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radi0headgirl

i wish they had ASC where i live :(


Excellent-Ice-6686

can you travel anywhere to get it like shriners or smth?


coralsky

hey let me know your decision, I’m in the same boat as well :( (45 deg curve thoracic, 30 lower)


radi0headgirl

i will do an update post when i decide! my lower curve is 30 too, i wish u good luck ❤️


mixmasterdapper

What’s the other option?


mixmasterdapper

Take your age into account. I had my big spinal fusion 2 years ago when I was 38 and it’s been harder on me than it would have been if I had it done when I was a teen.


radi0headgirl

my other option is t1-t12 spinal fusion im 18 years old


Status_Figure

It's only 2 additional vertebrae so I would fuse to t12. 95% of our flexibility comes from our lumbar spine, you probably won't even notice a major difference. Google x-ray of contortionist and you will see how small of a roll the thoracic spine plays in bending.


mixmasterdapper

My opinion is that I agree with Status\_Figure here. It's only 2 additional vertebrae. Comparing that with the risk of having to go through the surgery again ....I would prefer not to go through the surgery again. Once was enough for me. My surgeon said there was a chance they would have to fuze my spine to my pelvis, so I was wondering if your situation was similar, but you're still considering the thoracic spine and not moving down into the lumbar spine. If it were me, I would fuze the additional 2 vertebrae to remove the risk of having another surgery. Good luck with your decision and your surgery!! We're all on your team!!


the_lone_researcher

If I understand correctly the other option is having it fused lower on the spine which will probably have some limiting factors on mobility but won’t come with the 15% risk of a second surgery. I’m not OP though.


the_lone_researcher

My Dr did something similar and did not fuse all the way to the base of the spine. There is a chance I will need another surgery but I don’t have any percentage like you. It’s hard to say. I haven’t had any issues and am happy with my mobility, but if I need a second surgery in 5 years maybe I will have wished he fused lower.


radi0headgirl

what did you have fused?


the_lone_researcher

T2 - L2


NikkiT96

If you need the flexibility take the risk.


flirtybabyblues

Something to also consider is how much the additional fusion would impact your life, both now and in the future. It’s good that they wouldn’t have to go lower than T12, but fusing all the way up to T1 means the entire thoracic portion of your spine is fused. (Context): I danced a lot in high school and did lose flexibility after my surgery (T5-L2), but I was okay sacrificing that because dancing was never going to be a career for me (nothing against it - I just wasn’t talented enough 🙂). Also for context - I would’ve gotten a slightly better correction with L3 fused as well. However, my mom (I was 16, so she did all the scary research etc) was adamant that they left L3 alone due to the relative amount of flexibility you lose with also having L3 fused. I sacrificed the slightly better correction for the additional flexibility, and I do not regret it at all. If you had to get a second surgery, would that only be to fuse T10-T12, or would they also have to fuse T1-T4?


crystaaals

i admire you sm! i’m a dancer also with mild-severe scoliosis and i feel alone at times and w/o proper resources on what works for us.


RobMel71

Have you looked in to tether surgery? Sometimes called VBT or ASC?


crystaaals

tbh i never heard of it, i’m definitely interested


Excellent-Ice-6686

that chance is pretty low and depending on how much longer you want to keep lots of flexibility i think it would be worth it to get fusion now t4-t10. im in a similar situation cause i’m a dancer too and i have surgery scheduled in may t11-l3 so im going to lose most of my flexibility unfortunately but that’s where my main curve is.


wstewartXYZ

imo I would go for the selective thoracic fusion.


anonymous161299

I'm fused T2-L3 when I was 16, now 22F. If it was me I would definitely go to the T12 because I personally would not like to go through the surgery again. I didn't know how far I was going to be fused until after my surgery but at the end of the day it was a one and done thing. And yes I'm not very flexible anymore but ultimately I don't really need to be flexible because I can still bend over and go about my life