Spine Operatrion

[CookieMosher]

Hey im 13 and im about to have a major spinal operation, and i was wondering if any one on here had had it and could give me advice on it. Its to put titanium bars on my spine, to help straighten out my curves. (i have scoliosis) Thanks xx

[Ember]

I haven't had one but know someone who had and it turned out great, so don't worry you won't regret it.

[CookieMosher]

ok thanks, i just had the x rays, and now im going for a final consultation. did they mention anything about the pain killer? does anyone know what i can do about the annisthetic? cos last time i had an op i reacted badly, and it took 3 nurses to push a needle through the muscles in my leg, to relax them. i just dont want to have to go thru that pain again.

[sft42]

Hi there...hope it all goes well for you...i can only give you some links to try http://www.srs.org/ & http://www.scoliosisrx.com/ & http://www.scoliosis.org/ these all seem to be full of good info......other than that you could try hypnosis to get you to relax before the operation begins....good luck anyway.

[Janetex]

I don't have any advice, but I do wish you all the very best.

[gmanester]

I had the surgery 5 years ago at the age of 18. I was very nervous beforehand and it was my first ever operation so I was worried about the anaesthetic too but you need to take deep breaths and think of nice things as you go off to sleep. I'm sure the surgery will be fine, loads of people have had it and it has really improved their quality of life. It's great that you have the chance to get it done at a young age - you will recover in no time. I'm sure that your surgeon has performed many of these operations and has helped many people like you to have a straighter spine and less pain etc. Best of luck with it.

[d+dwidow]

Hi, I had the operation done 10 years ago now. Like you, I have scoliosis and they put a titanium rod in my spine. I used to be in a lot of pain but now very rarely get a twinge, it's definitely well worth going through. The operation was a complete success, I was under for about 3 hours. I was a little nervous, but as gmanester says, the surgeons are great and know exactly what they're doing. After 3 days of being on my back after the op they fitted my back brace - it felt unbelievably weird but it really helped - you have to wear it 24/7 unfortunately. Then they get you up and about doing some gentle walking under the guidance of a physio. I was home after 10 days. Think the boredom got me motivated into getting better! I had to wear the brace for 6 months and couldn't wait to be out of it at the end, however after not wearing it for about half an hour I was screaming to put it back on again! Hope it all goes well for you and good luck with it.

[d+dwidow]

With regards to your reactions to anaesthetic, if you let them know before your operation that you don't get on too well with them they can give you something to stop you feeling ill afterwards - the last thing you need is to be sick straight after.