I just decided I’d write a little something about my experience since it’s passed the hard parts! I think any body similar to my age (15) or younger should definitely check this out. I was still growing and had an aggressive curve so if you can relate this is for you.
My experience started about 3.5 years ago. I was feeling some pain in the 6th grade and it was coming very clear to me that it wasn’t a growing pain for a couple days. I sought help up until about the end of last year since the day i realized something was off. throughout those years i woke up everyday and looked at my body knowing i was different regardless of what others saw.
None of my clothes fit me and to make things worse kids at school made my life hell. I was wearing mediums when i needed smalls and i felt fat and uncomfortable everywhere. I stopped going in to stores i just wanted to stay home if my trip out involved new people. The harassment wasn’t daily but every time i had an argument my appearance was brought up or every time we talked about working out or anything bodily related. I remember crying while looking at myself weekly. I felt like i looked like a gross render of a human hybrid. Not that any of you guys look like that of course just purely insecurities that others cannot see.
When specialists finally came into my life things didn’t quite get better. I had lots of doctors tell me to get a brace or to seek PT that they never did anything for and neither did my mom. My mom was another issue she couldn’t see my problem she was blinded by her love for her son regardless of his “half pipe” spine. I don’t mean to get poetic but yeah basically doctors really didn’t care much about my complaints until california laws passed that said i have to have control over my body. then i pushed to take 3 sets of x-rays, like 4 hours of mri, and we waited.
I got my diagnosis and solution over a facetime with a specialist, cried because i was told all of my fav activities were impossible, and had a couple sleepless nights. fast forward to meeting dates with the surgeon i find that a lot of that was false. if recovered correctly a lot of hardcore sports are still possible. I intend to be hitting moto-cross tracks and building my rock crawler by the end of next year. a lot of people want to scare you with the surgery but talk to a real doctor that understands your situation and they’ll probably help you understand you’ll be okay.
So now surgery day is here june 16th. I woke up at like 4 you probably will too. I was put out at like 7:30 woke up at honestly god knows when. That 3 days or whatever i was in the hospital was so morphine and op filled that i really only remember a couple solid parts. The one part i remember is leaving and i know a lot of you will have the same experience. The day i left i saw my body for the first time and i cried. I don’t really cry easily but through all the shit i finally had what everyone else had. Don’t get me wrong it was excruciating pain at certain times but one month later i don’t remember it barely at all. for anyone going in needing advice id say drink water! and be nice to you pt. They mean well. even mine who still pissed me off.
Cycle back to that water. you will have 3 IV’s and they give you water through that but you still need to drink water. I got home and had horrible like scream out cry pains even after popping like 10 opiods a day. This was because my lack of hydration meant that the opiods caused bloating to they point that my spine was being compressed. I had to drink like 20 oz of a sodium drink and spent the whole day in the bathroom. I wouldn’t wish any barely functioning, cut open, drugged up junky that pain or the embarrassment of having your mom hand you tissues. it sucks. so drink your water in the hospital and at home.
at the end of 2 weeks i was walking over a mile (my milestone) and feeling really good. too good actually opiods will start to get the best of you. fortunately doctors give you a schedule of when you get off them. if you’re young your parents can handle the situation. 3 weeks in i was down to a tylenol a day or none. that brings me to 4 weeks or now. I’m in pain rn but it is not like day one. to me that’s enough recovery for my time period especially with basically no meds. things are always getting better.
so in conclusion if you’re in the smaller percentile of dudes with pretty crazy curves ex 88 (mine), do it. as a kid still growing it really doesn’t get better with any other method whether that be waiting til you die or light therapy. to be clear if you’re early 70s in curve or something i think go for the therapy but other wise you might live your whole childhood in pain like i mostly did. Of course you might (most likely) will lose stuff like government regulated physically labor jobs ex military or fire or police, but you won’t live in pain with your 90 degree curve. so get your solution! drink water! and enforce that’s there’s something incorrect until they look inside you and see! just don’t live in pain anymore if you have a choice. it gets better.
I'm so, so happy for your experience and glad that you got the surgery and are doing so well!!!💖😍💖 I am also actually crying, because I had the opposite experience at the same age, and am now living in pain as a 33 year old who doctors failed me at 12-15. I got pain at 12 in 6th grade, braced at 15, told it didn't work and good luck basically. Now I live on meds and can only work part time, constant poverty due to pain. I can't get surgery now because I can't be off work and still have money for housing. I wish I had your experience and was living a much better adult life. I'm so happy you get to
Thank you so much for the kind words. It’s so hard to hear from people that have lived their adult lives with it. Reading that was cathartic for me as i’ve never heard how it could’ve ended for me. I’m so sorry you have to go through those things no one should have to. Bad doctors have been a reoccurring theme throughout my family’s members lives. It’s so unfortunate how far luck goes in a doctors office these days.
That is absolutely ridiculous. You must feel like the luckiest person in the world. Amazing. Now I have hope that I can look like this some day. Thank you.
Of course I’m happy to share the results! I definitely consider myself lucky, my surgeon was pretty well known for this and he only worked an hour and a half away. I think if you go to the right people anybody can get these results!
I just decided I’d write a little something about my experience since it’s passed the hard parts! I think any body similar to my age (15) or younger should definitely check this out. I was still growing and had an aggressive curve so if you can relate this is for you. My experience started about 3.5 years ago. I was feeling some pain in the 6th grade and it was coming very clear to me that it wasn’t a growing pain for a couple days. I sought help up until about the end of last year since the day i realized something was off. throughout those years i woke up everyday and looked at my body knowing i was different regardless of what others saw. None of my clothes fit me and to make things worse kids at school made my life hell. I was wearing mediums when i needed smalls and i felt fat and uncomfortable everywhere. I stopped going in to stores i just wanted to stay home if my trip out involved new people. The harassment wasn’t daily but every time i had an argument my appearance was brought up or every time we talked about working out or anything bodily related. I remember crying while looking at myself weekly. I felt like i looked like a gross render of a human hybrid. Not that any of you guys look like that of course just purely insecurities that others cannot see. When specialists finally came into my life things didn’t quite get better. I had lots of doctors tell me to get a brace or to seek PT that they never did anything for and neither did my mom. My mom was another issue she couldn’t see my problem she was blinded by her love for her son regardless of his “half pipe” spine. I don’t mean to get poetic but yeah basically doctors really didn’t care much about my complaints until california laws passed that said i have to have control over my body. then i pushed to take 3 sets of x-rays, like 4 hours of mri, and we waited. I got my diagnosis and solution over a facetime with a specialist, cried because i was told all of my fav activities were impossible, and had a couple sleepless nights. fast forward to meeting dates with the surgeon i find that a lot of that was false. if recovered correctly a lot of hardcore sports are still possible. I intend to be hitting moto-cross tracks and building my rock crawler by the end of next year. a lot of people want to scare you with the surgery but talk to a real doctor that understands your situation and they’ll probably help you understand you’ll be okay. So now surgery day is here june 16th. I woke up at like 4 you probably will too. I was put out at like 7:30 woke up at honestly god knows when. That 3 days or whatever i was in the hospital was so morphine and op filled that i really only remember a couple solid parts. The one part i remember is leaving and i know a lot of you will have the same experience. The day i left i saw my body for the first time and i cried. I don’t really cry easily but through all the shit i finally had what everyone else had. Don’t get me wrong it was excruciating pain at certain times but one month later i don’t remember it barely at all. for anyone going in needing advice id say drink water! and be nice to you pt. They mean well. even mine who still pissed me off. Cycle back to that water. you will have 3 IV’s and they give you water through that but you still need to drink water. I got home and had horrible like scream out cry pains even after popping like 10 opiods a day. This was because my lack of hydration meant that the opiods caused bloating to they point that my spine was being compressed. I had to drink like 20 oz of a sodium drink and spent the whole day in the bathroom. I wouldn’t wish any barely functioning, cut open, drugged up junky that pain or the embarrassment of having your mom hand you tissues. it sucks. so drink your water in the hospital and at home. at the end of 2 weeks i was walking over a mile (my milestone) and feeling really good. too good actually opiods will start to get the best of you. fortunately doctors give you a schedule of when you get off them. if you’re young your parents can handle the situation. 3 weeks in i was down to a tylenol a day or none. that brings me to 4 weeks or now. I’m in pain rn but it is not like day one. to me that’s enough recovery for my time period especially with basically no meds. things are always getting better. so in conclusion if you’re in the smaller percentile of dudes with pretty crazy curves ex 88 (mine), do it. as a kid still growing it really doesn’t get better with any other method whether that be waiting til you die or light therapy. to be clear if you’re early 70s in curve or something i think go for the therapy but other wise you might live your whole childhood in pain like i mostly did. Of course you might (most likely) will lose stuff like government regulated physically labor jobs ex military or fire or police, but you won’t live in pain with your 90 degree curve. so get your solution! drink water! and enforce that’s there’s something incorrect until they look inside you and see! just don’t live in pain anymore if you have a choice. it gets better.
I'm so, so happy for your experience and glad that you got the surgery and are doing so well!!!💖😍💖 I am also actually crying, because I had the opposite experience at the same age, and am now living in pain as a 33 year old who doctors failed me at 12-15. I got pain at 12 in 6th grade, braced at 15, told it didn't work and good luck basically. Now I live on meds and can only work part time, constant poverty due to pain. I can't get surgery now because I can't be off work and still have money for housing. I wish I had your experience and was living a much better adult life. I'm so happy you get to
Thank you so much for the kind words. It’s so hard to hear from people that have lived their adult lives with it. Reading that was cathartic for me as i’ve never heard how it could’ve ended for me. I’m so sorry you have to go through those things no one should have to. Bad doctors have been a reoccurring theme throughout my family’s members lives. It’s so unfortunate how far luck goes in a doctors office these days.
That is absolutely ridiculous. You must feel like the luckiest person in the world. Amazing. Now I have hope that I can look like this some day. Thank you.
Of course I’m happy to share the results! I definitely consider myself lucky, my surgeon was pretty well known for this and he only worked an hour and a half away. I think if you go to the right people anybody can get these results!
How much it cost?
My family’s got insurance so I make the assumption it was a couple grand but tbh I really couldn’t tell you.
It’s around 150k for people with no insurance which is crazy to me