#Back Fusion Surgery

[cozy-lake]

It’s June, which is pride month, but it’s also scoliosis awareness month! This means I get to celebrate multiple ways in which I am not straight this month.

I’m going to talk a little bit about what having scoliosis has been like for me under the cut, so feel free to read on if you’re interested!

Content warning for discussion of hospitals, medical issues, surgery, and anesthesia.

Firstly, what is scoliosis? Scoliosis is a “sideways curvature of the spine”, basically, when your spine is not straight. Scoliosis is more common in AFAB people and usually occurs immediately after the onset of puberty, or right before (depending when the growth spurt happens). For a lot of people, the curvature in their spine is minor and does not require any major medical intervention, but for others, a back brace or even surgery is needed.

What are some of the symptoms of scoliosis? Back pain is a very common symptom, but also physical deformity, including one shoulder being higher than the other or an uneven waist. If untreated, it can lead to severe complications later in life.

Now, I’ll get into my personal experience with scoliosis. Please know that these are only my experiences and not everyone will share my thoughts! I want to talk about it, again, since it’s scoliosis awareness month, but keep in mind that everyone’s journey is different.

Shortly after I turned eleven years old, I went for my yearly checkup, and my doctor discovered a small curve in my spine. He sent me for further testing and x-rays, and soon after I was fitted for a back brace. This was a hard plastic brace that wrapped around my torso, from right below my chest to my pelvis. It was incredibly tight, and compressed my spine to (hopefully) straighten out the curves. I had to wear this brace for 18-20 hours per day. For a young person, this was not easy, especially since this was also the first school year in which I had to get changed for gym class in front of classmates.

I was fitted for the brace in January. In May/June-ish of the same year, I had a checkup and was told I was doing well and should keep wearing the brace. That summer was rough- the brace was hot, and made it hard to do stuff I loved like swimming, biking, etc. I had another appointment in August, and it was actually the first time in 8 months that I didn’t wear the brace overnight. It was at that appointment that I was told the brace wasn’t working, and I needed to get surgery. I had three curves in my spine, and the largest of the three was 50°, too severe to be fixed with a brace.

I got the surgery in December of that year. The main type of surgery done for scoliosis is known as spinal fusion, which is incredibly invasive and has a years-long healing process. Luckily, my mom did her research, and found a newer type of surgery that was being offered for scoliosis, known as vetebral body tethering or VBT, and was less invasive. I won’t go into the details of the surgery, mainly because I was twelve years old at the time and didn’t fully understand it myself (but I’m happy to talk more if anyone wants me to). It was such a new technique at the time, though, that the closest doctor to where I live practiced in a city that was 646 miles/1039 km away. I’m incredibly lucky and privileged to have been able to travel there and get the surgery, and though it wasn’t a great experience, I am grateful that I was able to get it and that I wasn’t put on a years-long waiting list.

Anyway, the surgery lasted for about 8 hours, but I was out for 36 hours. The doctors had me up and walking within 2 hours of waking up, but I was in the hospital for about a week total. I was out of school for three months. I will always be thankful for my best friend at the time, who really helped me through that time of my life (I’m so thankful for them, in fact, that I’m planning to marry them). The doctors considered me “fully healed” after a year, but to this day, I still experience back pain and dizziness much easier than others. I have to get x-rays 1-2 times a year to make sure I’m still healing well (I am) and every couple of years, I travel back to the hospital to meet with my surgeon.

Scoliosis is a huge part of my life, and I’m always happy to talk about it. Please feel free to ask me questions here or on my instagram cozy_lake (I tend to be more active on there) as I plan to post this there as well. I’m so glad that there’s a month for scoliosis awareness, and I hope that this post helped you to learn more about it! :)

[steampunk-raven]

omw to tell everyone in the scoliosis tag that their pain is valid, scoliosis counts as a disability, and that using mobility aids for your scoliosis is absolutely ok and great.

[emeraldpotion]

Hello scoliosis friends! ✨

After 10 years since I discovered my scoliosis, I am going to have a spinal fusion next month! ❤️

Lately I’ve been struggling too much with back pain so I decided to take the big step and have the surgery.

I’m happy but terrified at the same time! I don’t know what to expect and I am super scared of the post surgery time. I’m gonna be all alone because I’m an adult so not even one of my parents can’t stay with me in the hospital room, they can only visit 2 hours per day 😔 I don’t even know what to bring to the hospital (like do I need pjs and slippers? Or just shoes? Dry shampoo? Can I bring my iPad with me?)

If you guys have suggestions on what should I pack in my hospital bag, I’m all ears 👂

[findlay19]

I'm here to ask for help from my Gubler friends.

Two weeks ago, I had major back surgery. This was my fifth surgery in three years. I'll need to be off work for three months. Since I didn't have an option to delay my surgery, I have no savings. This begging for money is creating some self-loathing. The only solace I have is that I've always tried to pay-it- forward or "do one good deed", etc. I work with autistic teens in a residential treatment program. I was a Cub Scout leader for a few years and Girl Scout leader for more than 10 years. I've participated in service projects and volunteered at community events. I'm the type of person who keeps dozens of pairs of gloves in my car to pass out to the homeless in winter. I have always tried to be helpful whenever I can. So, I'm hoping if you have it in your means to donate to my medical bills, it would be so helpful and would warm my heart. Even if you are not in a situation that you can send money, I understand that so very well. I humbly ask you to share this to your page and any community pages or other social media that you are able to. Thank you.

https://gofund.me/b913fd37

Venmo @Findlay19

PayPal @findlay1915@yahoo.com

[mobiusmobiles]

last monday: same horrible pain ive been in for months, can barely walk with the support of my rollator

last tuesday: artificial disc replacement turns into anterior fusion when the space is too small

last wednesday: walk without back pain for the first time since the crash

sunday: get discharged

today: walk a mile and a half, rollator only used for balance, with minimal if any back pain

things dont always get better. but sometimes they do.

[ryan-monster]

My back is dead today ;_; I cant even focus today idk what I have been doing for my back to be like this :(

[soupinboots]

I have a small scar near my eye from where I got (accidentally) kicked in the face by someone doing a flip on the monkey bars.

I enjoyed pretending it had some sort of dramatic backstory as a kid, but now I just use it as a guideline for my eyeliner

i think its funny how facial scars are seen as like a major character plot point where they reveal that someone tried to kill their dad or something when i know a ton of ppl (including myself) who have facial scars bc they rlly arent uncommon and all of them are like. from tripping and falling as a toddler

[horse-and-writer97]

Ok I've had a lot so bear with the tags

(30 surgeries roughly, I've lost count)

[dheerajbojwaniconsultant]

The primary objective of spine surgery is to relieve pain, enhance mobility, and improve overall quality of life for patients.

[allcarecomplete1]

Non Fusion Spine Surgery Tampa Florida

Are you experiencing severe neck pain? Cervical disk replacement surgery or Non Fusion Spine Surgery Tampa Florida is a newly FDA-approved treatment that involves the removal of a damaged cervical disk and its replacement with an artificial disk to alleviate pain. When compared to typical cervical disk surgery, this surgery is preferable because it allows for more range of motion and puts less strain on your surrounding vertebrae. Visit Total Spine & Brain Institute today for more info! Visit: https://totalspinebrain.com/

[curerehab]

Post Spine Surgery Rehabilitation | exercises after lumbar fusion | Rehab After Spinal Fusion

A physical therapist will frequently use a number of techniques to assist a patient recover from a back injury and get back in outstanding physical condition.

[slobbered]

 "One of the secrets of mental health is learning how to suffer well."

-- Carl Jung

Mood

[lalunanymph]

୨୧ zayne's unusual method of coercing lulling your baby back to sleep

✧･ﾟpapa!zayne, husband!zayne, mom!reader, talks of medical research, babies, you both have a little girl named 'jasmine' (iykyk), mild spoilers for lads if you squint, pure fluff, spoilers for the good night video call with zayne, he calls you 'my aurora' (also iykyk)

✧･ﾟhelp me plz i have fallen for this man and i cant get up

night falls, bringing with it a peace no wish in the world could.

it's the type of peace which echoes gentle snowfall during the dawn; a hum of wintry wind on the back of weak sunlight.

for now, the household is quiet, everyone catching up on precious minutes of sleep.

or, as much as they could before your daughter's piercing wail shatters through the night.

"i'll go get her," the fatigue roughened voice of your husband, zayne, reassures you. his large palm reaches across the bed, clasping your own for a single second, a silent order for you to go back to sleep.

"zayne," you murmur, rubbing your eyes. "i'll go with you—"

"you need rest," he cuts you off, though the look in his emerald gaze is eclipsed with a special softness reserved just for you. "i don't have any surgeries lined up tomorrow until after lunch. i'll do it."

stoic yet kind, your husband volunteers to take up the mantle; hurrying towards the nursery to tend to your fussy baby.

you sink back into the soft sheets, exhaling in exhaustion. it must've been hours or minutes, your consciousness dipping in and out of the pool of wakefulness.

when you turn to the side, zayne still wasn't back. curiosity propelled you to sit up, stuffing your feet into a pair of blue, fuzzy slippers. you tightened your robe around your shivering body, shuffling down the hall towards the nursery.

"... common treatment is a myectomy of the hypertrophic IVS. however, surgical treatment of midventricular is usually challenging. the hypertrophic area cannot be reached via a transaortic approach. for that reason, a transapical ventriculostomy has been described as preferred access for surgical correction..."

zayne's voice piques your interest. as you turn around the corner, you nearly burst out into a fit of giggles.

your husband, baby in one arm and large research book on his knee, was trying to read a "bedtime" story to your sweet jasmine.

"—in some cases of diffuse myectomy has been performed via trans-mitral septal myectomy with a video-assisted minimal invasive 2D technique—oh, look, it's your mama."

he moves your little girl to the other arm, her shimmering emerald eyes clasped on the hook of his nose. she bubbles and squeals, trying to swipe at his chin—definitely not drowsy or ready to fall back to sleep.

"come on now," zayne remains stern with her. "it's time for you to sleep. you've been keeping me up for almost an hour."

as much as your husband's antics were drawing your mirth, you could sense the despair in his tone wasn't fabricated.

"perhaps you're reading her the wrong bedtime story." you tease, walking into the room. you take jasmine from her papa's arms, cradling her close to your chest.

your daughter fusses, gummy mouth gaping and closing, cooing her agreement.

"the resection of hypertrophic papillary muscles and mitral valve replacement is a good bedtime story," he quips. snapping the heavy research book close, he sets it down to the floor. "she's just being like her mama, that's all."

fighting back the urge to smirk, you shake your head. "at least you've never given her a lecture on fusion guidance."

his brow crinkles, and eventually, a small smile decorates his lips. "you remember?"

zayne's voice is unexpectedly soft, and you nod; delighting in sharing this memory with your husband.

"how could i forget? it's my go-to bedtime request from you."

he stands, coming behind you and jasmine. a long, calloused finger traces down her chubby cheek. one arm around your waist, the other supporting your own arm under your baby.

"if only i could know what hers is," zayne sighs. "then, you wouldn't have to check up on us."

"i want to," you interject, nudging your face back to give his cheek a soft kiss. "i love seeing you with her."

"hmm."

your husband goes quiet for a few more moments. you almost fall asleep standing up, the warmth of his broad back emanating through your thin cotton nightdress; lulling you into comfort. jasmine, soothed by your steady breathing, droops off; her shell pink lips puckered like a bud about to bloom.

"she's finally asleep."

"your heartbeat," zayne says, barely above a whisper. his warm breath touches your neck, making gooseflesh rise on your arms. "she's soothed by it."

you touch your gaze to her puffy cheeks; the thin wisps of dark hair on her head she inherited from the one man you adored with every beat of your heart.

"i'm glad you saved me," you whisper, remembering the day when zayne performed the life-changing operation on you; finally stabilising your condition after years of distress and anxiety.

"i owe my heart to you."

"keep it," your husband is quick to dismiss his role in saving you; a man of little words with the biggest impact.

"but, take mine if you need it. my heart is all yours, my aurora."

sobs iykyk the spoilers for mr. love: queen's choice (lads predecessor) you'd know that zayne's hea—[gunshot]

©️ all works belong to lalunanymph. do not copy, repost or claim as your own.