Prism Glasses

April 23, 2008

, the kids in Risser casts at my hospital (and there were a bunch of us) were given rolled-up quilts to put under our chests, so we were tipped up a bit. I could lie on my side fairly well. I developed the habit of putting a pillow under the upper arm so it didn't rest on the edge of the cast, and the "cuddle pillow" habit has persisted to this day.

Regarding Oprah, I believe people have tried to get her handlers interested in flatback, but not a nibble.

Sharon

[ ] Re: Prism Glasses

I didn't get to go to school, I was on bed rest with a full body cast in 75. I had tutors.

April 23, 2008

Tami,

I was in a full body cast for 11 months on complete bed rest. (I did

cheat of course, when no one was home I would trek up the stairs to

use the bathroom). Not only that, when I was in the hospital, I was

on a striker frame for 3 months.

>

> YIKES! How long were you in a body cast??? That would have driven

me batty! I had a brace so I could go back to school. My daughter had

her fusion w/ harrington rods (she had her last appt yesterday, I

found out that the rods are a lot more bulky and the instramentation

to hold them are too - then when I had them done) 3 1/2 years ago and

she stood up the same day as her surgery and never wore a brace

afterward.

> Tami

> [ ] Re: Prism Glasses

>

> I didn't get to go to school, I was on bed rest with a full body

cast

> in 75. I had tutors.

>

April 23, 2008

I was 9 months casted and 2 or 3 weeks on a striker frame - I absolutely cannot imagine almost a year in that cast, bed confinement and 3 MONTHS on that striker frame.

[ ] Re: Prism Glasses> > > I didn't get to go to school, I was on bed rest with a full body cast > in 75. I had tutors. >

April 23, 2008

I think one thing I gained from my experience, as I am sure that everyone else did, was patience. Being young, patience isn't something a person has mastered yet. So, aside from the good quality of life I gained after that "old school" surgery that I'm working towards getting back, I did learn what patience was and how to exercise it.

Oprah might want to re-think her priorities now-a-days since her popularity is plummiting. It would be nice, though, for some national show/celebrity to bring an awareness to this - it might speed up the support of the other victims of flatback who haven't yet figured out what's going on with their bodies and can get them to this support site sooner, and to an experienced doctor sooner.

I'm glad to see that you figured out a method to enable you to lie on your side, and your "cuddle pillow" habit is still something beneficial - but more glad that we're not in those casts anymore. I remember thinking that day would NEVER come....

here's a memory I'll bet others can identify with -

The day they removed mine, it was about a month before scheduled and I was at the dr.'s office for a routine visit and just begged him to take it off....and he threw his hands up and said "let's do it"...so off to another room for the cast removal. The nurse had me lay on a gurney face down and told me that the device that would cut the cast would sound like it was going to cut me in two but not to worry, that it wouldn't. So then I heard the loud machine noise and couldn't help but be concerned!

She then rubbed my back with towels and alcohol and said "ok, you can sit up now". I did my normal technique, put my foot underneath the frame and used my body to sit myself up ...whoa, I just about flipped over! I was so accustomed to the 20 lbs. of extra weight to lift. It was really funny. I distinctly remember how my neck was kind'ove wavery for a few minutes because it had been so long since I had held it up myself. It was a matter of minutes of standing and walking that I was able to re-adjust to life pre-body cast, and was a wonderful feeling, not to mention the non-curved/twisted body I saw in the mirror!

I felt like a little baby chicken, or something that hatches from an egg, just being born, coming out of the egg. I was so excited I forgot about the cast, which I had planned on taking home as a keepsake. Oh well, it was probablly too "funky" after encasing my body/skin for that long!

Memory lane....G

[ ] Re: Prism Glasses

I didn't get to go to school, I was on bed rest with a full body cast in 75. I had tutors.

April 23, 2008

Hi ,

I certainly learned patience. I had a funny experience about 6 months

into the whole recovery when I was a kid they decided to change my cast.

They cut the cast, rolled me over and pulled off the back..The nurse

started screaming " a worm, a worm " of course, I jumped too. It turned

out to be a wayward hair elastic that was now infected into my skin. No

wonder this last time around I cut it off to an inch long. LOL

April 23, 2008

The day my cast was removed, I had a 'date' to go to a record store

and buy Neil Diamond's newest album. I walked across the room bent

over and with my knees apart and my friend said there was no way he

was taking me anywhere. My mom had to take me instead. The album

was Livingston Seagull, and 's story really inspired

me to try to stand up straighter (yes, I was one of those people who

had flatback immediately after surgery since I was fused to S1 from

the get-go)

I did keep my cast, but I ended up throwing away the back half. I

have a photo posted at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bahadreama/394317829/

I think there are probably photos of me wearing it in the photo

gallery here.

>

> The day they removed mine, it was about a month before scheduled

and I was at the dr.'s office for a routine visit and just begged him

to take it off....and he threw his hands up and said " let's do

it " ...so off to another room for the cast removal. The nurse had me

lay on a gurney face down and told me that the device that would cut

the cast would sound like it was going to cut me in two but not to

worry, that it wouldn't. So then I heard the loud machine noise and

couldn't help but be concerned!

>

> She then rubbed my back with towels and alcohol and said " ok, you

can sit up now " . I did my normal technique, put my foot underneath

the frame and used my body to sit myself up ...whoa, I just about

flipped over! I was so accustomed to the 20 lbs. of extra weight to

lift. It was really funny. I distinctly remember how my neck was

kind'ove wavery for a few minutes because it had been so long since I

had held it up myself. It was a matter of minutes of standing and

walking that I was able to re-adjust to life pre-body cast, and was a

wonderful feeling, not to mention the non-curved/twisted body I saw

in the mirror!

>

> I felt like a little baby chicken, or something that hatches from

an egg, just being born, coming out of the egg. I was so excited I

forgot about the cast, which I had planned on taking home as a

keepsake. Oh well, it was probablly too " funky " after encasing my

body/skin for that long!

>

> Memory lane....G

> [ ] Re: Prism Glasses

>

> I didn't get to go to school, I was on bed rest with a full

body cast

> in 75. I had tutors.

>

April 23, 2008

Oh mi gosh. Sometimes I have to get hit in the head with a brick to "get it" - but how rude for your friend to have said that, and then your "date" wound up being your sweet mom taking you to get that album. I guess we didn't know what to expect to see after coming out of that cast and niether did anyone else. But it was your coming out, your experience, your body and ... then to have a whole new problem. Girlfriend, oh my.

I admire the art on your cast. I presume you did that after it was removed. It truely depicts that era in many more ways than one. What a clever way to immortalize a time in your life. What a long, down to the knee? cast. I guess that's so because your fusion was so low.

I was glad to see your lordosis in your revision photo (x rays) from that same link.

[ ] Re: Prism Glasses> > > I didn't get to go to school, I was on bed rest with a full body cast > in 75. I had tutors. >

April 23, 2008

yes, the cast went down to my knees. A friend of mine painted it

while I was wearing it. You can't see the side, but she painted a

zipper on the sides and the doctor was careful not to destroy the art

work when he cut it off.

I always thought I just didn't try quite hard enough to stand up

straight after being in that bent over position in the cast.

>

> Oh mi gosh. Sometimes I have to get hit in the head with a brick

to " get it " - but how rude for your friend to have said that, and

then your " date " wound up being your sweet mom taking you to get that

album. I guess we didn't know what to expect to see after coming out

of that cast and niether did anyone else. But it was your coming

out, your experience, your body and ... then to have a whole new

problem. Girlfriend, oh my.

>

> I admire the art on your cast. I presume you did that after it was

removed. It truely depicts that era in many more ways than one.

What a clever way to immortalize a time in your life. What a long,

down to the knee? cast. I guess that's so because your fusion was so

low.

>

> I was glad to see your lordosis in your revision photo (x rays)

from that same link.

April 23, 2008

I never had prism glasses. I had surgery in 1975. I was in the hospital for 4 weeks and then wore the body cast for a year! I had surgery as soon as I was done with 6th grade. I went back to school in September and had the special privilege of sitting in the front seat every time I rode the school bus. They figured that was the least bumpy seat on the bus. When I went back to school a few people imitated my very stiff posture in the cast. The worst thing that happened was that I was starting to develop my breasts so they had cut a large hole in the front of the cast across my chest. I couldn't wear a bra, not even a training bra. One day one of the older boys grabbed my breast as he walked by. I wish I could of killed him!!!! I think I did tell the principal that he grabbed me. I still remember it clear today!

Peggy

RE: [ ] Prism Glasses> > > Oh my goodness, I had to laugh thinking about those prism glasses! I had my Harrington Rod surgery in 1967, those were such a great idea. I actually had a couple of styles, one was glasses with thick slanted lens, the other was the white plastic, case type with the mirrors inside. I liked the mirror one the best. I also went to school by an intercom system that was carried by a student from class to class. I could listen and talk to the class as well. What memories!!!> > Debbie> > Ok folks, I just had to tell you what I "unearthed" while cleaning out > a drawer the other day. Does anyone else remember their prism glasses > from the first surgery??? Why I kept them, no clue except they were > very convenient for lying down and watching TV. I got a chuckle out of > them (but also feared that fate was stepping in here...hmmm?) Anyway, > just wanted to share my "blast from the past". Have a good day!> Luann>

April 23, 2008

I was flat on the back in hospital for a month,wore the cast for 6

months minus the head thing thank God then back in the Milwaukee

brace for 6 months.I can remember going to school the day I got the

brace off and was walking down the hall and my freind called my name

and said I turned with the same stiff neck like I still had it on-she

found that quite humorous for many years!Another thing that stands

out is the thick layer of scales that appeared where my skin had once

been when the cast came off!It's funny I don't remember ever being in

any pain except for the week following surgery too bad revision isn't

the same way.I also still do the pillow hugging thing

too.......Donna ---

In , " Gross " <lgross1@...>

wrote:

>

> I think one thing I gained from my experience, as I am sure that

everyone else did, was patience. Being young, patience isn't

something a person has mastered yet. So, aside from the good quality

of life I gained after that " old school " surgery that I'm working

towards getting back, I did learn what patience was and how to

exercise it.

>

> Oprah might want to re-think her priorities now-a-days since her

popularity is plummiting. It would be nice, though, for some

national show/celebrity to bring an awareness to this - it might

speed up the support of the other victims of flatback who haven't yet

figured out what's going on with their bodies and can get them to

this support site sooner, and to an experienced doctor sooner.

>

> I'm glad to see that you figured out a method to enable you to lie

on your side, and your " cuddle pillow " habit is still something

beneficial - but more glad that we're not in those casts anymore. I

remember thinking that day would NEVER come....

>

> here's a memory I'll bet others can identify with -