People make fun of me

[Qikdraw]

Lexi

I can't say I know exactly how you feel. I wore a brace from the age of 2 till 12 when I had my surgery, (1983) so it was always with me. So how to come to terms with it in general I can't help you beyond what other people have already said.

I do know how you feel when people look at you and make fun of you. My mother said I used to come home from school crying a lot. (although I don't remember doing so) Going to a public swimming pool kids would come up to me and ask all sorts of questions, even adults. The REALLY sad part of that is that parents used to find my parents and tell them I should not be allowed to swim with their children, some of that was told to me directly. It ain't fun when that happens but, as cheesy as this sounds, it builds character. Through it I've learned to deal with difficult people, people already hostile and learned to calm them down, I've learned to bring my personality forward, and pretty soon people forget you're wearing a brace. You're just you.

I've been thinking seriously about getting a tattoo, and I'm not a tattoo person at all. People I worked with said I should go on the LA Ink tv show because my story is interesting. My tattoo idea is to show a scoliosis spine, with the words 'Strength of Character' around it. My spine has made me who I am today, and you know what? I like who I am. While life has been hard at times with it, I've decided I would not change a thing. Its through adversity we find out who we really are and that is not a bad thing.

Don't let anyone put you down, just remember you have the strength of character to pull through it, you can do whatever you want, just be yourself and realise that there is more to yourself than you have yet found.

Keep shining,

Brad

[txmarinemom]

Funny you mention the tattoo, Brad. I've been considering having my hardware inked on my back like on the back of our AIDS Walk 2008 5K team shirts ... (color seperation pic for artwork is attached - and no ... not the ribs also - LOL)

Where some would want to cover their scar, I wear mine proudly .

Regards,
Pam

[Qikdraw]

Funny you mention the tattoo, Brad. I've been considering having my hardware inked on my back like on the back of our AIDS Walk 2008 5K team shirts ... (color seperation pic for artwork is attached - and no ... not the ribs also - LOL)

How big would you get it? I was thinking more on my leg or shoulder.

Where some would want to cover their scar, I wear mine proudly .

That reminded me... I was at a resort with my wife and we were sitting in the hot tub with two other couples, both much older than us, they were in their 60s or 70s. The two men were talking about their open heart surgeries and their scars for awhile, when one turns to me and says, 'Don't worry, one day you'll have scar stories too.'. I just started laughing away, turned around and showed them my two scars totalling over 2 feet in length. I just said to them I already have scar stories and have had them for 20-odd years. heh I just thought that was pretty funny.

Brad

[spine'[chicka]]

I just started wearing my brace to school yesterday and people are already making fun of me!! It makes me so sad and they all wonder why I'm always in a bad mood now! What should I do?

-Lexi-

Hey, Lexi. Just shrug it off. The first day I wore my brace to school, I got asked if I was a football player because my shoulders were really raised. I went to the guidance office and burst into tears because I was so upset. I didn't know how to handle it, but I promise you, over time, people will start to understand. A few weeks after I had started wearing it to school, a bunch of the really popular girls in my grade were telling me it was so cool, and that my brace was sweet because it was pink. They even signed my yearbook with, 'Girl, your brace is sweet! Keep on rockin' it!' Even my friends like to try it on and fool around with it! And eventually, you may not even have to wear it to school anymore, if you do what you're supposed to. I did and after a year and a half, I'm only wearing it at night! Just be confident, people will totally adjust and eventually they'll soften up and understand more.
Hope that helps!

[Elphsk8]

are you SERIOUS??? they would be THAT low to make fun of a STUPID brace??? how retarded. don't pay any attention to them. when they say something mean, just be like, "hey, that's SO low. it's only to help me not to hurt my body cuz i'm gonna be a model when i grow up! don't you ppl have a heart at all??? apparently not cuz that's just retarded to make fun of me for following my dream!" and that's ALL you say, then be like, "wanna punch my stomach??? i promise it won't hurt." it's wut i did and it worked just fine!!! noone even cares about it they just say, "do you have your model suit on??? can i punch it again!?" i promise life at school will get a whole lot better! plus, school's almost out, so when you go back to the doctor, say "hey, i wuz talking to some girls on the nsf forums and i wuz wondering if i would be eligible to get a spinecor??? it'd be so cool." if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. i'll be happy to help you. thoughts and prayers, ~*val*~

p.s. i only suggested the whole spinecor thing cuz i want one REALLY bad and i figure nnoone will even notice about a brace, since it's so flexible and everyone will be like, "hey where's your model suit???" and then be like, "i don't need it any more because i think i've kept my body in great shape, and so does my doc!!!"

I have a spinecor brace and i've had it since last november..and to tell u the truth it sux! it takes forever to get on and people think its so easy to move around in because its flexible but really its hard to even walk and pick stuff up off the floor. I'm supposed to get it off in may but i probably wont because im supposed to wear it 20 hours a day but i only wear it like ten..i dont wear it to school anymore because its SUPER noticable under clothes..so basically dont waste your money on a bunch of elastic and velcro..its a rip off

[txmarinemom]

How big would you get it? I was thinking more on my leg or shoulder.

Um ... to scale, Brad. This is not my first tat.

... The two men were talking about their open heart surgeries and their scars for awhile, when one turns to me and says, 'Don't worry, one day you'll have scar stories too.'. I just started laughing away, turned around and showed them my two scars totalling over 2 feet in length.

My fusion scar length is roughly half the cumulative length of scars from things I actually had FUN doing (well ... right before the "OH, sh**!" part, anyway - LOL!). It just happens to be the longest contiguous scar.

Pam
(battening down for Hurricane Ike tomorrow!)

[Qikdraw]

Um ... to scale, Brad. This is not my first tat.

How many do you have? I have none, and if my wife has her way I never will. lol

My fusion scar length is roughly half the cumulative length of scars from things I actually had FUN doing (well ... right before the "OH, sh**!" part, anyway - LOL!). It just happens to be the longest contiguous scar.

LOL

All my other scars are on my hands. Working 8 years in commercial kitchens and then working finish carpentry kind of banged my hands up a bit.

(battening down for Hurricane Ike tomorrow!)

Good luck, and stay safe!

Brad