I have gone to the hospital recently. I have also gotten some X-rays recently. Noticed where I'm going with this? Anyways, I have a 'special gene-'disease'' called scoliosis. I think my brother has it, not very. Scoliosis means 'deformed spine' or something like that, but in any case, my spine has got the wrong idea. It thinks that it's supposed to grow to the right for some reason. No matter how much willpower I put into the matter, my stubborn spine will keep on growing backwards, so we'll have to do something about it! Yes that's right, I need a brace. Actually, I already have the brace, and I've been wearing it for a few nights. It's 'Charleston bending nocturnal brace'. That means I only have to wear it at night for a modest 8 hours. Nothing I can't handle. I snap it on with its totally necessary 5 straps and look in the mirror. Much to my surprise, my head is where I expect it to be, but my legs are barely even on the mirror. I am tilting at like a 30 degree angle here. At least, I think I am, I got an A- on my last geometry test. So I shuffled back to my room and tried to climb into bed. Let me say that it is EXTREMELY hard to move around without bending your back in any way. Try it if you don't believe me. So, once I had staggered into bed, I fell asleep, which was surprisingly easy. 2 hours later, I woke up with a screaming desire to take off my brace. This probably had something to do with the killing pain in my side. I ripped the brace off and realized my chest and abdominal area (or thorax as the doctors say) was unusually sweaty. I remember the doctor telling me the brace is supposed to squeeze me so tight, water comes out the other end. 'Expect to loose some weight' he had grinned ' a lot of it'. I have to wear this thing for at least 4 months.
"Could this go on all day and night? It could, you know, and it just might!"
-PD Eastman. Or Doctor Seuss, I don't remember.
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Not that it's much consolation, I imagine, but better now than later. By the time I realized that I was getting literally all bent out of shape, the chiropractors told me that the only thing they could do was to stabilize my spine so it wouldn't get any worse. I'm still not sure that I won't end up bent like a pretzel in 20 years. :( That's what happens when you don't start treatment 'til you're 57. You're fortunate that this condition was caught while you're still young enough for treatment to be effective.
Best of luck. If you'll pardon me for quoting an old expression, I hope you straighten out and fly right. :)
wait, you had scoliosis too?
I still have it. You're lucky that the condition was found, and the treatment started, soon enough to enable you to stand straight and not worry about how your clothing fits.
psycho toddler had it for 4 years, an S curve. He needed a boston 23 hour brace.
I also wore a Boston brace! Man, it was annoying. You get used to it over time. I remember the first night I wore it - I couldn't breathe at allllll. And sometimes you'll be tempted to shirk the brace - DON'T - trust me, this time of discomfort is way better than subsequent years of crookedness down the road. And you should also exercise a lot, because the brace will weaken your stomach muscles (although I'm sure the doctor told you all this already). I did ballet, which proved to be very helpful.
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