Scoliosis

Research: Pros and Cons

There are plenty of pros and cons to getting Spinal Fusion, but this is what I've come up with from my research so far (if you have any more, comment them and I'll add them in. This is just an informational chapter, for anyone considering surgery) :

Pros:

-Supposedly less pain in the long run, because your bones will be in the right place now. Hopefully no more back aches!

-Gained confidence, because clothes will fit properly again and your body will look more normal. And hey, this also means a flatter stomach, because your torso has been stretched out to its full length now.

-Gained height.

-Your back is locked in place (you don't have to worry about your curves worsening). You also don't have to worry about your spine crushing your lungs and killing you twenty years down the road, so ya know, that's a plus.

-An awesome looking scar all the way down your back (as long as it heals properly).

Cons:

-More pain short term, because your muscles and bones have to adjust to the rods and screws. Sitting up and standing for the first time after surgery is supposedly suuuper painful.

-Walking is difficult at first, because your center of balance is off now that your spine is straight, and because your spine was literally broken and put back together, so your bones and muscles and organs have all been shifted. (Walking for long periods of time is difficult too, even after recovery, because your muscles have to work around the rods, so they are being worked much harder than before.)

-The hell that is pain medication (and trying to wean yourself off of it).

-Missing 8 weeks of school. Also you can't carry a backpack for a long time, and even once you're allowed to it may cause pain.

-The potential of not waking up from anesthetics, waking up paralyzed, or waking up blind. There are other risk factors too, but these are the most common.

-The potential of scar infections, screws coming loose, or rods breaking.

-Your back is locked in place (which means loss of all spinal flexibility, forcing you to bend from the hips instead of the waist). This makes it difficult to preform everyday tasks, and it's especially hard to be athletic. Bending, twisting, or lifting in any way are extremely difficult, even once you get the all clear from your doctor.

-Physical therapy.

-Possibly having to wear YET ANOTHER brace after surgery, to hold everything in place while it heals.

-No more stretching or cracking/popping your back. Don't want to upset a screw...

Other notes:

-Supposedly surgery doesn't cause any difficulties in child labor, but it's something to think about. I wouldn't be surprised if labor can add stress on your back, potentially snapping a rod.

-Some people have much longer recoveries than normal- it varies from person to person. I've watched videos and talked to people that are several years past their surgeries, and still experience pain on a daily basis, and have zero flexibility in their spine. Then again, I've head of people being completely back to normal in a matter of months, and I've even heard of girls returning to competitive cheer after surgery- which includes backbends and the likes. (Although they probably were bending from the hips, either that or they only had half of their spine fused. Still though, it's amazing how well they recovered.)

-Something else to think about is that you have to be a lot more conscious of your actions after surgery. You know your limits better than anyone. Any little thing could cause you back pain, or seriously reinjure your spine, resulting in a second surgery. People who have had the surgery seem to agree that you always have to think twice before doing something, and you're much more careful.

 A Bit of An Update:

I'll be going to the doctor again sometime during the first week of January, for the first time in six months. This time they'll tell me how far my curves have progressed, and when I'll be needing surgery. (Hopefully toward the end of the school year, so I can recover over the summer... Although that does leave me with the struggle of finals to make up...)

Then I'll schedule a few more appointments including multiple pre-ops, and several more X-Rays and MRI's.

I'll have until the surgery day to be as fit and healthy as possible, to speed my recovery along. (Apparently if you don't meet health requirements, they won't operate on you right away...so hopefully I won't get sick or something.)

Right now, I do experience back pain on a daily basis, which is one of the reasons I would be more keen to get surgery- so the pain would stop.

My back is always sore, 24/7, never ceasing, but usually that's all it is. Just sore.
Except for every few hours, maybe, I'll get a shooting pain sort of behind/under my right shoulder blade, and my lower left back aches terribly. My back has been more painful lately than ever before, so part of me is actually glad to get the operation.
Sitting or standing too long makes it hurt worse, so long car rides are incredibly hard. Not to mention sitting in metal chairs at school for seven hours a day. I'm often holding my back, or resting a hand on it, so I've gotten loads of comments because of how weird I look doing that. I'm always twisting and leaning in my seat, shifting my weight and changing positions to take stress off my spine, but it doesn't really work.

Hopefully during that first week of January they'll give me some more information, and I can find out when this operation will happen.
In the meantime, I've got finals to worry about :P