We are just a few months away from one of the best milestones I can imagine – the finish line for Scoliosis treatment! That’s right, after over a dozen years of treatments for my two kids, we are almost D-O-N-E. My daughter “graduated” from treatment when she turned 18 recently, and my son received word from his Orthopedic surgeon at his last visit that he will be done bracing around his 16th birthday (in February). Each child was in treatment starting at age 5. We’ve done it all – “wait and see” (please don’t do this), Spinecor (also, not a big fan), Schroth, Scolismart, Rigo-Cheneau, Boston, and … the most dreaded of all…fusion surgery! The good news is that I’ve been writing about it for almost the entire journey and you can see that, through the ups and downs, we have ended up on top.
My daughter had to brace for 6 years, only to have surgery when her curves reached 97 degrees. Was it tough? Yes. But, she is doing GREAT. She has very little discomfort, played 2 sports in high school (including being a volleyball setter), and is doing GREAT at college. She is very happy and treats her scars as trophies of her hard work.
My son will finish up around 30 degrees and we are fine with that. He hasn’t required surgery and, God willing, never will. His pain is also very minimal (if any) and he looks just fine cosmetically. He can’t WAIT for his time in a brace to be OVER. And, who can blame him?
My husband has been battling scoliosis since he was 16. He never braced or got any type of treatment, preferring to play sports and not be incumbered by a brace. He feels pain if he lets himself get out of shape or gain too much in the “spare tire” region, but, otherwise, he’s been doing great at about 35 degrees for all these years.
This is part of the reason I don’t write as much. We are blissfully at the “end of the road”. There is just not as much about our journey to blog about. Although, we won’t ever be “done”. We all know that Scoliosis is a lifelong condition and that they will all need to be diligent with self care. But, we are nearly out of the most stressful part and I can tell you that it feels nice. I will continue to blog, because Scoliosis has been a part of my life for so long and I want to be a support to those entering the journey. There is still much to be said. Also, my business EmBraced In Comfort isn’t going anywhere. We are not going to stop on our mission to help as many Scoliosis brace wearers as we can!!
So…comment below…what are some topics you’d like to hear more about from a Mom who’s been through it all (mostly)? I’ve been living in this world for a dozen years, so let me help guide you through the process. I have been, and will continue to be, here for you to help you along in your Scoliosis Family Adventure.
