hey, im new and i have a few questions about my scoliosis situation...!

[justbeachy615]

hi everyone this is my first post!.. my names jamie, im 16 and i was officially diagnosed with "moderate" scoliosis (the curve is a 38 right thoratic) almost 3 months ago. My ribcage on the left side sticks out severely and i hate it.
my left shoulder is obviously lower and my right shoulder blade sticks out way more than the left one. i am so self concious because of all of this. i have a doctor appt. in october and im going to find out if i need surgery, so i have a few questions for anyone in the same situation or that has any information
- compared to you, is a 38 curve worse or better than yours?
- did your ribs/chest bone stick out unaturally?
- if you had surgery, how bad was the pain and was it worth it?
- what was your curve when you had surgery?
- did your back improve from the outside (did the hump go away?)
- did you get any taller?
- how long was it before you went back to school if youre in school
- did your rib protrustion get better (if you had one)
- can you do all the things you used to be able to? (did the surgery limit your flexibility or anything?)
- WAS THE SURGERY WORTH IT

i know its a lot... but im terrified and i would reallllllly appreciate it if you could respond to these questions and/or give any other info or experiences you have wiht scoliosis.

thanks SO much!
jamie in VA

[ANIMAL LOVER12]

justbeachy615,

i'm new here and i'm replying to some of your scoliosis questions. i am a twelve year old whose curves curves are worse than yours. 65 and 54 degrees. I am heading into to surgery in april or may of next year. my right shoulder blade is very noticeable and i have a hup on the right side on my back. i haven't had my surgery yet as i mentioned before but my doctor has told me what it will be like afterwards. he says i should be back to school in about four weeks.he told me my hump should go down quite a bit and i will be in quite a lot of pain for the first few days. he also said it shouldn't limit to much flexibility. i have tried the best I can to anwer your questions but you should ask your orthopaedic surgeon. i really don't think you need to werry about surgery right now. they usually don't recommend you have it until your curves hit about 50 degrees. i would say that if they do anything they will probably try a brace first.anyway, i hope that this helped

[pink_jazmin]

q's

- compared to you, is a 38 curve worse or better than yours?
its better, mine was 50
- did your ribs/chest bone stick out unaturally?
yes my rib stuck out & i leaned over to the side
- if you had surgery, how bad was the pain and was it worth it?
i had nearly no pain at all!
- what was your curve when you had surgery?
50, but is now down to about 13 edit: its now 7!
- did your back improve from the outside (did the hump go away?)
yes my straightened up a lot!
- did you get any taller?
yes about an inch
- how long was it before you went back to school if youre in school?
two weeks, post op
- did your rib protrustion get better (if you had one)
Yes!
- can you do all the things you used to be able to? (did the surgery limit your flexibility or anything?)
i dont know, cant do anything like that yet
- WAS THE SURGERY WORTH IT'
!!!!!YES!!!!!!

[celestin1170]

Hi Jamie. My 12 year old daughter (Keri) just had a posterior fusion two weeks ago. You have alot of really good questions. These are pretty much all the questions that we had before her surgery.

Is a 38 degree curve better or worse?
Yours is better. Keri's curve was at 65 degrees when she went in for her surgery.

Did your ribs/chest bones stick out unnaturally?
Yes. Keri had a large hump on the right side of her back.

How bad was the pain, and was it worth it?
She was in some pain afterwards but they loaded her up with alot of pain medication to make her comfortable. The first few days at home were rough because she had a hard time getting comfortable to sit and sleep. But, she was sent home with pain meds and the pain that she had wasn't really intolerable. She says that the surgery was way worth all the pain that she had.

Did your back improve from the outside?
Yes. You can barely see the hump at all anymore! And she stands nice and straight now.

Did you get any taller?
Yes. She gained probably close to two inches.

How long before you went back to school?
Keri will be going back to school on Feb. 28th

Can you do anything you used to do?
Not yet, she can't. It takes up to a year for the fusion to be totally healed inside. So, her activities will be limited until then. But the doctor did say that he would allow her to go swimming this summer.

Did the surgery limit your flexability?
Somewhat. It all depends on where you are fused. Keri is fused from T3 to L4, which is pretty much down the whole center of her back. She can still bend her head, neck and shoulders. And she can bend and twist at her hips. She's quite flexable, she just won't be able to curl up in a ball anymore.

Was the surgery worth it?
She says YES!!!

Are you wearing a brace right now? The doctors usually don't start talking about surgery until you get up into the low 40's.
They usually try to help correct it with a brace before they jump into surgery.
Keri is standing here reading over my shoulder and she says to tell you don't be scared.

You've come to the right place to have your questions answered and for good moral support.
Good luck and keep us posted on what's going on.

Kim
Keri's mom

[JillfromCanada]

- compared to you, is a 38 curve worse or better than yours?
- did your ribs/chest bone stick out unaturally?
- if you had surgery, how bad was the pain and was it worth it?
- what was your curve when you had surgery?
- did your back improve from the outside (did the hump go away?)
- did you get any taller?
- how long was it before you went back to school if youre in school
- did your rib protrustion get better (if you had one)
- can you do all the things you used to be able to? (did the surgery limit your flexibility or anything?)
- WAS THE SURGERY WORTH IT?

My curve was worse than yours.

My ribs/chest bone do not stick out unnaturally, but my shoulder blades do and are still quite uneven (only noticeable in tight shirts, but I don't particularly care).

The pain wasn't that bad when I had surgery. It was definitly fine while I was in the hospital, and only progressed when I got home. Long story....but I didn't think I needed the full doses of medication, when I really really needed it. TIP: Take the prescribed medications.

When I had surgery my curve was between 55-60 degrees, and it would have continually progressed if they hadn't done surgery.

Hmm my hump didn't go away completely, I think it just changed. I have a really hard time laying on a completly flat surface (like a piece of plywood), as I have a large arch on one side of my body. You learn to live with your hump, and eventually it stops being a pain in the butt.

I grew just over 3 inches and it was amazing, cause I was short before. This sudden growth spurt did cause stretch marks on my upper thighs though.

I was in grade 10 when I had surgery. I went back to school for a couple hours a day after 4 weeks. By 6 weeks I was back full-time.

I don't think I ever had a rib protrusion.

The surgery only limited my flexibilty because I didn't do any exercises or anything. MAKE SURE TO DO THE HAMSTRING ones they prescribe. If you continually work on re-training your body you shouldn't have a problem. I don't do very well at running/swimming anymore as I get really out of breath quick.

The surgery was definitly worth it. Even if I could go back in time, I would still do the exact same thing. The surgery saved me from having my organs twist inside my body. I thought my surgery scar was going to make my grad dress look so ugly....but it didn't. I thought surgery was going to be the end of the world, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. It allowed me to live a less painful life, and it gave me something to talk about. Everyone is curious about Scoliosis, so you always have a story to tell and a scar to show. Since going through this experience, I am going to start up a Scoliosis support group for teens here in Calgary, Alberta (well if there isn't one already). It would have been nice to have someone my age to talk to when I went through all of this.

Good luck with everything, and if you have any questions just give me a shout.