Hi...from Ireland

[Tish1]

Hi all I'm Tish and new to the forum, not to scoli though. I have congenital scoliosis and had a bone graft in '77 and harrington rod in '79, aged 9 & 11. I dont know my degrees but I want to now after reading the posts where so many of you know yours. I'm also very jealous that so many of you know the same surgeons, here (sunny Ireland) Im not sure I know another 3 people with scoliosis let alone their surgeons!! :) Im 40 now, 4,11" and havent been monitored since I was 17 and in a car crash, had been discharged at 16. I might ask for a wee check up as Im getting a bit of pain. Treatment has moved on so much and so many more possibilities seem open, I would love to know what is available to me now. Anyone know if they can do anything for the high hip? Its a pain in the bum when sitting on a hard seat and you topple over!! or you have to try and rebalance yourself...not the end of the world tho! Im also quite private about my scoli and I would rather not be, I dont feel the twist and lead an average life, and just dont want the 'pity'. Hopefully this forum will change that. Im really happy to have found this site and look forward to 'meeting' everyone and catching up with the posts. Any other Irish?? tx

[Sharshe]

Welcome Tish! Glad you found this forum. As you've already seen there are a lot of us dealing with all degrees of scoli. There is a wealth of information here.
Maybe you'll end up finding someone in Ireland on the forum too. Amazingly I found someone here who lives only a couple of miles away! It was really neat.
TTFN Sharon

[asccbodypro]

Tish,

Welcome! Hope you are able to get some useful and suppportive help from this website. I have only been here for about 2 weeks and have found it very valuable! I am having surgery April 15...and not looking forward to it. Who would right! Anyways, I'm not sure if I have your same "high hip" problem. My head and shoulders are 5 centimeters to the left of my hips. So on one side my rib cage sits right on top of my hip bone......very uncomfortable! I have a slight rib hump which really most people never even notice. My husband only just noticed it a few weeks ago. I have learned to hold my posture as well as I can, so I hide my curve well. Only the doctor and my husband have really seen how awful it really is. Like you I would rather keep it to myself! I will tell you what I can't wait for....besides less pain....is my pants to fit correctly:) I am sooooo sick of tugging one side up all the time. As for skirts...forget them, I have never been able to wear one because they have always hung crooked. Ah the life of scoliosis:) Take care over the in Ireland!

Susan

[bbest]

Hey Tish!

Welcome. My name is Brandi and I also have congenital scoliosis. Mine went undetected until I was 29 y/o and was first diagnosed by my chiropractor. He drew on my xrays and was able to accurately determine my cobb angle measurements. Like you, I can count on one hand (and have fingers left over) the number of people I have met with scoliosis. This forum is an excellent way to "meet" other people from all over the world who understand what it means to have scoliosis. You commented that many folks on the forum know the same doctors. Because it is important to entrust ourselves to the care of orthos who specialize in the treatment of scoliosis, you learn very quickly, who these doctors are, their reputations, etc.

Many advancements have been made in the treatment of scoliosis since you were last treated. It might be worth your while to schedule an appt. with an orthopedist who specializes in the treatment of adults with scoliosis and see what he suggests.

Take care,
Brandi