Getting surgery was not any easy decision for me to make. My scoliosis—while bad—was not much of an issue until recently. I did have mild pain, but it was not bothersome and I was able to get about with no limitations. According to my previous doctor who’d been treating me for scoliosis since 5th grade, I did not need to think about surgery for another five or ten years or perhaps ever.
When I saw Dr. Antonacci this past May, he saw my x-rays, listened to my report of recent back pain when carrying a backpack or walking in NYC all day and was convinced that it would be in my best interest to consider surgery now. He told me that, as my curve progressed over the years, it would be more and more difficult to correct and would require fusing further down my spine which would likely limit my mobility. That certainly made me realize how serious things were!
I was still nervous, but Dr. Antonacci and Joel made me feel at ease. When I went in the day of the surgery, I was confident they would do everything in their power to make my spine straight.
It has been five months since the surgery and, although the first few weeks were hard, I feel a lot better now and am well on my way to recovery. It took me a while to get used to walking—one of my legs was shorter than the other before surgery due to my curves—but I am looking forward to doing some hiking in the near future.
Overall, my experience with Dr. Antonacci was very positive. You are in good hands with him.
Boyce D., 21 – March 2014
I wanted to reiterate what Boyce said about how awesome Dr. Antonacci, Dr. Cuddihy and Joel were. As an RN and also a mother of a 17 year old son who had scoliosis surgery in 2011, I knew what to expect. My younger son had a lot of pain post-operatively (of course his curves were worse going into the surgery) and so I was dreading Boyce’s surgery. Well, after Boyce’s surgery, they managed his pain so well that he rarely even asked for any break-through pain meds. He was talking and eating quickly and besides some pain and some numbness in his thighs, he was feeling really good right away.
Choosing to proceed with spinal fusion was a very tough choice, especially after Boyce had been SO compliant in wearing the numerous braces (Boston from 5th grade through 8th grade and Providence from 9th through 12th grade) but it was definitely the right decision. Boyce hopes to go back to college full time next fall, and I can feel confident that his back will no longer give him pain or slow him down. I would highly recommend Dr. Antonacci, Dr. Cuddihy, Joel and their awesome office to anyone seeking skilled, compassionate and exceptional care! — Betty D. (Boyce’s mother)