5 replies to this topic

[silone74]

Hi again i posted on the re doing fusion but my situation although similar is a little different.
just to re cap on what i had posted before, i went for my annual check up and asked about my spine being bent and was sent upto xray straight away to get a clearer picture for the consultant to look and after the xray i went back down to see the consultant this being a new consultant and went through every thing with me which none of the others had done before any way the bent spine is caused because one of the vertebrae was crushed and then fused to the one under and the one above it it was not fixed with surgery due to other life threatening injuries that took priority at the time so it has healed in the wrong position and i now have a badly bent spine making one leg alot shorter than the other and i sit to one side in my chair.the consultant said the ony way to put it as right as it could be was to have surgery on my back by re breaking the spine and as most will know use metal work to fix the spine in the proper position now he said there could be risks of losing the feeling that i have re gained since my sci and the small ammount of movement i have in my foot.The reason it had healed this way to start with is the brace i was supposed to have fitted was measured wrong and did not fit me so they gave me a smaller brace that they already had but it did not support the break where the bend starts and not being told about the extent of my breaks at the time i just got on with my rehab and did not know the break was not supported.
After suffering chest pain and shoulder blade pain i visited the pain clinic on thursday the dr is sure that the curve in my spine is trapping nerves causing the pains in my chest and shouldr balde and i am waiting for an mri to get a clearer picture.

Any way after all that i asked on the other post do you think it is worth the surgery to put it straight i am T3 but the bent starts at T12 right the way down to the bottom of the spine.

Cheers

Si

[greybeard]

I have nothing like your injuries so am not really in a position to help much, nevertheless here are my thoughts. I didn't read the other thread but from the information you give here and in your profile, I think that if I were your young age, I would go for it. It does not seem as though a small amount of foot movement is of great benefit to you so its loss would not be a major disadvantage. If the badly set bone is causing pain, and if you have been assured that it can be made to go away with corrective surgery, the positives would seem to out-weight the negatives.

My answer might be different depending on the whereabouts of the feeling you have regained. If it is allowing sexual function, for instance, I would be very hesitant about the possibility of losing it.

[silone74]

I have some sensasion of touch from T3 down some areas more so than others i can move parts of my stomach muscles and i have some feeling in the sexual area also i dont want to lose those feelings as you can imagine, i only found out rescently about the full extent of my spinal injuries the lower levels being t12, l2,l3,l4,l5 these are the areas that where not suported with the brace and where the bent is,although i know how big the opperation would be i would like to have the surgery if the other problems it is causing would be helped by doing so but i dont want to risk losing the feelings that i have even the small ammount of movement in my foot.


Si

[qbounce]

Because it's such a drastic measure, I would recommend a second opinion regarding your possible loss of more function, especially sexual function! Maybe another perspective can be brought to the table by a different doctor. I understand your already with someone new, but seeing it's such a serious matter, I'm sure another's objective opinion couldn't hurt looking at your situation.

Good luck to you.

[silone74]

Hi i am waiting for an mri scan to determine the full extent of the bend and i want to speak to a spinal surgeon to get the full picture before commiting to any surgery. i want to speak to the original consultant to ask why the brace fitted did not support the lower breaks in the first place.



cheers

Si

[nipper123]

I really do think you should get a second opion, if your surgeon is an ortho, I would advise for your second to be a neurosurgeon. He might help prevent damage and give you the best odds for not loosing what feelings you still have, especially the sexual aspect. My husband and I are trying but at least he's a very patient man.

Good luck,

Nipper