Days After Surgery

In my last blog I spoke on finally  having surgery. Days after it was very hard for me because I was immobile. Every day I would basically move my head  and speak with my mother or nurses. Also, i watched a lot of television. The soft cast covering my back made me felt very uncomfortable while laying down. At the beginning I was brave but as time went by I started to get very anxious. However, in a matter of 2 or 3 weeks all the needles from my hand were removed. I was happy for the removal of those needles but every day I had to blow into this tube to prevent myself from getting bronchitis. I hated blowing into that tube because it hurt my chest a lot and I had to do it at least 3 times a day.

My mother was my main encouragement because I refused to do what the nurses wanted me to do at times. In their defenses the nurses were caring, but not as sensitive as they should have been. Yes, at that point in time I was a teenager but I was in a different country, under immense back pain, no one really to comfort me except my mother at times and I was not accustom of taking so much medication. I was mostly by myself a lot and took five different tablets at least three times a day. It doesn't seem like much but close to three times a day becomes very annoying.

Eventually, I began to get very worried because I was never an inside child. Since I was immobile I started to think what if I never came out of this bed and other worrisome thoughts.  Soon my soft cast was removed from my back and my mother saw my back and obviously I couldn't see when they took it off. I touched my back with my hand and it felt as though my back was numb. I couldn't feel anything when I scratching my back. This felt extremely strange.

As days past by my back pain became more and more intensive. There were nights I couldn't sleep. I even cried a few nights because I couldn't bare the pain anymore. The pain killers would only last for a few hours. I strongly believed those nights were some of the defining moments of my life thus far. I had to believe that everything was going to be ok and the pain was only just for a short time.

In my next blog I’ll be addressing rehabilitation after my surgery.

I was contemplating whether to show this picture or not but i don't have any pictures  of me after surgery due to i didn't own a camera. This  is a picture of my back a few days ago.  

Day of surgery

The morning of surgery I got up very early around 6 o clocks. When I awoke up fear gripped my heart. I wanted a glass of water but I couldn't have eaten or drunk anything before my surgery. I slowly bath and got dressed. My mother was briefed about the proceedings of the surgery. I was more or less clueless because I hardly ever fully listen to the Doctors because I tried not to think about the surgery too much.

After, my mother carried me to a part of the building that I never saw before. One of the nurses told me to lay on one of their surgical beds and relax. At this point of time I was shaking and my mother kept telling me to relax. I laid on the bed for about 20 minutes. Then I asked my mother if I am still having this surgery. Immediately after I asked her that question I saw another nurse coming into the room with a cup in her hand. She gave me the cup and told me to drink what was in the cup. I was very curious since I knew I mustn't drink anything before surgery. However, the nurse claimed that the substance in the cup was ‘happy juice’. I laughed when she told me this and I happily drank this ‘happy juice’.

A couple of hours later I awoke in a different room and my mother was sitting down in a chair close to me. When I woke up I asked my mother if I am still going to have my surgery and she was silent. When I opened my eyes wider I realized that it was over already and successful. There were about three needles in each of my hands a soft cast surrounding my back and tubes connected to me for when I needed to use the toilet. My body was pretty stick and I was hungry.

Soon Dr. Sanders came to visit me alongside with other doctors to check up on me. Everything was in order and the doctors agreed that the surgery was successful. They thanked me for giving them the opportunity to help me. I didn't understand what they meant because I am the one who should be thanking them. When they left, my mother told me that she was given the option of allowing the doctors to correct my surgery from opening my back and correcting the spine or open up both the back and chest of my body. Correcting my scoliosis from my back will only correct my curvature to an extent. However, correcting my curvature from both in front and behind allows almost a perfect spine but there is a great risk of obtaining infections when opening my chest area.

Basically, the doctors placed titanium rods in my back.This here is an x-ray giving an example of a patient's back before and after surgery.

My mother never owned a camera, so I don’t have any pictures after my surgery. The hospital took pictures of me but I never obtained them.

Here is another example of the machines use after my surgery.

This video would give you a visual of my back after surgery.

Journey to surgery part 3

When i arrived at Shriners Hospital for Children situated at Erie it felt different to New York. It was a quiet community and very gloomy at times like England.However, i had approximately two weeks before my surgery. The hospital was very child friendly. The first day of my arrival, while one of the nurses took my  information she realized that  i was from Trinidad and Tobago. She told my mother for her honey moon she spent her time in Jamaica. This was the ice breaker for a conversation between her and us. My mother and i finally met Dr. Sanders and  he was a very friendly caucasian man. Another friendly nurse came and showed us around the hospital. The hospital wasn't as big as i imagined it to be. It was 2 times the size of West Shore Medical in Trinidad.


Pictures of inside Shriners

During my time before surgery i met younger patients with different conditions. I can't remember  their names and exactly what were their conditions but compared to mine it seemed like a drop in the ocean. Some of them were handicapped and suffered with other conditions.However, the patients were friendly and loved to hear me speak. They often wanted to learn Trinidadian creole which was fun for me to teach. My duration at the hospital was a learning experience and it proved that i didn't know much about my country's history compared to my fellow patients. I would usually socialize with other patients in the hospital's game room on a morning and late evening. I mentioned this already but didn't elaborate on it. Shriners is a non profit hospital, so as a patient the hospital  paid for our accommodation. Meals, medication, all test and the dormitory in which my mother and i stayed at were paid by the hospital.

Leading up to my surgery i was quite busy taking different test. I gave 2 pints of blood which would have been given back to me after surgery. I hate needles so that experience wasn't a nice one. On average i took about 15 minutes before the nurse could stick the needle in me because it took long for me to settle. Three to two days before my surgery i became very anxious.




 Shriners Hospital changing lives.

shriners Hospital for Children  http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/

join my facebook group and join the discussion  http://www.facebook.com/groups/155511667921915/

Journey to surgery part 2

A doctor from Shriners Hospital for Children situated in Erie Pennsylvania named Dr. Sanders mailed my mother saying he received  a letter and x -rays from the Chiropractic Care Of  New York concerning me and indicated surgery as soon as possible.Consequently, he e-mailed my mother an application form for treatment by the hospital.  For Shriners Hospital to accept  foreign patients their condition must be very serious and surgery is their only option.My mother soon received a letter from the hospital stating that i was accepted. My mother along with my family was every excited. I on the other hand was very afraid but happy to see U.S.A again. Dr. Sanders requested i have an MRI of my brain and spine. My mother and Dr. Sanders remained in contact via mail and e mail.

During this time i kept the surgery to myself and my mother told everyone! i was most annoyed. I understood that one can die during major surgery but i guess i didn't want anyone to pity me. Eventually, a date for my spinal surgery was set on July 18, 2006 at Shriners Hospital for Children Erie Pennsylvania. Dr. Sanders  requested a urinalysis and a PPD test along with other tests. As i said in my last blog Shriner's is a non profit hospital therefore my surgery and  other medial expenses would be paid for when i arrive at the hospital. My mother had to plan on purchasing our  plain tickets and which family member we can stay at during my recuperation period. Once again the money was found some how. My parents never made me worry when it came to spending money on my condition.

At this point i was in form one in my last semester before August vacation. My mother  mentioned to my teacher that my date for surgery was soon. The last day of class before the end of semester exams my class alongside with my teacher planned a well wishing party. Many of my class mates were  shocked about my surgery because i never told anyone of my condition. I usually avoided answering questions concerning my condition.

Soon i was on my way to Erie Pennsylvania on a three plain trip. From Trinidad to Huston Texas then Charlotte and finally to Erie.


where exactly is Erie Pennsylvania? take a look  http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Erie&state=PA



Shriners Hospital Erie Pennsylvania

Journey to surgery part 1

Today i am about to begin another journey in my life; my journey to surgery. During my period in form 1 my spinecor brace wasn't doing what it was designed to do because i damaged two of the straps and broke one or two  of its  buckles at the side. Eventually, i started complaining to my mother that i was having many back pains. Now many may think that my mother should have been more stern because i damaged the  brace  she spend thousand of US dollars on. However, she was very caring and never showed any hostility. I guess she understood i didn't mean to damaged it and i disliked wearing it much. Eventually, i went to take an x-ray and a doctor brought to my mothers attention that i must have surgery because the x-ray showed my back at  almost 96 degrees which was an increase of  6 degrees from before.

No credit taken away from Trinidad and Tobago Doctors but my mother didn't want me to have my back surgery in Trinidad.On the other hand, she had no money to pay for my surgery either.This became a predicament for my mother. She swiftly notified the Chiropractic Care New York, this is where i previously got my spinecor brace. One of the doctors at the Chiropractic center  decided to take action because of my mother's financial situation and my back condition and he sent a letter to Shrines Hospital for Children alongside with my x- rays requesting  immediate surgery. Shriners Hospital for Children is a non profit  hospital that deals with orthopaedics, burn care , cleft lip and palate and spinal cord injury. The doctor promised to follow up on his letter to the hospital.

When i was told that surgery was inevitable i got really scared but never showed it. Somehow i still never showed much interest although i was a teenager at this point.This is one of  my mistakes. One should always take interest in his/her condition mainly because the condition directly affects him/her. All my mother and family can do is pray and believe that i can have this surgery and soon too.

 More on Shriners Hospital For Children

 http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriners_Hospitals_for_Children

Surgery becomes inevitable

Hello again to everyone. In my last blog i spoke about my journey for my second brace. Unfortunately, that spinecor brace didn't do much to my back.Once again i didn't take proper care of the brace and i took it off many times. Any chance i got to take off my brace i would do so. I started secondary school with my spinecor brace and it was very challenging because i didn't want to be different and be treated differently. So i often took off my brace many times to go to school. However, i did this at the expense of increasing my curvature.

As i look back  i realized that  my solution was simple. I could of told the truth about my back, but some how i was afraid i would have been an outcast as most teenagers including myself tries to fit in with the crowd.

In this blog i am taking the opportunity to expand on what i went through during my time in America before   i came in-contact with my second brace. In my next  few blogs  i would get  into the meat of my challenges associated with scoliosis. My back brace has done its course and my curvature reaches 100 degrees, surgery becomes inevitable.

Here  is a video of  magnetic resonance imaging  (MRI) which basically gives doctors a picture of my back. I took two (MRI's) before i wore my spinecor brace.

I specifically remember doing an exercise similar to this to strengthen my back when i was in America.

This  video is very interesting to watch, this little girl is so brave !!

Feel free to comment on the video on my blog or facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/groups/155511667921915/



Take a look at this link, its an interesting story where  fitness plays a key role in victory over scoliosis and migraines.

http://www.midtown.com/blog/8847/fitness-plays-key-role-in-victory-over-scoliosis-and-migraines

Journey for my new brace part 2

Hey  Guys a couple of days ago i started speaking on my journey to the United States of America, as promised i am continuing from where i left off.

On my journey for my new brace i was headed to Chiropractic Care Of  New York PLLC 1085 Park Avenue, New York. I left Trinidad with my mother during the summer vacation when i was 12  turning on 13 years of age. Before i continue i must say i never took my scoliosis seriously when i was younger because i never wanted to be looked upon as different.Therefore, proper documentation of  my experiences when i was younger was not done. Although i distinctively  remember certain events that happened. I'm depending now  on my memory and other secondary sources of information to talk about my challenges.

When i  arrived in  America, i stayed in New jersey  for two weeks with family  then i was on my way to  Brooklyn New York where i also stayed with family. America was exactly what i envisioned it to be.My first visit to the Chiropractic Care Of  New York i was a bit nervous and excited.There is a big difference between me seeing the spinecor brace and wearing it. Before i even tried putting it on, i had to learn various exercises in conjunction with my new brace to control my curvature growth . I also had to undergo other treatment . My exercises were not all that easy seeing that it was all back oriented exercises. Unfortunately, i couldn't  find any videos illustrating my exercises and i can't remember any of them.However, later down i would illustrate exercises i did  after  my surgery.

This spinecor  brace was a million times more comfortable than my old brace.It gave me more freedom to bend and it felt more natural. Remembering how to assemble this new soft brace was a little challenging for  the first few days. I also remembered a lot of pain the first night i slept with it.I don't believe i slept that first night well at all.

After my acquaintance with my new brace it was time to head back to Trinidad. This brace made me felt somewhat comfortable with my scoliosis. Sometimes the straps  may show underneath my clothes depending on the material but that didn't bother me much. It was when people started asking questions about what was underneath my jersey problems arose for me. I forgot to mention that my curvature was close to 90 degrees when i switched to this spinecor brace.


This is an x-ray of  a 90 degree curvature. My curvature was very close to this.

Take a look at this story.