I stopped by to see Erik and his wife from Kentucky this afternoon in their private hospital room here at Duke Raleigh Hospital, where he has been since being transferred from PACU yesterday afternoon (no ICU needed).   Yesterday,  I performed the flat back syndrome anterior/posterior (A/P)  reconstruction for him, and I wanted to see how he did with his first physical therapy session this morning.  His photos of his xrays are on previous blog from yesterday.

His wife piped up first, and said “He’s 3 inches taller and standing up straight, taller than me now just like when we were married!”  In fact, he is pretty much back to his “old self” now, since I jacked open anteriorly the 2 discs that had collapsed below his long scoliosis fusion done 20 years ago, and actually was able to restore their full height!  Now he actually has fairly normal lordosis. His wife told me her version of more lordosis:  “He’s got his butt back again!”

Erik smiled.  He admitted that it felt great to be standing up straight, but he still hasn’t quite gotten used to it yet!  He was able to get up and even walk out into the hall, less than 24 hours after finishing his 6 and half hour complex anterior/posterior reconstruction.

They both seemed so relieved that a new chapter in their family’s life was beginning, with 2 big smiles that really made my day.  Many prayers answered for Eric and his family.

Get well soon, Erik.

Dr. Lloyd Hey
Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
Raleigh, NC  USA  (RDU)
https://www.heyclinic.com

Find an excellent scoliosis/deformity surgeon through http://www.srs.org.