I have something called scoliosis, which means that my spine has a curve in it. I used to wear a back brace which I wore around my torso and it would prevent my curve from getting worse, but today I just got back from the Children's Hospital with news that I would need to get back surgery.
At the very beginning when I first went, this was in 2008. The doctors said that once your spine gets to a 45 degree angle, then they start talking about having to do back surgery. At this time, the X-Rays showed that I had a curve of 44.2 degrees in my spine so I was really close to needing the surgery.
First I wore the back brace, I had to wear it for 23 hours a day, including sleeping with it on, but I was allowed to take it off to play sports and go swimming and stuff like that. It was a pain to wear it but I had to otherwise I would have had to have surgery.
I wore the back brace for about 3 years until I had an appointment at the Children's Hospital. We decided that I was going to stop wearing my back brace to see if I was good to go, and could go back to not having to worry about it. We took the brace off and decided that we were going to wait a year and then have another appointment to see if we could 100% be done wearing it (that was a year ago)
Today was the appointment that we had just waited about a year for and I was expecting the doctor to say that I was done with the brace and anyrhing involving that, but that's not what I heard. Based on the evidence from my X-Rays, the doctor said that I was in need of back surgery.
I don't know when I'm having surgery, but I know that they will cut me open and put a long bar inside my back and screw it close to my spine so my spine will straighten out. The surgery will take about 6-10 hours and I will have to spend 5-7 days in the hospital after the surgery and then take about a month off school. But the worst part is that I will not be able to do any physical activity for one whole year.
I am telling you this because I just needed to get it off my chest and because I know you guys are very friendly and will support me and what's going to happen. I have not told anyone this except for my family but you guys are my family so I feel that I should tell you. And with me not being able to do physical activity I will likely be on tengaged a lot more.
the surgery will be fine, and there is some cool stuff you can do in your recovery time, learn an instrument, a new language, read books!!
i went to school with a guy with scoliosis, he too had the surgery and now he doesnt have to wear that stupid brace anymore, it will be so worth it and you will feel like a brand new person :)
just remember once youre able to be active again? keep active!
my cousin has cerebral palsy and had an op on her legs to strengthen them, she started to walk without aid and was doing really well, until she started getting lazy and now she can't walk very far because she didn't excersise her legs enough :(
