Scoliosis - My Experience Living With Back Pain

Hi to all @ Steemit.

My name is Annie, and I want to share my experience with back pain.

I have a medical condition, had it since birth. I have Scoliosis. I have also had two successful surgery's done, on my spine and on my neck. My neck operation was performed when I was 44 years old. I started feeling prickly sensation down my left arm and hands. Then as time went by, I started losing all feeling in my arm, hands, chest and face. This was due to the vertebra building up access bone mass and pinching off the spinal cord.

I was 16 with my spine operation, and it was successfully performed by a great man called Dr Leonard Nainken in Milpark Hospital JHB South Africa. This was done 33 years back.

Can I tell you, up until today there has been NO complications with the surgery he has performed.

As the years went by, I started having problems with my lower back. I was told by doctors that this would happen, as they explained to me the Harrington Rod that is inserted in my back, stops the normal flow of spine fluids to the neck and lower back, and therefore the bones will become brittle and the soft tissue will dry up.

My spine was curved 70 % to the right.

I guess I was born with this, but I only noticed this when a friend commented on me standing all skew. I guess when you are born with this you just carry on as usual and don't notice these things, until someone tells you about it.

I told my parents about this, and then only did they also notice my condition. They took me to a doctor, that doctor referred me to a surgeon, who then in turn sent me to a specialist. Dr Leonard Nainken. He was fully booked, and my operation was booked for three months from the date I went to see him.

I went under the knife at the tender age of 16. I have never had surgery before and therefore I did not know that I was allergic to MORPHINE. I was in theater for 22 hours. They inserted a Harrington Rod, which they fused with bone taken from by backside. That was only the beginning of my ordeal. I was in a coma for 7 days, because of the allergic reaction I had to the Morphine. I was closely monitored and given treatment to stabilise my allergy.

Long story short, I survived, and went home after 3 weeks in hospital, with a huge back and neck brace, and a Harrinton Rod in my back. I was not allowed to take off this huge brace that was from under my chin to halfway past my bottom for 18 months. My mother had to bed bath me for those 18 months.

This a little lesson on what a Harrington rod is:

Harrington Rod

Harrington rod is a surgical implant used to stretch the spine in order to correct abnormal curvature. The rod is attached to the spine with hooks inserted into the vertebra at the top of the curve and the vertebra at the bottom of the curve.
The Harrington rod has a ratcheting mechanism that works to straighten the spinal curve and stabilize the spine. The vertebrae in between the hooks are then allowed to fuse.

The Harrington rod is largely an antiquated spinal fixation system as it only allowed fixation at two points. Modern rod fixation systems used for deformity surgery allow for multiple points of fixation making it much stronger. The newer systems also allow for better correction of deformity.

The Harrington rod is an obsolete instrument once used as a corrective device for scoliosis and other spinal abnormalities that resulted in a curvature of the spine. This steel rod was surgically attached to the spine to straighten it. An extremely successful treatment for scoliosis, it was eventually replaced with more stable and flexible spinal corrective devices. In some cases, individuals treated with the Harrington rod developed a condition known as Flatback Syndrome, requiring corrective surgery.

Made of stainless steel, the Harrington rod was outfitted with hooks on either end that were essentially anchored at both ends of the patient's spine. After implantation, the rod would be adjusted via a ratcheting system to straighten the spine. Initially implanted without the aid of spinal fusion, the device was found to weaken over time and would eventually break. Post-operative bracings, or casts, were eventually required to establish spinal immobilization and allow the vertebral fusions time to heal.

NOW THE REASON FOR MY POST TODAY IS TO ASK ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE FROM STEEMIT TO HELP. The more you vote for me, the more money I can make. I am in desperate need of a final back operation, to try and alleviate the constant pain I am living with from day to day. The constant pain I have been living with for the past couple of years has affected my life in a very negative way. I can not sit, stand, walk or sleep without constant pain. My boss Ricardo Goncalves whom is the founder @steemdrive, sees me in this pain every day. There is some days that I am in so much pain, that I can not get out of bed and I can not come to work. Thank God for a very understanding boss, who has great empathy for me. I have a corset on 24/7 and sit with hot water bottles at work just to try and lesson the constant and unbearable pain.

I do not have any medical insurance or a medical aid, and unfortunately I can not go to any government hospital, as this is a delicate operation and I would like it done by professionals. I do not earn a big salary and just get by month to month.

RFERENCES TAKEN FROM: http://www.spine-health.com/glossary/harrington-rod.

I want to thank each and every one of you who will vote for me in advance for your support.