Spinal Fusion for those who are Strong

meganreinsch

Greetings everyone,

I was first diagnosed at the age for 14 with Thoracic Lumbar Idiopathic Scoliosis (aka Middle back, lower back, we don't know where the hell it came from, curve of the spine) - Yes it is a mouthful. over the course of puberty and early adulthood the curve in my spine progressed to 70 degrees. I am happy to say that I am now 3 months post operation and am officially made out of two titanium steel rods and about 17 screws and bolts. And here is the exciting news.... I am back in the gym and strength training (of course with doctors approval )

I am curious if there are any other myfitnesspal-ers who have gone through a similar surgery and how they are doing. I am shocked at my ability to lift weights only 3 months post op as every blog I read of others who underwent this surgery it was years till they were able to lift again.

Looking forward to hearing from you -
I have also started a blog to help those who may be going through surgery or waiting for surgery

http://scoliosistwistedjourney.blogspot.ca/p/about-me.html

Marpepp

Hey! I was born with a congenital defect called os odontoideum and have had spinal fusion to correct it. Mine was higher though (C1-C5) so my recovery took a lot longer (neck brace and upper back support for 6 months and no lifting more than 10 pounds). So I'm further down the path, although I will never be able to rotate my head more than 20 degrees in either direction. It's great to see you out there getting into shape! Go Team Titanium!

FireStorm1972

Hats off to the both of you 8) I have no such injuries but your stories bring inspiration 8)

bv109

i have a mild scoliosis. forget degrees. my lifts are weak compared to friends.

grats on you doing the surgery. only reason i'd do it is for the height increase

ntdcruz

That's amazing. I've had a hemisacrectomy performed as a result of a bone cancer and my entire lumbar spine fused to my pelvis. Must say it took longer for me to recover, but they had to 'sacrifice' a few nerves along the way. I spent almost 3 mths in the hospital and it took 9 months of physical therapy to get from a walker onto a single crutch. Happy to say 2.5 yrs out and i now walk with only a small limp, take zumba, can ride a bicycle and feel that exercise has saved my life. Now mfp is helping me shed the 40 or so lbs i put on after my surgeries. I feel so blessed most days.
Congrats on your speedy recovery! If you have bad days don't get down about it. Slow and steady on the weights! You don't want to hurt yourself. Keep your doctors in the loop.

meganreinsch

@ntdcruz - It is wonderful to here you are doing so well. Having a lumbar fusion is definitely interesting. I am still trying to figure out how to tie my shoes as I cannot bend over my knees. Do you have numbness due to losing nerves? My right hip is still very numb; however, occasionally I get these sharp stabbing feelings, which I am assuming the nerves waking up I am hoping I regain complete feeling eventually.

I have also found that riding bike is my primary cardio. I think it is because there is less bouncing compared to running or the elliptical.
I hope your progress continues to be a positive one

meganreinsch

I am happy to see that there are others who have undergone back surgery I pray for strength for everyone. My friends have started to call me "little optimus prime" due to now being made of metal

blueridgeloner

My Daughter is going to have the spinal fusion in a little over a week. It is in her upper spine. Reading the success you have had helps put my mind in a little better place. She is 17 and has already had a chiari decompression surgery. The chiari is what caused her scoliosis of around 70 degrees. There is also a 30 degree curve in her lower spine, but they are going to leave it alone. Her's is curved to where it is twisting her ribcage and makes a small hump on her left shoulder blade area and left side. Her spine is actually kinda a classic S shape. I looked at some of your blog, bookmarked it, and will finish in the next day or two.

Edit to add more info..

ntdcruz

@ntdcruz - It is wonderful to here you are doing so well. Having a lumbar fusion is definitely interesting. I am still trying to figure out how to tie my shoes as I cannot bend over my knees. Do you have numbness due to losing nerves? My right hip is still very numb; however, occasionally I get these sharp stabbing feelings, which I am assuming the nerves waking up I am hoping I regain complete feeling eventually.

I have also found that riding bike is my primary cardio. I think it is because there is less bouncing compared to running or the elliptical.
I hope your progress continues to be a positive one

Yes, amazing what our bodies can recover from. I was told they only attempted my surgery since I was relatively young (38 at the time with a 3 year old and a 14 month old). I had a significant amount of nerve pain and remain on the nerve blocker Lyrica. I remember telling them to just cut off my damn leg it hurt so bad... little did i know that doesn't help. Apparently, even amputees deal with nerve pain from the severed nerves. Again, exercise and time have helped. I'd give it a solid year to determine if your numbness is permanent. I get the sharp stabbing pain and a burning, tight feeling in my right foot. These are worse at night when i go to bed, which has led to some insomnia. However, the pain has settled somewhat, and combined with the exercise and the right mix of medication, they have gotten better overall. I've found through trial and error that i don't need as much medication during the day. If you need it, take it, but at the lowest dose possible. The meds cause weight gain and some general fogginess which I'm just now coming out of.
The bike is great. I walk with a permanent limp, so the treadmill and elliptical are sort of out. I started with the exercise bike and have found that i can also do the short stepper machines (smaller movements) and recently got onto my hubby's real bike when he was teaching our 6 year old to ride her bike. I don't want to miss out on anything!!
Things that haven't worked for me are pilates- lying on the floor on my back, etc., is no good. Crunches are out, but overhead pull-over weight machines work for me. Step aerobics is out- just not coordinated enough on a step anymore. Weights typically only with the machines with back support.
What weights do you do? I've never spoken to my doctors about them. Is there any possibility we could pop a screw, etc.? I've tried to not go too crazy and to keep the best form that i can.
Well, nice talking to you Optimus... i might have to try a transformer name as well.
I'll try and check out your blog as well.
Xxoxo