~My Tips and Suggestions for people having the surgery
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Some things you may want to bring to the hospital are:
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1. journal or diary 2. toothbrush and other personal items 3. List of people that you might want to call 4. Phone Card 5. comfy clothes to wear home (i suggest a button up shirt because it is almost impossible to lift your arms up and get your shirt on) 6. something to make you feel safe like a blanket or teddy bear you dont really need much else!
Check out www.scoliosissurgery.org for great info on scoliosis surgery!
And check out www.spinekids.com for a great support message board!
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For people with scoliosis:
I know it is really hard having scoliosis and you feel like you hate your body! It seems like everywhere you look the public is showing you all these images of girls with "perfect bodies!" Little do they know, that is so hurtful to us people with scoliosis. It is so hard for us to accept our body when we see ourself none other than crooked and twisted. Just when we think we have started to accept our body, people bombard us with all these "perfect bodied" models. It is so unfair to us... we did nothing wrong there is nothing we could have done to stop ourselfs from having scoliosis, yet we still find ourselfs crying constantly wondering why this had to happen to us. Most people think that it is not a big deal, except those of us that have it really understand what its like. It is so hard when you think nobody understands the pains you have to go through; the dread of wearing an uncomfortable brace and wondering every second your wearing it "will anybody notice this", the fear that people will see that huge scar going down your back, worrying that you wont be the same with two rods in your back, having so many x- rays you don't know what to do with yourself.....and i could list many more, and im sure you could too. Sometimes it seems like there is always a supposed "standard" and you feel like you have to be perfect. One day i hope you will understand that there are no real standards you have to live up to, just be you and that should be enough. I think that people make standards just so that they can feel good about themselfs...like they're following the "trend" or whatever. It is really amazing because all of the people i have met that have scoli are the strongest people i know. You sometimes think that it is tearing you apart, but really it just makes us stronger! So thank your scoliosis its what makes you who you are. There are so many other people out there that have scoliosis, so lets all join hands in this hard journey!
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* Something i would suggest is to write your feelings down in a journal or diary, you might find out that it is not as bad as you thought. Plus it makes you feel so much better. Or have somebody to talk to that has scoli (i would be willing to be that person) they will know what you are going through. * remember... Nobody can tear us apart, it just makes us stronger. And just be you and keep a smile on your face even though you are going through a lot, people will admire you for it!
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Hey check this out~*~*~ There are people with scoliosis all around you...here are some famous people that have it!!
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Sarah Michelle Gellar - Actress/Model
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Janet Evans - Olympic Swimmer
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Isabella Rossellini - Actress/Model
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Alexandra Marinescu - Olympic Gymnast
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Renee Russo - Actress/Model
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Malanie Blatt - All Saints Star
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Liza Minelli - Singer/Broadway actress
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Isabella Rossellini - Actress/Model
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Chloe Sevigny - Actress
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Daryl Hannah - Actress
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Famous people didn't let scoliosis stop them from accomplishing their dreams. They did it, you can too!! Just because you have scoliosis doesn't mean you cant be everything that you've always wanted to be! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!
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I hope that i have given you a beter idea about braces and surgery for those of you that wanted to know :) Please sign my guestbook:) Let me know what you thought of my story and tell me what i could do to make it better or explain something more! You can also ask anything you want to!
If there is anything else you want to know, feel free to ask me ANY questions you have i will definitely answer them. I know i had a lot of questions before my surgery, but i didn't have anyone to ask, so i hope youll ask me for help:)If you need something explained in more details or have any questions at all e-mail me at cokie3212@hotmail.com!I also suggest visiting iscoliosis.com it has a lot of great stuff! Some advice I would give for those of you getting surgery, remember: If you go into surgery scared and worried you will have a bad experience but if you have a smile on you face and feel confident about it, it will turn out to be one of the best experiences in your life. I know some of you are probably thinking why would surgery be a good experience, but it changed me a lot besides the fact that it straightened me out. One thing that helped me was thinking about the long term results and how straight my back would be rather than what the pain and hospital stay is going to be like! Just try and make your surgery a positive and memorable experience
Also remember that all scoliosis patients are unique and not all stories turn out the same. So yours won't necesarilly be like mine!! LUV YA!
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