Home from the Hospital

I had my operation on the 3rd of August and was discharged exactly a week later on the 10th.
I haven't posted yet, because understandably I've not been on the computer much, so I thought I'd make a quick one today.
As expected everything went well. I got to take a look at my xray, which I will post when I get a copy, and my spine is looking almost perfectly straight. My shoulders, rib cage and hips are all level which is fantastic. Despite being rather uncomfortable, due to pain and the back brace getting in the way, I've not regretted the operation for a second.

I wasn't able to take many photos in the hospital and to be honest I wasn't exactly looking great, so maybe it's best. Either way I shall be posting up a diary of my time in hospital soon, so that people considering the operation themselves have an idea of what to expect.

That's all for now.

5 days....

I've only got 5 days until I'm admitted into hospital.
I'm one of those people who finds it hard to read their own emotions, but I can tell that the feeling in my chest is fear.
We're hoping to have the shelves in my room painted and dry before I go in, so that I can get my DVDs onto them... at the moment they are packed into boxes under the bed, which wont be practical once I'm in the brace. I'm thinking if I keep myself busy I wont have time to think about what is going to happen on Wednesday.

On the positive side, I decided to go rock climbing yesterday. For a long time after the operation I'm not going to have the chance to do things like that, so I thought, 'why not?'.
I have to say it was really fun, I'm not a particularly active, fit or strong, even so, I managed to get up a few different walls. I was really proud of myself, despite being defeated by a few of the walls that were a bit out of reach for people of my height. I got a bit sweaty and my shoulder was killing me afterwards, but I had a great time and it was worth it. I'm not particularly scared of heights, so the only worrying moment of the day was when I was asked to belay for my friend. Note: Belaying involved holding and keeping taunt the rope that prevents the climber from falling, you have to use your weight as a counter balance. I'm sure for most people this wouldn't be a problem, except I'm 5' and weigh 8.5 stone, my friend is 5'7" and weighs 12 stone. I was terrified that I'd drop him, I didn't, thankfully.... However, there was a scary moment when he fell and I nearly got pulled up off my feet by the rope, needless to say he didn't climb much after that. Later, we found out that you could attach weights to the person belaying to stop this happening ¬_¬

I think I'd like to go back as soon as I'm fit enough.

That's all I have time to write at the moment, as I have a bit of a busy day ahead of me.

Nearly 2 weeks to go....

The 'Big Day' is steadily approaching.
The other day a friend of mine decided to watch a youtube video of a scoliosis operation, I tried hard not to watch, but morbid curiosity got the better of me... Luckily for me I wasn't too phased, coupled with the fact that I'm not nearly as afraid of this coming op as I thought I would be, I'm wondering if I'm just able to detach myself from the situation somewhat.
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend anyone to take a look, what you don't know can't hurt you and I think it's probably best not to be able to picture yourself under the knife like that.

I'm also beginning to wonder whether I'm ready for it... not mentally, but practically.
My room is a bit crowded and I need to make sure that everything that I might need will be easy to reach and that I can get around with out too much difficulty. I'm also wonder what kind of clothes will be able to fit over my brace, as well as realising that I have yet to buy the stuff that I will need in hospital.

Everything I think about, the operations pops up in the background. On the plus side of this, I'm already making plans for all the things I want to do when I'm able to get around and after the brace comes off. I always find it easier to get through things when I have something to look forward to.

First Post: Introduction

A while ago, a friend of mine brought to my attention a certain blogger who had written a few posts, as part of her fashion blog, on her Scoliosis. I found it interesting to read about scoliosis from her perspective and I enjoyed she related the subject back to fashion by discussing the clothes she was choosing to wear pre and post op and especially the features on the dresses, inspired by her spine, that she had designed and made as a way externalising her condition.
I found her posts wonderfully encouraging; that someone younger than myself could find such an admirable way of coming to terms with her condition and freely express her experiences with surgery and recovery.
While I know there is a lot of support out there for people with Scoliosis (and other spinal conditions), I also know that there are many people out there yet to discover an reliable support and information network online. In my experience, sharing fears, thoughts, pains and advise with other people who are going through, or have already dealt with the same problems as you, is a very healing process that can allow one to find reassurance and build self-confidence.

When I was first diagnosed I avoided talking to other people with scoliosis about my condition, I didn't think that my problems were worthy of their time and I chastised myself for being so emotionally pained by what was, at the time, only mild Scoliosis. However, when I finally did open up to the community I found that I had been very wrong, everyone I spoke to was extremely understanding and willing to give me kind words of advise on my situation.

It has been 6 years since I was diagnosed with Scoliosis and unfortunately in the last two years the curvature of my spine has worsened significantly. I have chosen the surgical route and I plan to document my feelings and progress, in detail, through this blog. I hope to give others an insight into what surgery entails. My intention is not to encourage people to go through with surgery, neither do I wish to discourage them, I simply hope to paint an accurate picture of my personal experiences for people to take from it what they will.

I hope all of this has made sense.

Here's a useful forum for anyone who has yet to find a support network: Scoliosis Support