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Buffy01 · Jan 23, 2020, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emily Fox Seaton

I am stressing hard tonight. When I was a kid I was diagnosed with Scoliosis. It was pretty bad at the time. An "S" curve with about 55 degrees each. After having to wear a full body brace for 10 years, my curves went down to 36 and 25. I was pronounced as cured.

Later I found out that the belief they had at the time that the curves would not move in adulthood was wrong. Many people did have movement.

I got them retested at 30 and was told they were stable. I kind of didn't believe it but I took it. It was a time I was having a lot of pain. And mostly since that time I haven't had any pain. I suspect the pain I was having was unrelated and in part caused by being over weight.

But now, at 50, and as menopause has happened, I am having pain again. I recently had a chest x-ray for congestion and my doctor kind of suggested I should really get it checked again. But it could be caused by menopause as it isn't back pain proper but more like side pain. (that could be breast tissue sensitivity) and or being overweight again.

I am frustrated and annoyed to find there are still almost no treatments except for a massive surgery. It is a terrifying surgery. They literally cut you down your back, straighten you out, put some rods on your back, fuse your back, and then sew you up. You are in the hospital generally 6 days (that is a lot) and then, go home. When you go home you are in dire straights. Mostly on narcotics for about a week and can hardly move. I would definitely need someone with me for weeks.

This is not a surgery that you should have as an adult but, if you don't have it your lung capacity could be shrunk and it could become life threatening.

So you should probably have the surgery before getting older (even if you aren't sick at the moment). It also gets worse with osteopenia.

It does not help that I literally have no one I could count on to help me. It is just me.

So anyway. I decided I need to start taking this seriously and I asked my doctor to set up an evaluation of the scoliosis. When I last stressed over this I didn't have a good job with benefits. I now have good insurance, and I have the ability to take off 12 weeks or so from my job to recover (though they might not pay for me) I possibly could have insurance pay for a home health aid. That is good news.

My home is not the best for this. My first floor does not have a bedroom. I would need to walk up and down stairs for that and I am not sure that is optimal.

I have a bone density test scheduled for February. If that doesn't show anything I will be happy.

I probably will have to have it evaluated though more frequently than 20 years as osteopenia is known to cause slippage in the curve. Also it is suspected that loss of Estrogen and Progesterone can cause it to move.

I was misdiagnosed at fourteen of having scoliosis and found out in my late twenty I never had it but my mom believe that I did because of all the back problem I have.