How one Small thing can change your life - Aka How I learned to love my Walking Stick - General

A girl in my class has scoliosis. She had the operation to fix it about a month ago. she got like 6 inches taller.

You know, with the title "How I learned to love my Walking Stick," and the first thing I see upon opening the thread being x-rays, I suspected a much less tragic medical situation.

hey i have spine problems too, just nowhere near as bad as you my grandfather was a hunchback and i got a little bit of a hunchback from his genes. but its minor so everyone thinks im a lazy slouch. people tell me to sit up straight when i am. in junior high people made fun of me for standing so weird (my neck leans forward when standing) im almost 20 now and luckily no one brings it up anymore, bit i'm sure i still look weird to other people oh and my back hurts after standing for a long time and i cant life anything heavy or else i get pain no matter how i lift the weight

A shame you couldn't nip this in the bud with a Copes brace. When I was 12-ish, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. We found a good chiropractor in town, after they had me xrayed, they said I had one of the worst curvatures they had seen. I've also got rotation of the vertebrae, I forget the exact degree and which ones. Shortly after that, they referred us to Arthur Copes' office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My mother was dead set against going there though, so we opted for his associate in San Diego. I forget his exact name now. That brace was a fucking life saver, quite literally. My curvature had gotten so bad it was irritating a nerve having to do with my stomach, so I'd be throwing up at about 11:30 at night, every night. I began losing weight, getting incredibly weak, so on and so forth. We actually had to take an emergency trip to San Diego just to get the fucking thing. The whole key to a Copes brace working is getting it before you hit puberty, as there is some solidification of the spine during that time. There was no way in hell my curvature could be 100% eliminated, and I still have a heavy bow in both the ribcage area and mid-lower spine. I still do have that nerve problem, but getting an adjustment every month fixes it right up. You're exactly right about the pain though. It is near constant, but just in varying degrees. Tell me, do your floating ribs ever feel like they're dislocated?

Constant pain? Walking stick? The solution is easier than you think: Become doctor House.

I get you, man. Although no way near as bad, I have had pain in my arm since I broke it two years ago.

I've got a bad back as well, though due to injury and not birth defect. Believe it or not, my lazy ass used to be into sports. I fucked myself up pretty hard in a skateboarding accident about six years ago. ended up with a crushed vertebrae in my lower back. Of course my dumb ass never went to the doctor for it right away (it's a pretty typical pain at first, so I didn't think anything of it. I figured it was just a sprain would go away within a few or weeks), so my chances of ever fully recovering are pretty much zero. my back is so bad I think I'd rather take my chances with surgery if I could afford it

You're very inspiring. Next time I wake up with a kink in my neck I'll think of you. Adepto melior .

I know EXACTLY how you feel, being in pain all the time. I can't remember the last time I went more than a day without being in pain. I have a Subluxation though, not Scoliosis. Basically my vertebrae shift out of alignment and the nerves in my back get pinched by my own spine and become inflamed. To those who have trouble imagining what this stuff really feels like, hit your funny bone on something hard and then imagine that pain being there all the time and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Painkillers only last so long, and the number of doses needed to have an effect eventually becomes deadly and you can't take them anymore.

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;30493372]I'm glad that your friend has a chance to get it fixed, I really am. Nobody should have to go through what I'm going through. Oh, and Just FYI if you were wondering, I'm 25, so yeah, 25 and walking with a stick at this age, is rather messed up.[/QUOTE] I really want to give you a hug - nobody should have to suffer from something like this.

[QUOTE=Barnhouse;30498105]A girl in my class has scoliosis. She had the operation to fix it about a month ago. she got like 6 inches taller.[/QUOTE] My best friend had the same thing happen to him. He was already 6'4", so the operation plus natural growth has made him around 7 feet tall, or over 2.1 meters.

My leg is longer than the other, oh god :ohdear:

Your body may be in pain, but from what I've read, your mind is strong as hell. I really need to appreciate what I have more, and I wish you all the best in the future

Wow. I have Scoliosis, but it was never as much of a problem as what you have. I had surgery last March; here's a before and after picture (quoted for size): [quote][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ZLHFf.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://www.heyclinic.com/index.asp[/IMG][/quote]The one on the right is what my back is like is now. If I hadn't had it fixed I'm pretty sure my spine would have started pushing into my lungs. From what you've said surgery doesn't seem like a plausible option for you, but it may be worth your while to take a look at [URL="https://www.heyclinic.com/index.asp"]this guy.[/URL] He was the surgeon who operated on me, and he did a very good job - his clinic is purely for spine-related surgeries. As far as I can tell, I won't really have any life-threatening back issues again, since it's been more than a year and everything's still fine. Of course, you living in the UK means that it would be one heck of a trip, since he's in North Carolina. But still, it's something of a possibility.

[QUOTE=Stopper;30501405]I really want to give you a hug - nobody should have to suffer from something like this.[/QUOTE] hugging him probably causes more pain :smith:

[QUOTE=ProtractorNinja;30501769] Of course, you living in the UK means that it would be one heck of a trip, since he's in North Carolina. But still, it's something of a possibility.[/QUOTE] Let's calculate what a trip would cost and all chip in. [editline]16th June 2011[/editline] Also, RayvenQ, you are a awesome person and somebody who I look up to. Never give up.

Why's your avatar so smal RayvenQ? Are you trying to undercompensate for something? :smug:

[QUOTE=meppers;30501969]hugging him probably causes more pain :smith:[/QUOTE] :frown:

You were always my favorite mod :frown:

I have something similiar. Instead of curving sideways, my spine curves inwards, so if I stand up against a wall I can easily fit my entire hand between my back and the wall. This might also create problems for me when I get older, and I heard the average age of dying is 30, due do the ribs pressing against the heart, eventually making it stop pumping. Unless I get surgery, but it hasn't caused me any problems yet.

[QUOTE=Carne;30502437]I have something similiar. Instead of curving sideways, my spine curves inwards, so if I stand up against a wall I can easily fit my entire hand between my back and the wall. This might also create problems for me when I get older, and I heard the average age of dying is 30, due do the ribs pressing against the heart, eventually making it stop pumping. Unless I get surgery, but it hasn't caused me any problems yet.[/QUOTE] :smith: And when it causes serious problems, it's too late.

You can be like House! :D

[QUOTE=Shady16159;30502575]You can be like House! :D[/QUOTE] That's not something to be proud of my friend :saddowns:

For as long as I remember I've always ran leaning forwards more than the average person, forcing myself to stay more upright while running hurts. This thread has inspired me to ask a doctor about it

I have minor Scoliosis with upper back/shoulder stuff, though not near the level you have it, so I can feel for you with the debilitation it brings; also do you swim by any chance? I Since I do and it helps a fair deal with the pain not fully, but still brings it down a fair bit.

Dude Holy shit I'm speechless, and to think you keep yourself so upbeat about it. You're one of my new role models

[QUOTE=Carne;30502437]I have something similiar. Instead of curving sideways, my spine curves inwards, so if I stand up against a wall I can easily fit my entire hand between my back and the wall. This might also create problems for me when I get older, and I heard the average age of dying is 30, due do the ribs pressing against the heart, eventually making it stop pumping. Unless I get surgery, but it hasn't caused me any problems yet.[/QUOTE] I can do this, I am pretty sure its not a major problem, I think a lot of people can do it. Your shoulder blades naturally stick out further.

Holy shit. I had my hip replaced last summer and it left my left leg a whole in higher than the other. I had no idea this could cause back problems like this. I've been having back pains the past year and this might explain it. Holy shit. Thanks for the unintended warning I guess.

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;30493279]If there is, there's now ay I can afford to gte there and pay to get it done. Yes, even if it was a 90% chance of killing me I'd take the shot Fun and good but, nor really practical. Fried Chicken. Just how much it is bent can vary, mine is approx 7 degrees in one direction, and 7 degrees in another.[/QUOTE] I'm sure Facepunch would help out a fuck ton. [editline]16th June 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Carne;30502437]I have something similiar. Instead of curving sideways, my spine curves inwards, so if I stand up against a wall I can easily fit my entire hand between my back and the wall. This might also create problems for me when I get older, and I heard the average age of dying is 30, due do the ribs pressing against the heart, eventually making it stop pumping. Unless I get surgery, but it hasn't caused me any problems yet.[/QUOTE] Get one of the things from this thread that make you have no heartbeat. [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1097782-Life-Without-a-Pulse-Is-Possible[/url]

Do you have xray pictures? They gave me a disk with all my hip Xrays from like... the past 5 years or so. Not sure where the disk is now. As for my hip, I went in a few weeks ago to see if the doc would replace the right side as it has the same problems the left one did and he said to wait another year. He put me on some Celebrex which works somewhat but i'd rather have the thing taken care of.