Fused

Well readers, be you friends, family or fellow bloggers, today things are going to get real. As much as I love blogging about all of the fun things going on in Detroit, my favorite bands or the latest fashion lusts, we must realize that each of us have our own personal struggles. I was inspired to start my blog by reading others blogs. I found that the ones that I connected with most were those that shared things about their lives, not in an annoying way, but in a genuine way. Believe me, I love me some fashion and style blogs and read them daily, but at the end of the day a birth story, anniversary celebration or a trip to the farmers market is much more inspiring to me.

There has been a bit of an underground movement in the blog community lately to quit the bullshit and expose to your readers the genuine self, not just what type of couch pillow looks best in your sitting room (who has a sitting room by the way). A movement began and it was called "Things I'm Afraid To Tell You" where well read bloggers would do a post exposing things they are afraid of, the silly, sad, and the true.  One of my favorite bloggers/photographers, Sarah, from A House In The Hills recently exposed her battle with Crohn's disease. She described how she was afraid and hesitant to share her story but that she knew that if it meant she could help someone else, it would be worth it.

So, I have decided to share one of my more intimate stories with you today. At age 12 I was diagnosed with scoliosis which is essentially a curvature of the spine. It is very normal for most women to have a slight curve, but mine wasn't slight and it was getting worse. I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon and fitted for a big pink back brace that I would wear at night from age 13-17. The thing hurt like a mother and was impossible to travel with but ended up accompanying me to China, summer camp and many a road trip. Like all things, eventually it got easier. With scoliosis, the curve is supposed stop progressing after puberty. At 18 I was done growing, yet the curve continued to worsen, and at 20 it had progressed quickly. 

The thing with scoliosis is that you don't have pain in your spine, it's the way the rest of your body adjusts that causes pain. For example, my rib cages are different sizes and my right shoulder blade doesn't lay flat, these are the ways my body grew and changed to accommodate the curve and these are the reasons for discomfort and pain. I decided that I had dealt with this condition for long enough (8 years) and that I had to rip the band aid off and get the surgery, rather than have it hang over my head for another who knows how many years.

The thing with a spinal fusion is, it's a HUGE surgery, mine lasted 8 hrs and I had to basically sign my life away because the risks are so high, the highest being loss of sight, paralyzation and death. I was nervous but had a feeling I would be ok. I write this post now because my 3 yr. surgery anniversary was just two days ago, June 12th. I always remember the recovery of course, which is something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy, but mostly I remember the love and support of friends, family, my church, classmates and Bob.

I want to share my story because I found great comfort in talking with and hearing the stories of other girls who had already gone through the surgery. There are so many details your surgeon just doesn't know, because he or she hasn't experienced the recovery themselves. A few fun facts:

• You can't drink water after your surgery until you pass gas. This took me 2 days. Two torturous days where I dreamt of watermelon and attempted to bribe a nurse for a sip of water.
• They won't let you leave the hospital until you poop. good luck.
• The car ride home is beyond painful. Take as many pillows to cushion those bumps as possible and take the smoothest roads out there.
• You cannot bathe yourself so you better have a caretaker (mine was my Mom) who you are comfortable with seeing you naked and who will wash your hair for you.
• You must have friends who love to watch TV series on DVD as much as you do because you will be laying in bed for 5 weeks.
• Don't eat dairy! You're already backed up from the insane pain killers they put you on!
• You haven't slept this much since infancy. Enjoy it!

So, sorry for the long post and my apologies if you aren't interested, but this is my effort to be a genuine blogger and to share my story, however intimate it may be, because it might reach that one person. I hope you will share it with those going through something similar (this surgery is much more common than you think) and tell them, if they want to grab a cup of coffee, to call me anytime!

iz