Friday, June 19, 2015

Puberty in a shell

It was summer in New Jersey and a friend had invited me to her house to go swimming in her family's pool. I told her I would walk there (less than a mile away from my house) and she expressed concern.

"What if you fall? You'll be a like a turtle on its back. 'Help me! Help me!'" she mimicked the infamous line from "The Fly".

I laughed and assured her I'd be fine. And I was.

Another summer, during a family trip to the Florida Keys, I spent some of my "brace-less" time in the sun ~ and fell asleep. The resulting case of sun poisoning made wearing my Milwaukee brace unbearable, so I went without for awhile. I remember feeling vulnerable, sleeping without the brace's support. Or maybe I was feeling guilty, not wearing it as prescribed.

This story reminded me of those instances. It is Hannah's story, seen through her aunt's camera lens. This touching tribute, by photographer Julia Cybularz, chronicles Hannah's scoliosis treatment. The story title is the first reference to "living in a shell" that I can recall ~ a very accurate description. Scroll through the photos of "Breaking the Girl" to see Hannah's journey of strength and courage.

This July will mark 36 years since my last body cast was removed, finally freeing me from my shell.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

No height gain for me

When, after two and one-half years of treatment with the Milwaukee Brace, Dr. Keim decided that I needed scoliosis surgery, I wondered if I would be taller. Seemed logical to me: curved spine made straight should add a few inches, right?

That was the subject of a recent study at Boston Children's Hospital, published in the National Library Medicine. The conclusion was that, yes, among the 116 patients (average age: 14.8 years), additional height was gained after scoliosis surgery, and some patients continued to grow post-operatively.

In may case, though, I did not gain any additional inches on my pre-surgery 5' 3" frame. But then my surgery was likely more extensive than those patients participating in the study. I was also older (16) and had probably achieved my adult height by that point.

But thanks to the study's authors for confirming my hypothesis lo, those many years ago.