Scoliosis surgery

[PAgeologist]

Tomorrow my 12 year old daughter will be having scoliosis surgery. As you can imagine, we are all pretty stressed out about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this surgery? Just looking for some advice on what to expect and how recovery is really like.

The surgery is at Children's in Philly. We all have the upmost confidence in the surgeon and his team. He was the 4th doctor we seen for her.

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

No experience with the surgery but you have her at the best children's hospital available. CHoP is outstanding. Be highly confident she will get the best of care. Best of luck to your daughter and calm nerves for mom and dad.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Best wishes for her surgery, Geologist.

 

[fairgambit]

Tomorrow my 12 year old daughter will be having scoliosis surgery. As you can imagine, we are all pretty stressed out about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this surgery? Just looking for some advice on what to expect and how recovery is really like.

The surgery is at Children's in Philly. We all have the upmost confidence in the surgeon and his team. He was the 4th doctor we seen for her.

One of the most difficult things in life is dealing with the medical issues of our children. You are in a 1st rate hospital and I will keep your daughter, and your family, in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us all informed as time permits.

 

[werpsu29]

My daughter had this surgery when she was 15...she is 17 now. One of the toughest things I've had to deal with as a Father was to know that my daughter was going to undergo a major surgery at a young age.

The day she has the surgery they will come in regularly to rotate her position from left side, to back, to right side. They will also have her get out of bed and sit in a chair, and she will have to sit there for a designated period of time. My daughters second day in the hospital they got her up and had her start walking. The third day they had her walk up a flight of stairs and then released her.

They don't waste any time getting them up, moving, and out of the hospital. She was out of school for three weeks. It is amazing how quickly these young ladies bounce back and recover. If you were to see my daughter today you would never know that she had the surgery...unless she showed you part of her scar.

Prayers to you and your daughter!

 

[Fayette_LION]

Tomorrow my 12 year old daughter will be having scoliosis surgery. As you can imagine, we are all pretty stressed out about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this surgery? Just looking for some advice on what to expect and how recovery is really like.

The surgery is at Children's in Philly. We all have the upmost confidence in the surgeon and his team. He was the 4th doctor we seen for her.

Niece went to John Hopkins for surgery and is now doing fine. Her spine was twisting her at the waist and was pretty tough to look at. Xray was almost overwhelming. They had to completely and manually move her spine and put a rod in. She rides horses and plays softball and is going to be a sophomore in college this fall.

 

[PAgeologist]

My daughter had this surgery when she was 15...she is 17 now. One of the toughest things I've had to deal with as a Father was to know that my daughter was going to undergo a major surgery at a young age.

The day she has the surgery they will come in regularly to rotate her position from left side, to back, to right side. They will also have her get out of bed and sit in a chair, and she will have to sit there for a designated period of time. My daughters second day in the hospital they got her up and had her start walking. The third day they had her walk up a flight of stairs and then released her.

They don't waste any time getting them up, moving, and out of the hospital. She was out of school for three weeks. It is amazing how quickly these young ladies bounce back and recover. If you were to see my daughter today you would never know that she had the surgery...unless she showed you part of her scar.

Prayers to you and your daughter!

That's pretty much what they told us as well as far as the initial recovery goes.

 

[PSU Soupy]

My daughter had this surgery when she was 15...she is 17 now. One of the toughest things I've had to deal with as a Father was to know that my daughter was going to undergo a major surgery at a young age.

The day she has the surgery they will come in regularly to rotate her position from left side, to back, to right side. They will also have her get out of bed and sit in a chair, and she will have to sit there for a designated period of time. My daughters second day in the hospital they got her up and had her start walking. The third day they had her walk up a flight of stairs and then released her.

They don't waste any time getting them up, moving, and out of the hospital. She was out of school for three weeks. It is amazing how quickly these young ladies bounce back and recover. If you were to see my daughter today you would never know that she had the surgery...unless she showed you part of her scar.

Prayers to you and your daughter!

That post is why I read this board every day. I learn something everyday and am constantly reminded by this board of the closeness of the PSU Community and the board.

Well done 29.

 

[werpsu29]

That's pretty much what they told us as well as far as the initial recovery goes.

I was amazed at how quickly they get them up and going.

For reference, my daughter had the S curve in her spine with the top curve being 68 degrees. When I saw the X-Ray it took my breath away.

 

[PAgeologist]

Niece went to John Hopkins for surgery and is now doing fine. Her spine was twisting her at the waist and was pretty tough to look at. Xray was almost overwhelming. They had to completely and manually move her spine and put a rod in. She rides horses and plays softball and is going to be a sophomore in college this fall.

My daughter's is pretty much within her rib cage, so she won't lose much flexibility, if any. She will have 2 rods put in and her spine straightened as much as possible. But it will at least be stable.

 

[PAgeologist]

I was amazed at how quickly they get them up and going.

For reference, my daughter had the S curve in her spine with the top curve being 68 degrees. When I saw the X-Ray it took my breath away.

Mine has a 38 degree and a 56 degree curve. They will pull them both to around 30 degrees and stabilize the spine.

 

[werpsu29]

Mine has a 38 degree and a 56 degree curve. They will pull them both to around 30 degrees and stabilize the spine.

My daughter's doctor didn't mess with the bottom of the S curve because it was a compensatory curve and he said that it would fix itself once the top curve was fixed. He was right...all good now.

I watched a ton of "My Scoliosis Story" videos on YouTube prior to my daughters surgery. One common thing I noticed in all of these videos was how tough and resilient these young ladies were. I witnessed this with my own eyes with my daughter and I'm confident you will witness the same thing.

 

[PAgeologist]

No experience with the surgery but you have her at the best children's hospital available. CHoP is outstanding. Be highly confident she will get the best of care. Best of luck to your daughter and calm nerves for mom and dad.

That's why we picked CHOP. We even managed to get an appointment with the surgeon that did Shaziers (Steelers LB) spine surgery. We cancelled it after visiting CHOP. We were all very impressed with them, especially my daughter (which is obviously important). As soon as the doctor left the room, we all agreed he would do the surgery.

 

[PAgeologist]

My daughter's doctor didn't mess with the bottom of the S curve because it was a compensatory curve and he said that it would fix itself once the top curve was fixed. He was right...all good now.

I watched a ton of "My Scoliosis Story" videos on YouTube prior to my daughters surgery. One common thing I noticed in all of these videos was how tough and resilient these young ladies were. I witnessed this with my own eyes with my daughter and I'm confident you will witness the same thing.

We have been watching those as well. As bad as it is for us, we quickly realized there are far more severe cases out there.

They are doing both curves on Lily because the bottom one is unstable and will eventually collapse on itself.

Sounds like maybe your daughter was born with it? Lily was born with it. 3 of her upper vertebrae only partially separated during development. The bottom curve was compensatory to adjust for the upper curve.

 

[werpsu29]

We have been watching those as well. As bad as it is for us, we quickly realized there are far more severe cases out there.

They are doing both curves on Lily because the bottom one is unstable and will eventually collapse on itself.

Sounds like maybe your daughter was born with it? Lily was born with it. 3 of her upper vertebrae only partially separated during development. The bottom curve was compensatory to adjust for the upper curve.

No, she wasn't born with it. When she was 14 they were doing a Scoliosis check at school and the nurse said she needed to possibly be checked. We took her to the doctor and she only had a 22 degree curve at that point, and most doctors won't operate until they surpass 40. At 22 degrees they didn't even put her in a brace. They wanted to keep an eye on her so they scheduled her to go back in 6 months. When she returned after 6 months she was at 51 degrees. When they checked her at pre-op she was 68.

The rapid onset of her curve was attributed to a rapid growth spurt for her. She ended up growing 3.25 inches after the surgery.

 

[PAgeologist]

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes, thoughts and prayers. It means a lot, even though I don't know any of you in person.

It's helpful to hear from the folks who have gone through it as well. Knowing that their experience is pretty much what the surgical team has told us will happen is comforting.

I'll post some thoughts on the surgery and initial recovery when I get a chance.

 

[MWes11]

Tomorrow my 12 year old daughter will be having scoliosis surgery. As you can imagine, we are all pretty stressed out about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this surgery? Just looking for some advice on what to expect and how recovery is really like.

The surgery is at Children's in Philly. We all have the upmost confidence in the surgeon and his team. He was the 4th doctor we seen for her.

My mother just had scoliosis surgery about 4 months ago. She went down to Baltimore to get it done. She could barely walk before the surgery. She is now pain free and walking with great posture. Her doctor was absolutely incredible. I pray your daughter has the same results and can come out of the surgery better than ever.

 

[PAgeologist]

No, she wasn't born with it. When she was 14 they were doing a Scoliosis check at school and the nurse said she needed to possibly be checked. We took her to the doctor and she only had a 22 degree curve at that point, and most doctors won't operate until they surpass 40. At 22 degrees they didn't even put her in a brace. They wanted to keep an eye on her so they scheduled her to go back in 6 months. When she returned after 6 months she was at 51 degrees. When they checked her at pre-op she was 68.

The rapid onset of her curve was attributed to a rapid growth spurt for her. She ended up growing 3.25 inches after the surgery.

Wow. That curve progressed fast. Lily gained 8 degrees in her lower curve between January and pre op visit in May.

They said Lily will gain at least an inch. She is already 5 foot 6.

I'm not sure it would have made a difference in our case, but I tell all my friends now to push for an x-ray if their doctor suspects their child may have it. From what I understand many times surgery can be avoided if caught early enough. Many pediatricians blow it off as not an issue that needs addressed.

 

[PAgeologist]

My mother just had scoliosis surgery about 4 months ago. She went down to Baltimore to get it done. She could barely walk before the surgery. She is now pain free and walking with great posture. Her doctor was absolutely incredible. I pray your daughter has the same results and can come out of the surgery better than ever.

Glad to hear for her recovery and great results. Did she have it at the spine clinic down there? We heard they were great. We called but they didn't seem to specialize in pediatric surgery and gave us a vibe they weren't comfortable with taking our case on so we never went there.

 

[ralphster]

Best of luck to your daughter. You are in good hands. You are making the right decision based on the information you have presented here.

(BTW, I know of no pediatricians that "blow off" scoliosis.)

 

[PAgeologist]

Best of luck to your daughter. You are in good hands. You are making the right decision based on the information you have presented here.

(BTW, I know of no pediatricians that "blow off" scoliosis.)

Blow off was a poor choice of words. I guess what I meant to say is pediatricians should pursue the type and extent of the scoliosis more. At least with an x Ray. That came from the CHOP team, not only my limited observations.

 

[46DavePSU]

Prayers and best wishes for your daughter and your family..... God Bless !!

 

[delcoLion]

Tomorrow my 12 year old daughter will be having scoliosis surgery. As you can imagine, we are all pretty stressed out about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this surgery? Just looking for some advice on what to expect and how recovery is really like.

The surgery is at Children's in Philly. We all have the upmost confidence in the surgeon and his team. He was the 4th doctor we seen for her.

Good luck to your little girl. I have a nephew who went through this in his teen years and he recovered fine, was into karate and has been ok so far. He’s 40 now.

 

[PSU Mike]

Best wishes, Lily, Geo, and family. Think of this as the start of good things.

 

[Zaz]

Tomorrow my 12 year old daughter will be having scoliosis surgery. As you can imagine, we are all pretty stressed out about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this surgery? Just looking for some advice on what to expect and how recovery is really like.

The surgery is at Children's in Philly. We all have the upmost confidence in the surgeon and his team. He was the 4th doctor we seen for her.

Your daughter will very well. Trust me. We did so many young Kids at that age. I'll pray for her and your Family .Linda Zazvrskey

 

[PAgeologist]

I thought I would post a couple thoughts on her surgery and recovery.

First, there are kids with way worse conditions than we are dealing with. It's hard to even think about. I couldn't imagine seeing one of my children go through what some of these kids go through.

The surgery went very well. The surgeon said it was textbook. No problems of any sort. The initial stage of recovery is right on schedule as well.

The facility here is top notch. The amount of care that not only my daughter but the rest of us has received well exceeded expectations. From the surgeon right down to the technicians and therapists are all on the same page and are very aware of every aspect of her recovery. I can't say enough positive things about our experience so far.

Hell, WaWa volunteers even come around with carts loaded with free coffee and cold beverages.

Once again thank you all for the wells wishes and prayers. Much appreciated.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Great news, Geologist. Question: Does this surgery essentially take care of this specific problem once and for all, or does it occasionally have to be repeated? Or are there side effects (e.g., back pain or something else) that have to be anticipated as a result?

 

[ralphster]

Thanks for the update. Very happy for you, your family, and your daughter. Great news!

 

[PAgeologist]

Great news, Geologist. Question: Does this surgery essentially take care of this specific problem once and for all, or does it occasionally have to be repeated? Or are there side effects (e.g., back pain or something else) that have to be anticipated as a result?

It should be a one and done surgery, with no permanent effects once recovery is complete. She can return to complete normal activities in October. With different activities (riding bikes, running, swimming, so on) being added as recovery progresses. The recovery program here is as much of a science as the surgery itself. It's quite amazing.

 

[werpsu29]

Glad to hear that things went well! Prayers for a speedy recovery!!

 

[PAgeologist]

Glad to hear that things went well! Prayers for a speedy recovery!!

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me on this. Everything you said has held true, which is also what the surgical team told us.

 

[MWes11]

Glad to hear for her recovery and great results. Did she have it at the spine clinic down there? We heard they were great. We called but they didn't seem to specialize in pediatric surgery and gave us a vibe they weren't comfortable with taking our case on so we never went there.

Yeah the spine clinic at Medstar Union Hospital. Dr. Tortolani did the procedure and he was absolutely incredible.

https://www.medstarhealth.org/doctor/dr-paul-justin-tortolani-md/

 

[LaJolla Lion]

Good luck to your daughter and your family.

 

[PAgeologist]

Good luck to your daughter and your family.

Thank you. We were able to bring her home Saturday. She is doing pretty well although Saturday evening through Sunday morning were pretty rough. The medication and anesthesia messed with her pretty bad. She is taking some nausea meds now and is doing much better. She hasn't even taken any Motrin or Tylenol since Saturday night. That's amazing considering what she went through.

She also gained just shy of 1.5 inches in height.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

Thank you. We were able to bring her home Saturday. She is doing pretty well although Saturday evening through Sunday morning were pretty rough. The medication and anesthesia messed with her pretty bad. She is taking some nausea meds now and is doing much better. She hasn't even taken any Motrin or Tylenol since Saturday night. That's amazing considering what she went through.

She also gained just shy of 1.5 inches in height.

Awesome to hear!