Lucy’s Scoliosis Journey
In seventh grade, I was diagnosed with moderate scoliosis. Every doctor I consulted provided me with a different measurement of my spinal curvature and had slightly different advice. Overwhelmed by the varying information I was given by doctors and not being able to find exactly what I was looking for regarding scoliosis on the internet, this diagnosis brought a lot of anxiety and worry into my life. My doctor visits and consultations was cut short by Covid-19–thus, I took the advice of some of the doctors I consulted to “wait and see” if my spinal curvature would increase. Over the next year, I would find myself constantly staring at my reflection in the mirror, criticizing the unevenness of my shoulders and asymmetry of my waist.
When the world started opening back up again after Covid, I went for my follow-up scoliosis visit. This visit brought the devastating news that my spinal curvature increased, now being considered as severe. I was one degree away from requiring surgery, and by this point, it was too late for me to get a back brace, as I already finished growing. I was told again by my doctor to “wait and see”.
This led to the majority of my eight-grade and freshman year being characterized by scoliosis-induced anxiety. At my six months follow-up visit, I was told that my curvature did not worsen, and to come back in another six months. After waiting another six months, I was told to come back in a year, then two years. Now, as a senior in high school, I will be having my (hopefully) last scoliosis check-up when I turn 21. If my curvature does not show increase then, I will no longer have to worry about getting spinal surgery to correct my curvature.
This good news has also forced me to grapple with the reality of living with a curved spine. There is not a day where I do not struggle with back pain or my self image–I still have a hard time looking at photos of myself taken at certain angles as they make magnify my spinal curvature. However, I am also incredibly grateful that I (hopefully) will not have to undergo the risky operation to get my spinal curvature corrected through surgery.
In my journey with scoliosis, I have always felt alone. The lack of public information and awareness regarding scoliosis made me feel embarrassed of my deformity–I did all I could to hide it from my friends, resorting to wearing baggy shirts on a daily basis. Additionally, whenever I went to look up information regarding scoliosis, I was met by articles of surgeries gone wrong and informations that did not correlate between sources. This brought me further anxiety, as I was confused as to what this deformity meant for my future. These are some of the main driving forces behind me starting this blog. If you want to read more on our mission, please check out the this link.
The Spine Saga 