Scoliosis: My first post!
I've been thinking about how to introduce myself to you all a lot over the past few days. I suppose I'm overthinking things. I don't have to tell you all my entire life story in one post, and my current pain level doesn't allow me to type that long, anyway. Let me start off with this, then.
I had spinal fusion surgery from T10 to L3 in July 1996. I only got health insurance a year ago, so I just decided last summer to get a doctor and have a checkup and a new set of x-rays. (It had been 10 years.) Long story short, I'm having another surgery next month. It's been twelve years since my first surgery, so my memories are a little fuzzy now. I was under the impression that the first surgery would cure my scoliosis, end my pain, and not limit my activities at all.
I only realized the other day when reading Simone's story that this has happened to others. I'm not quite sure if my first surgeon actually told me this, or if I just assumed it and no one ever told me the truth. My parents thought the same, so who knows. Anyway, I started physical therapy last fall, and I didn't realize how upset I was until I burst out crying when I first told my story to my therapist. I apologized profusely and he said, "No, it's okay, a lot of people cry." That confused me. I thought, Well, what's wrong with them, then? I explained my whole story and joked that I have no pain tolerance, which is what I've been telling myself and everyone else for years. He looked at me like I had two heads and said, "No, you have a *very high* pain tolerance. You're just in pain all the time." It had never occurred to me before that the pain was not normal. I just thought it was something I had to put up with, and I was just a sissy. Have any of you thought that and found out later you were either misled or outright lied to?
My name's Cupcake, btw.
I had spinal fusion surgery from T10 to L3 in July 1996. I only got health insurance a year ago, so I just decided last summer to get a doctor and have a checkup and a new set of x-rays. (It had been 10 years.) Long story short, I'm having another surgery next month. It's been twelve years since my first surgery, so my memories are a little fuzzy now. I was under the impression that the first surgery would cure my scoliosis, end my pain, and not limit my activities at all.
I only realized the other day when reading Simone's story that this has happened to others. I'm not quite sure if my first surgeon actually told me this, or if I just assumed it and no one ever told me the truth. My parents thought the same, so who knows. Anyway, I started physical therapy last fall, and I didn't realize how upset I was until I burst out crying when I first told my story to my therapist. I apologized profusely and he said, "No, it's okay, a lot of people cry." That confused me. I thought, Well, what's wrong with them, then? I explained my whole story and joked that I have no pain tolerance, which is what I've been telling myself and everyone else for years. He looked at me like I had two heads and said, "No, you have a *very high* pain tolerance. You're just in pain all the time." It had never occurred to me before that the pain was not normal. I just thought it was something I had to put up with, and I was just a sissy. Have any of you thought that and found out later you were either misled or outright lied to?
My name's Cupcake, btw.
