I never really liked doctors. The furthest I could stay away from them the better. After talking with my mother we decided to try going to a chiropractor. He did a series of x-rays, analyzed my spine, and said that chiropractic care could help, but to make sure my scoliosis didn’t progress further I could no longer do certain things.
Tennis was out because it was too one-sided. Anything that would not be beneficial for my back would not be good. I was allowed to do Yoga because that would help my muscles stay strong. Throughout High School I was not really able to participate in gym class. I had to always make sure the exercise I did was something that would benefit my spine.
I still swam, rollerbladed, rode my bike. I no longer participated in dance classes. I learned to do Yoga and really enjoyed it. I learned that I could somewhat control the pain of my scoliosis through exercise.
After I finished High School I found out about a new type of exercise, Pilates. I thought it would really help my spine. I started doing Pilates, but unfortunately even though I enjoyed it I started to find that I would actually injure myself during sessions. I had quite a few occasions where I had to hobble into the chiropractor’s office because my entire spine was black and blue and I could not move!
As the years went on I became disillusioned with traditional chiropractic care. I wasn’t seeing any improvements with my scoliosis. It was still progressing. I was still in pain. I knew exercise was good, but I didn’t want my scoliosis to keep progressing because in the back of my mind I still heard that orthopedic doctor telling me I would die.
Now I had a computer. I could do research. I started looking into scoliosis treatments. I found a doctor who claimed he could straighten the scoliosis. My mother and I made an appointment with him.
We went to his office. He explained how the procedure worked. I would be strapped into this apparatus that was custom fitted to my body to help straighten my curves. I would hang in this for hours while somehow it would push my muscles and spine into the correct position. I would need to come everyday. And it was expensive.
My mother and I discussed this treatment. We didn’t think it would really work, but we could try it for a bit. We were on the fence about it. I was so desperate. I was twenty years old. I wanted a straight spine. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t know what to do.
Again, I found myself at a crossroads. What should I do? I will admit there were times I had thought about the surgery: What if I did it? Would it be better? Was that orthopedic doctor right? Was surgery really the only answer? Luckily, I never really took that voice in my head too seriously because little did I know an answer was about to come my way and fate was about to step in. Tune in tomorrow for more of my story :)
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