Part 1: My History, Pre-Surgery
Part 2: Surgery and the Hospital
Part 3: After the Surgery
Part 4: Today (Three Years Later)
I mentioned in my first post that if scoliosis is caught early enough, before the curve gets too bad, some people elect to wear a back brace (sometimes for years and years). If it works, it can stop the curve from progressing and surgery might not be needed. It may seem wrong to say this, but surgery or not, to this day I’m not upset about the fact that my scoliosis wasn’t caught earlier than it was. With my awkward adolescence, including thick glasses (before I graduated to contact lenses), braces, being taller than everybody else, etc., a back brace would have been a crushing blow to my already deep feelings of insecurity.
There are both pros and cons to having had the corrective surgery, but I definitely don’t regret having done it. The best part was when I realized for the first time that I could stand up straight (this was after the pain had worn off), and I could actually feel that I was standing up straight. Pre-surgery, I would try to stand as straight as I could but I still felt like I was slanting to one side. Now when I sit down, both of my shoulder blades hit the back of the chair at the same time, as opposed to only one side.
The other good things? My scar has faded. It went from bright red, to dusty pink, and now it’s a thin white line. The first few inches of the scar is visible when I wear certain tops, but it mostly stays out of sight since my hair is long enough to cover it. After the surgery, I couldn’t bend forward more than a few inches. Now I can easily reach down and touch the floor. If I’m lying down, I can sit up straight without pain.
The things that will never completely go away? The rods corrected the protrusion of my right shoulder blade, but the shifting of everything in my back caused one of the ribs underneath my right shoulder blade to stick out instead. It’s not as bad as the shoulder blade was, and not as obvious, but I can tell (not only by the way it feels, but by the way it looks) that it’s not normal. I could have another procedure done to correct it, but that would mean surgery again. Unless it really starts to bother me, I’ll just live with it.
Right after the surgery, most of the area around my scar was numb. Today there is an area underneath my right shoulder blade (where most of the curve-correction took place) that is still numb. The surgeon said this is normal; some people regain feeling, but others don’t. It’s weird not being able to feel my nails when I scratch my skin, but I’ve learned to live with it.
My back will make small popping sounds; I can straighten my back and it will pop multiple times in a day. It doesn’t hurt, though. If I try to carry something heavy, or if I’m sitting for too long on a bench (or on the floor, anywhere that doesn’t have something for me to rest against), my back will bother me. But I don’t have to take any painkillers, so it doesn’t get too bad.
Pre-surgery, I remember somebody questioning if the rods would set off metal detectors. I have been through multiple metal detectors and the answer is no. I don’t have an abundance of extra flesh covering my back either, so if I’m safe, I assume everyone else would be, too.
That’s all that I can think about right now. If anyone has any questions, now or in the future, I’ll be happy to answer them.
20 Comments
Wow, very informative. I *love* learning about different medical things. Thanks for the story!
You have to be one of the bravest people I know.Must come from your Dads’ side of the family, all the Rowes’ on your mother side are
chicken: never would have gone the extra step for
medical help. HAHAHA… Glad you are better and standing tall(er) Your beautiful!!!!!! :) :) :)
that’s some pretty cool stuff, and you’ve definitely gone through a lot with surgery and whatnot!
coolness factor of having any metal rods in your body = 10/10
Like the others who commented, I think you’re a very brave person. How tall are you anyway? I think you’ll blend in here in Holland perfectly because we’re the tallest people in the world!
I’m so glad things worked out, and I bet your post will help a lot of people.
My grandmother has pretty severe scoliosis, and it was never corrected. I wish she could do something, but she’s just used to pain now and doesn’t see the point. I have really, really mild scoliosis, so that the brace might mess up more than it cures. But I know about sitting down and feeling one side hit the chair differently.
Really well written and planned out, especially when you have so much going on!
Your story gives us hope. My 13 yo daughter has 55 degree scoliosis in the upper back and 45 degree in the lower and may need surgery. Are there any sports you can no longer do after the operation? She is a keen horse-rider and dancer.
Linda
Australia
you are extremely brave! How old r u now? sue
hi,
im british, and ive got 40 degree scoliosis, its my hip that looks wierd for me, i have one curved side (like a noral woman) and one totally flat. Its strange, i mean i still go out and do sport, but it does hurt, and your right you never forget its there, i just dont know if it gets any owrse if i can go through what you did, your so brave. im 18, and starting uni in sept.
it was great reading your story, made me feel like if i hav to do the surgery there’s hope :) x
Hi Zandria,
I know you wrote this a really long time ago, but I’m hoping you still read the replies. I found your site through Google.
I have scoliosis, and even though it’s not that severe it causes me quite a bit of pain. I’m considering having surgery, I hope you don’t mind me asking you a few questions.
1. How long were you in the hospital total?
2. About how long was it after you left the hospital until you felt “normal”? (I realize everything definitely felt different than it did before, I just wanted to know how long it took before the pain mostly went away.)
3. How much could you do while you were at home recovering? Did you spend most of the 5 weeks lying around in bed or on the couch, or could you lead a fairly normal life? Did you have to have a family member to take care of you for a long time?
Thank you for sharing your story, it is really nice to get someone’s perspective other than just reading medical articles. And it is really brave of you to show your scar, just remember: the things that make you unique are what is really beautiful about you :)
I can 100% relate and understand what you have been through. On December 19th 2005 I had surgery as well. But I had to have mine during my junior year in high school. This year is my first year in college and I decided this year to share my story as well, but I have done so at school for different medical classes. I hope things continue to go well for you! Good Luck with everything.
You said after your surgery they placed you on to a bed as fast as they could, and that it was one of the most paintful things you have ever felt-
when you were laying on the bed did it still hurt like that? Did it keep stinging for along time? Also I’ve heard some people need to wear a brace after the surgery (for maybe 3 months?) did you have to do that, or have you heard of anything like that?
(I’m a freshmen about to go through this-yay)
I have acute scoliosis and I am a horseback rider. I was first told that I had scoliosis when I was in 5th grade. I am now a freshman in college. I never got the corrective surgery but now I am rethinking that decision. I used to see a Chiropractor every two to three weeks but for one reason or another, I stopped going.
I am like you and avoided tight clothing for most of my middle and high school days, just to avoid the comments. I usually experienced discomfort, which was not helped by my riding. My main reason for not getting the surgery was because of the fact that I was under the impression that I would not be allowed to ride anymore. I want to know now, would I not be able to continue my favorite activity if I was to get this surgery? I don’t know if I would be comfortable with the fact that I wold be giving up the thing that made me the happiest in the world, just to stand up straight, as great as that would be.
Help me
I’ve written up a site much like yours at scoligirl.com for all the same reasons – all I wanted before my surgery was a personal story with some dimension – I so wish I would have stumbled upon your site a year ago! Regardless, it was awesome to compare notes and read your story. I actually just came back from my surgeon today after my one year check in – no broken screws and everything looks good :) :) – good luck with everything, and thanks for sharing your story!!
– Darci Manley (www.scoligirl.com)
Just read your story about your scoliosis operation and found this very informative. Like you my curve wasn’t bad enough for the op but I had a back brace at 14. At 20 I decided not to have the operation as my curve was 35 degrees but now I am 40 and have just been told it has increased to 48 degrees. I am considering having an operation now but I am nervous – how bad was your curve when you decided to go for it? Is there any sport etc that you cannot do now? Did you have an “S” curve or a single one? Sorry for so many questions but I would like to try and find out as much as I can before proceeding with the op. Thanks.
Thanks for posting your story. Yesterday we were told our daughter (11 yrs old) needs the same surgery. Sharing your experience is helping us understand ours.
thanks
i was diagnosed in high school. i had grown up seeing regular physicians, so my parents were immediately stunned that the curve in my spine could’ve been overlooked.
we spent a full year, perhaps more, consulting with doctors and monitoring the progression of the curve. every week, i was taken out of school early to see another doctor. we discussed surgery, the back brace, the possible effects of simple exercises. some doctors told me that surgery was the only way for me to go.
i saw a specialist at ucla medical hospital and he was the last doctor i ever saw about my scoliosis. he told me that i had stopped growing (i’m not even 5 feet tall) and thus, the curve would not worsen.
i’m lucky that it hasn’t. i never had the surgery or wore a back brace. i haven’t even seen an x-ray of my back in years. i have no idea how bad the curve is now. i have no pain, except for the memory of being thrown to doctor after doctor with tales of this “necessary surgery.”
i admire you for having had the surgery, and i admire you for writing about it.
I also had corrective surgery for my scoliosis in 2001. My scoliosis was found in the summer of 2001 and because of the severity of my condition, surgery was needed as soon as possible (I was in 8th grade at the time). Our stories have a lot in common except that I have never put anything on my scar to try and conceal it and my steel rod WILL set off metal detectors haha. I found this out the hard way, in a packed airport in Orlando, Florida.
I thank you for sharing your story :)
what was your degree? s curve or c curve? can i see ex-rays?
do you have flat back? or do you still have than natural dip in your lower back?
can you feel the rods if you touch them?
are the rods cold or hot?
can you feel them in you?
can you arch your back?
can you bend sideways? like, your left hand to your left foot
can you twist around?
if you wouldnt mind emailing me the answers, that would be awesome
caddog@charter.net
I just found out yesterday that I’m getting the surgery in 2 months. Mine is terrible. I am in pain constantly and I wear baggy clothes because I don’t want people to see. My curve is 77 degrees. I’m glad to know yours went well. I’m scared to death!
I’m now 23 this November I’ll be 24. I’m looking at surgery due to numbness down my legs and being put in the hospital two years ago due to pinched nerves. I’m very nervous about the surgery cause I’ve heard bad side effects will happen down the road. But you have given me hope. Thank you for sharing your story with the world.