Scoliosis

Update/Recovery Tips

Update:
It's been almost 4 months since surgery now, and things have gotten a lot better.
My scar is a little lighter- though believe it or not, I wish it wouldn't fade, because it's the only external proof that something actually happened.
My appetite is up again- maybe not to where it was before surgery, but to a healthy level anyways.
My pain is very low, probably lower than before surgery. I still get sharp pains if I accidentally try to twist, or sit wrong, or move in a way I shouldn't. But the constant, every day pain is low- sometimes I don't notice it at all.
I've started to get used to it, that this is my body now, not someone else's I've just tried on for size. It was weird at first because I was so used to my back being crooked and my torso being short that it didn't feel right to have anything else. But it feels more normal now- I wouldn't go back if I could.
I'm still using the elevator at school to get to my two classes on the second floor. I don't think I need to anymore according to the doctors, but it's easier than all those stairs (considering how weak I still am) and it means I can leave my last class a couple minutes early to get to the bus, which I definitely need.
On weakness- I'm definitely still much weaker than I was before surgery, but I'm making progress. I didn't do anything active at all for the whole three months, which is probably why I'm so weak, because I haven't got my body used to moving again. But I was pleasantly surprised with myself the other day. We had a choreography day in choir and I danced for two hours and felt fine. I got a little light headed a couple times, but that might not be related to surgery. And I was actually able to do all of the moves, up to speed, without ever having to sit down. It made me feel great, because for a while after surgery it felt like I would never be able to do something like that again.
At this point, I may not be as strong as I was and I may still appreciate the elevator, but I can do almost everything I could before, I'm basically back to normal, which is incredible to say.

Tips for Recovery:

-Pain management: If you're like me, pain medicine won't do much, but it's still nice to have on hand for the first couple weeks. I think I was off of all medication before 3 weeks because it just didn't help me. I would suggest getting a heating pad- I didn't but I wish I had. And also, walk. The more you move, the better you'll be. You'll absolutely hate it at first, but do it anyways. I would literally walk lap after lap around my kitchen with a walker for as long as I could go without getting dizzy. And if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have recovered nearly as quickly.
I'd also recommend using an elevator if your school has upstairs classes, and maybe bring a pillow to school for the hard chairs. I refused after just one day, because I felt like a dork, but it could help you a lot.

-School Work: My school was an ass and decided not to exempt me from a single assignment, so I had to make up almost a month's worth of work once I came back to school. They didn't give me much of anything early either, so I couldn't do much while I was at home. I hope for your sake that you get exempted from the work, but if not I'd recommend having friends bring you some of it. Don't be afraid to ask for help. The more you get out of the way before you go back, the less you'll have to play catch up later.
(I barely got any of it out of the way, so I had to stay up until after 12 every night working, and go in before school and at lunch to take tests, for about two weeks straight, maybe three. Somehow I managed to bring my grades up to all A's.)

-Independence: You're going to go two ways with this. 1) milk it as much as you can and get out of shit, or 2) recover as quickly as possible so you can do everything yourself and regain some freedom.
I was definitely the second. My parents relied on the helicopter parenting method, monitoring absolutely everything I did and doing everything for me for weeks. I couldn't stand it. I hated relying on people for so much, and I wanted to be independent as soon as possible. I think spite was honestly what drove me to recover so quickly- I wanted to prove that I could, that I was able to do things myself and get back to normal. So I did.
I would recommend challenging yourself to do something new on your own every day. As much as it's important to ask for help, you have to get back to normal eventually, so it might as well be on your own terms.

-Clothes: Not everything will be comfortable after surgery. Bras with underwire will suck for a while, so probably buy some bralettes. And a lot of your clothes may not fit, because your torso is so much longer. My torso grew two inches, so my shirts and jackets and dresses were all too short or the waistline was too high. You'll have to buy some new things; I recommend buying for comfort first, at least for the first few weeks. It'll be hard to raise your arms and get a shirt on for the first couple weeks, (because that uses back muscles, and it'll hurt) but it'll get easier the more you do it. I would literally sit in bed and practice moving my arms up and down to get used to it again.
It's going to seem like clothes fit you weirdly now, you won't feel as straight as you are for a while, and you might not like how they look at first. But you'll get used to it, just don't dwell on it too much.

-Food: Your appetite will no doubt be low for a few weeks, potentially a few months, even, but don't stop eating. If you do lose some weight, don't worry. You'll gain it back easily once your appetite increases again. In the meantime, just try to eat a little every few hours. You'll find yourself snacking, more than having big meals.

-Memory: You probably won't remember a whole lot from the hospital, or from the following weeks. You'll feel pretty aware at the time, but looking back on it you won't remember anything you said, or anyone you talked to. Yes, you probably did make a fool out of yourself and forget about it. No, the other people didn't forget too. It's almost as if you were drunk. And that can be hard to cope with. The fact that other people remember more about your situation than you do is a little scary. But it's normal, and slowly it will get better. As soon as you're off the hard medication, you'll be more aware. Just hang in there.
(I would recommend not posting anything on social media during the first couple weeks either. I did, and I don't even remember posting.)

Overall, just hang in there. You'll hate it, but it gets easier every day. And eventually you'll get back to normal. I'm at almost 4 months now, and I feel pretty good.

Feel free to message me with any questions about surgery or recovery, and if you want to comment any of your own tips I'll add them in.

That's all for now. xx