About five years ago I was diagnosed with Scoliosis.
Living in Cornwall meant that I spent a lot of time on the beach when I was younger, this meant that I would be in swimming costumes the majority of the time. My friends used to point out that I had a strange posture and would specifically pick up on the fact that my right shoulder blade seemed to be more prominent than my left. In school and whilst growing up we are taught that people come in all different shapes and sizes, and in most cases this is a good thing however, it can be misleading and dangerous in the sense of health. I always assumed that everyone was different therefore my back and posture was not an issue.
One day my mum was looking through some photos on the computer and noticed an ongoing theme; I always looked rather wonky. After noticing this in the photos my mum looked at me and told me to 'stand up straight' to which I responded 'I am'. That was the first time that my parents were slightly concerned.
I had to visit the doctors for a couple of reasons and whilst I was there my mum mentioned to the GP about my posture and the general shape of my back. After examining me, he confirmed that I had curvature of the spine and that this condition was called Scoliosis.
Five years down the line and plenty of X-rays later they have decided to operate due to a 43 degree angle of my spine. I am nervous of course however, the positive feedback that I have come across regarding the operation is very encouraging. I intend to show you all the before and after and I will more than likely document the operation and healing process.
Although Scoliosis is mainly common in teenage girls, this does not mean that others are not at 'risk'. If you feel that perhaps you are a bit of a wonky donkey like me, please get it checked by your GP because unfortunately, Scoliosis will NOT 'correct itself' as suggested in the Daily Mail.
