Markus, I think the advice given to you by Slice is some of the best advice I have heard given. It is true , factual and honest. I had my operation in 1966 that was when one should have been worried, not now with all the new wonderful things that are being done and discovered.
It scares me to read some of the posts like yours as what slice has said is absolutely correct, lungs, heart and pain long term are not worth the risk.
I really feel strongly about this, and think you sound like a sweety, so all the best and please keep us informed, things are never as bad as what you may think, that I have learnt over the years and I am 54 years of age so thats a lot of years!! (haha)
Remember though these are my thoughts only.
Hi Becki, I grew 2 and a half inches after my operation dunno what that is in centremetres, but still it was pretty cool. Best of luck sweety, let us know how you get on. xx
Macky xx
Operation 1966, Fused from T4 to L3, had Harrington rods inserted. Originally had an 85 degree Thoracic curve with lumbar scoliosis as well but had a good correction.
Perfectly normal life till 1997 but now in a lot of pain daily. Consider myself very fortunate though.
Reply With Quote
, and I also have the same type of scoliosis with similar degrees. I am fourteen years old, and my degrees are: 33 thorasic (upper) 52 lumbar (lower). I'd definatly say that surgery should always be a last option, because the effects are irreversable. I've been taking chiropractic therapy, and so far it's worked far better than I first expected. My mom makes me do all this physical therapy stuff, and it can be really tough to keep up at times, but it does work. I know the reserch and for the majority of the time, surgery can be painful and causes all sorts of complications after you get it. Your bones will continue to grow until you reach 18, so if you want my opinion, I'd say that it's too early to take the easy route out of scoliosis. Two years is plenty of time to straighten out your curves with the right treatment and equipment. As for the hard brace, you can pretty much trash it. That's what I did with mine. A new brace called the SpineCor brace is out on the market, and it is one that uses elastic straps in place of hard plastic to pull your curves. It is flexible, mildly comfortable, and the best thing is that it's completely invisible under clothing (lol). I've actually heard that the hard brace will not do you as much good as it should. Muscles and bones interact with each other in order to function properly. A hard brace will push your bones into place, but it is like a cast; it will leave your muscles weak. If your muscles holding your bones in place are not strong, your curves will go back to the way they were, even if your back was completely straight. The only bad thing about SpineCor is that it's pretty new, so it's not available in many areas. Luckily for me, I live near a place where you can get fitted for one. Trust me, you do not want to get surgery. I've heard so many bad stories about it that I decided I'd rather die than have it done to me. It's not too late to keep trying, so don't give up! ^.^
Becki 