

surgery, so my foster Mom set out to find funding with private

groups, and Chrippled Children's group paid for it. So my story is

hugely different from those of my time, lucky, you bet, because I

didn't face a lot of the torturous stuff you guys talk about. I had

the surgery, it was awful, and remember waiting for what seemed

forever in awful pain for those pain shots in my thighs. They had to

keep in in a perfect line in bed or I'd scream bloody murder from the

pain( mind you no cast to keep me that way). At ten days post op they

got me up to do the cast that would be the form to make my brace. Two

interns and a brace guy used a tip table, stood me up, and they

wrapped me in plaster, it got sooooo hot they had to use a little

hammer type thing at the base of the back of my head to keep me from

passing out. The whole time of course I'm naked as a jaybird, and of

course on my period, complete with those lovely pad holders of the

day, and due to the lightheadedness, telling the interns just how

cute I thought they were. I look back on it and am mortified in about

a hundred ways. I got my brace in a few days and was up walking. The

brace was very similar to the TLSO of today, except it was very hard

plastic, and rubbed awfully, I still have scars on my hips and chest

from it. I was in the hospital for a month, went home for two weeks

and was back to school. Wore the brace six months, and with much

ceremony through it over the edge at the dump, and watched a

bulldozer run over it. So there are people from the 70's that didn't

have all that terrible stuff done to them, I was lucky to be where I

was in 1973, at a learning hospital, where I guess they were on the

cutting age of care for the time.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My God Sharon, it's hard to believe what you all went thru back then. Sounds more like torture than medicine, but at the time, I'm sure, that was the best treatment. About 1970 we lived in Utah and there was a young girl or , age 10, who lived across the street. She walked every day with my kids to school. She was bent to the side and looked like she had one leg longer than the other. One day she didn't show up and after about a week, we learned she was in the hospital getting her back rebuilt. We didn't see her for months, then one day we saw her father carrying her into the house. She had a cast from her hips to up behind her head. I don't remember how long she wore it, but it seemed like a year or so. Her mother said they put several long rods in her spine, but had to go back for several more surgeries. When my kids would complain about being bored I would tell them to thank God they had choices of what to do and how lucky they were not to be like that girl. We lived there until 1973 and she was in and out of the hospital and cast, it seemed all the time.

In 1953, I was 8 and got polio. I was lucky my mom knew something was seriously wrong with me when the doctors said I probably was coming down with the flu bug or something. We were in the ER and I can remember her standing her ground and pitching a fit to put me in the hospital. The doctor finally gave in and admitted me for observation. The next day they found I had polio and because my mom had a fit in the ER, I got treatment early on in the coarse of the disease. I remember there were lots of kids on the ward in braces and body cast. I only had one brace on my left leg for several months and that was only for support because my leg was so weak. I had it in my back and left leg. Now I wonder if maybe some of what is going on with my back isn't caused from polio. Wouldn't be great if they could wipe out scoliosis like they have polio. Of course scoliosis is not a disease like polio.

I'm learning so much from this group and appreciate how nice you all treat each other. I belonged to several other support groups and ended up dropping out because of the bickering. Your all so concerned about each other that I have the highest admiration, not only for what you have gone thru, but that you stay connected to continue to help others.

God Bless you

Pat E.

[ ] Bracing before and after harrington Rod surgery

Dear Gals,

I had my Harrington Rod surgery in 1973, at UCSF, in San Francisco. I had no streaching, frames, or casts, before or after surgery. I had no bracing prior to surgery, my curves were found far too late for that, I was a foster kid, and truly no one paid attention till my curves were soooo big you couldn't help but see them. We were going to go with our local doc in Santa Ca, with the casts etc, till he said he had a friend who did the surgery at UCSF, with Harrington Rods and bracing afterwards. From Diagnosis till surgery took nearly a year with my curves increasing, because Medi-Cal in California deamed my condition non-life threatening and wouldn't pay for the surgery, so my foster Mom set out to find funding with private groups, and Chrippled Children's group paid for it. So my story is hugely different from those of my time, lucky, you bet, because I didn't face a lot of the torturous stuff you guys talk about. I had the surgery, it was awful, and remember waiting for what seemed forever in awful pain for those pain shots in my thighs. They had to keep in in a perfect line in bed or I'd scream bloody murder from the pain( mind you no cast to keep me that way). At ten days post op they got me up to do the cast that would be the form to make my brace. Two interns and a brace guy used a tip table, stood me up, and they wrapped me in plaster, it got sooooo hot they had to use a little hammer type thing at the base of the back of my head to keep me from passing out. The whole time of course I'm naked as a jaybird, and of course on my period, complete with those lovely pad holders of the day, and due to the lightheadedness, telling the interns just how cute I thought they were. I look back on it and am mortified in about a hundred ways. I got my brace in a few days and was up walking. The brace was very similar to the TLSO of today, except it was very hard plastic, and rubbed awfully, I still have scars on my hips and chest from it. I was in the hospital for a month, went home for two weeks and was back to school. Wore the brace six months, and with much ceremony through it over the edge at the dump, and watched a bulldozer run over it. So there are people from the 70's that didn't have all that terrible stuff done to them, I was lucky to be where I was in 1973, at a learning hospital, where I guess they were on the cutting age of care for the time.