Scoliosis
When I was a freshmen in high school I had my first physical for cheerleading. The doctors told me that I had a slight case of scoliosis, but a large percentage of girls show a small curvature in their spine before the onset of puberty. There was no reason to be alarmed and they would check me again next year. My Sophomore year physical showed the same results. I hadn't grown, and the curve had remained the same. The doctors told me again, that it would probably straighten itself out once I hit puberty. My junior year I went in for my physical and still, my measurements remained the same.
As I started my junior year of high school I experienced a lot of back pain. Throughout football season it hurt to tumble, and I felt like I was losing control of my body when I was stunting and tumbling. After enough complaining, my parents took me to see a chiropractor where we learned that since my physical that summer, the curve in my spine had increased and the joins in my lower back were "locked" which caused my hips to be uneven. We did physical therapy hoping to keep my muscles strong enough to fight the curve and unlock those joins that caused my hips to shift, but being in so much pain we decided to see an orthopedic surgeon.
By Christmas we had surgery scheduled to fix the 30 degree curve in my lower back. The doctor was going to operate through the front (cut from under my left armpit, across my stomach, and to my right hip. spine surgery performed through the front is less risky than being cut open down the back because of potential damage back incisions can incur) and take out the curved vertebrae and replace them with a synthetic material that would straighten me out.
Two months later I went in for a pre-op appointment where xrays showed something drastic. My curve had increased from a 30 in the bottom, to a 45 in the bottom and a new 52 degree curve in the upper. AND my spine had twisted (like a DNA molecule). In 3 months I had gone from a slight curve in my lower spine, to a full "S Curve" and twisted vertebrae. At that moment I had to switch surgeons (to a more experienced Dr. who would operate from the back) and have emergency surgery scheduled.
March 4th I had a full spinal fusion.
My surgeon told me that at the rate my spine was twisting, I would be completely paralyzed by my 18th birthday. He saved my life.
I now have two 18-inch metal rods and 20something pieces of hardware holding my spine C3-L4 together. They untwisted the vertebrae, straightened out those curves, and I grew 3 inches that day!
I went back to school too soon because my teachers weren't sending homework and I was at risk of failing 11th grade. When I went back to school, the elevators were broken so I had to take the stairs. Going back before I was cleared, and taking the stairs, and carrying books caused my two bottom vertebrae to shatter. I had to go in for surgery a second time that summer going into my Senior year. Surgery the second round was awful because I knew what to expect, but recovery time was less than the 9months from the original surgery (which only put me back about 2 extra months in recovery time).. I successfully recovered and haven't had a problem since! He bound those bottom vertebrae extra tight! Because the rods continued to straighten me out, I even grew an inch in college! I think I am finally done "straightening out" and I am as straight and as tall as I will ever be! 5'1 :)
Although I have no flexibility in my spine, I finished out football/basketball cheerleading my senior year and continued my cheerleading career throughout college and as a professional cheerleader after I graduated from college. The Dr. knew how determined I was to cheer again, and although he didn't recommend the "flipping" or "flying through the air" I continued to do so once I was cleared for physical activity! Because he successfully unlocked the joints in my hips, my jumps improved 100% and had hyper-extended toe touches without even trying! It was a challenge to reteach myself and my new body how to tumble and fly again, but it was worth it to continue something I have been so passionate about my whole life.
One might think that tumbling and flying 20 feet in the air and being caught by a bunch of macho guys with metal rods in my back might prove me to be strong enough to have babies.... but when I learned the dangers of childbirth and risks involved in epidural and carrying out a pregnancy with a full spinal fusion, and I have been cut open and operated twice in my lower spine, I knew I had to talk to someone who had experience or knowledge in the field.
Tomorrow I meet with the anesthesia department to discuss my options for Labor and Delivery. With an epidural (or any injection to my spine) I am at risk for infection in the scar tissue. If that were to happen, I would have to have the entire spinal fusion procedure redone. So I thought going all natural with no drugs or needles in my back was an option! I don't know how prepared I am for that, but if it's my only choice, then I will do what's best for the baby... oh, but I learned that is not necessarily the case- because my torso is 6inches shorter than the average american female (even after surgery) and my hips that were uneven and locked up never fully developed. Children's hips are underdeveloped and are more like cartilage. Puberty is when they harden and form into an adult figure as dense bone. Mine never did that. Ugh.
My OB/GYN has never delivered a baby from someone with a full spinal fusion and I know I will learn a lot more tomorrow from the experts and will have answers. I am just ready to know- can I deliver naturally? Or will I have to schedule a c-section? I have accepted either scenario, and with less than 8 weeks left till my due date, I am READY for an answer!
The photos below are gross, so if you have a weak stomach don't look at them ;)
About 3 weeks after surgery.
What my spine looks like today!
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