So many Scoliosis questions! Ahhh! I love you guys. You know, a large part of me even wanting to start a fitness page was to inspire young people who went through exactly what I went through. Battling scoliosis was plain hard for me and spinal fusion surgery recovery, phew, not easy! I wanted to prove you could still accomplish your fitness goals and overall live a very normal, happy, PAIN-FREE life. Let’s dive right in!

I’ll kick this post off by sharing some personal photos of my Scoliosis and then the aftermath from the spinal fusion surgery!

 

Holy cow, I don’t know about you but I see a significant difference! Not to mention FEEL a difference! Now, let’s dive into these questions, shall we?

1.) Did you feel pain from your Scoliosis? If so, how did you deal with it? I feel it on a daily basis and it makes me so unhappy and not pleasant to be around.

I felt pain every single day, especially on the whole right side of my back. Finding clothes to feel right on my body was always a challenge. I’ll never forget how my right shoulder blade would stick straight out causing shirts to never fit comfortably. It was always a constant reminder that it wasn’t even. Sitting for 15 minutes at a time caused a tremendous amount of discomfort, so sitting through class was interesting! I was constantly requesting to go to the restroom but it was just an excuse to get up and walk around. Lord, I will never forget my back brace, so darn uncomfortable! Anyone who is currently wearing a back brace, I respect you! That might have been the hardest part for me.

How did I cope with the pain? It didn’t take me long to start to get desperate for solutions. Of course, I was fit for a back brace right away but I would be lying if I told you it helped my curve get better. On a positive note, I believe it did help my curve not progress as fast but pain wise it did not relieve me. My mom and I did a lot of research on how to alleviate pain caused by Scoliosis and that is when I was introduced to the wonderful world of swimming!  We found a local indoor pool for me to swim at I started a week after researching how to swim. I watched youtube videos to learn strokes, purchased a one-piece swimsuit, cap, and goggles. This was very monumental in my life because it is when I first forced myself to fake something until I became it. Do not think it was easy for 15-year-old Rachel to make herself go swim laps at a pool, by herself, where everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. I was scared of looking dumb (like most teenagers) so this is an experience in my life where I grew immensely. It was a lesson to not care how silly or inexperienced I may look because this was going to help me! I can say wholeheartedly that swimming helped so dang much. Another key factor that helped my pain relief was yoga. Incorporating yoga into my life changed the game and made day to day life more tolerable. I signed up for classes at a nearby studio but I also had a special DVD I did almost every day.

This the the yoga DVD specifically for those with Scoliosis!

 

 

2.) When did you decide to get your spinal fusion surgery? Did you always plan on getting it or only if the degree of your back continued to get worse?

This was actually very hard for me because I did NOT want the spinal fusion surgery in the beginning. Can I be honest? I associated having the surgery with being a failure. This was an option my parents and I discussed weekly for so long and we decided that before I go ahead to get the surgery, I needed to know I did everything to help my back. That is why I went through two back braces, made swimming and yoga a priority, and went to a chiropractor for years. In my heart, I needed to know I did not just give up and go through with the surgery before giving every other option my best shot. Frankly, I didn’t want to have any regrets. Regardless of my actions towards preventing surgery, it was out of my hands. The degree of my back. along with the constant pain, continued to get worse so I decided to move forward with it.

3.) When did you find out you had Scoliosis?

I found out when I was in sixth grade. My back kept aching and I figured it was just from playing so much soccer. At the time, I was on a traveling soccer team and was training very intensely every day. I went to my family doctor and he did the Scoliosis exam on me. He knew very quickly what it was! I was 36 degrees off when he first discovered my Scoliosis.

4.) What brack brace did you use?

Excuse the random photos I found on the internet! I do not still have my braces or I would snap a quick photo of those!

 

This is the first brace I started out in 6th grade. I wore it only at night but I will never forget how uncomfortable this hard turtle shell was! This is what I would take with me to sleepovers. My friends would be so confused at first and then I would try to explain it hahaha oh the good ol’ days. This is called the Boston brace.

 

This, my friends, was my living nightmare! The Boston brace was not keeping my curve from getting worse around my sophomore year of high school so this bad boy was my new one. I’ll never forget driving home from Chicago, bawling in the back seat the entire way home (3 hours). I eventually fell asleep from crying so much. My parents were probably relieved for a little silence! Ha! This is called the spine core brace! I had to wear it at all times except for two hours out of the day. Oh, my goodness…can we take a second to talk about the crotch bands?! I would sometimes just not go to the bathroom because I did not feel like taking this brace off. Eventually, I got a school pass for longer bathroom times because otherwise, I wouldn’t go out of fear of how long it took! This brace, I was SO embarrassed by. I only told two friends about it and wore it under my school uniform so I never talked about or drew attention to it. This brace caused a lot of insecurities within myself. Not only was it physically hard to sit in throughout the day but mentally I just felt undeserving. I would look at other girls straight spines with envy. That sounds so funny when I type it out! Usually, as a teenage girl you are jealous of the normal things like another girls hair, the way she does her makeup, or popularity. I didn’t care about that, I was just envious of someone who was back pain-free and had a straight spinal cord. #normal hahaha

5.) My daughter is 16 years old and we are debating surgery. Are you thankful you had the procedure done?

100% I am glad I had the surgery done. I live a pain-free, very happy, and fulfilled life. If you are debating surgery, make sure to really do your research on who does it. That can make all the difference. I am from Peoria, IL where they do this surgery. However, we decided to make the trip to St.Louis to have it done by Dr. Lenke at St. Louis Children’s hospital. I can’t say enough positive things about him. Don’t just go with a doctor based on convenience or location. Go with an expert who does these type of surgeries every single day because it is your SPINE they are being invasive with. It’s a BIG DEAL!

6.) What are the positives to getting the surgery?

I can only speak on my behalf and my experience. I will not sugarcoat it, there are people who have bad experiences with this surgery. That is why I want to stress doing your research on WHO does the surgery. Many other factors also play into a successful outcome but this is a major one.

I will never forget going into the operating room where my feet were comfortably on the hospital bed and then waking up and they were almost hanging off. You know what happened? I GREW. No seriously, I was almost three inches taller as a result of my spine getting straightened out. I was about 5’6 before surgery. I am a solid 5’9 now and that just blew my mind. I view this as a positive because two years later I was called to join my first modeling agency! Something I would have never been able to do with severe scoliosis. Wait, there is more! Want to hear the most positive part of the outcome of my surgery? I was pain-free. It brings tears to my eyes even typing this phrase. I had experienced pain and discomfort for such a long time I became used to it. After a few months post surgery/recovering and starting to get back on my feet I knew my life was changed. I knew that I would be able to wake up and the first thing on my mind wouldn’t be how uncomfortable I am. My new “first thought” in the morning was “whats for breakfast?!”. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t tear myself apart anymore. My focus wasn’t on how uneven my shoulders were or how my back was starting to hunch and my kneck stuck out from kyphosis. Can I be honest? I’m glad I went through all this. The countless doctor visits, back braces, the breakdowns, the discomfort, and the pure fear that I was doomed to a life of pain. I am so thankful for my experience because it taught me to never take my body for granted! This big beautiful struggle is what shaped me.

 

To my Scoliosis Warriors, keep fighting. God doesn’t give you obstacles you can’t handle! This was something I told myself daily as I was hurting physically and emotionally. Know that you aren’t alone and you will get through this!

I feel very strongly about sharing my experience because going into surgery, I had not met someone who had a happy successful ending when it came to this. I was SCARED. It’s important to share the positives, the success stories so here is mine. I hope it helped those currently struggling with scoliosis or those with a spinal fusion. For those who have not struggled with either, maybe you learned something new! Whoever you are, taking the time to read my blog, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I genuinely love writing and sharing with all of you.

Happy Thursday & Stay Lively!

Don’t forget to send me your questions for next weeks, Things You Ask Thursday! Email at livelygirlfitness@gmail.com!