13 Years Later with Chronic Pain Due to Scoliosis
My name is Katherine and I am 27yrs young. I suffer from chronic pain due to scoliosis fusion surgery. This coming July it’ll be 13 yrs since I had my back surgery going from the T4 to L4 vertebra. I have lived with mild back pain since the surgery, which has become “normal” to me. Thankfully I have managed to live a “normal life.”
How I Manage Chronic Pain
In March 2016 at the end of a normal work day, I started developing severe back pain that grew worse by the day. After being hospitalized, having multiple tests and scans done and going back to my original surgeon, I came across a spine specialist who has been helping me since October 2016. The metal in my back is weighing down on my last discs causing inflammation in the spine, nerves, and muscles all around. I have steroid epidural injections to help deal with the pain, inflammation and arthritis. I can still walk but it does get harder throughout the day as my legs get heavier and weaker and the pain gets stronger.
Grateful for my life
I am beyond grateful though because having these treatments has helped me keep a part time job, go out on special occasions and enjoy some time with family and friends. It’s been hard to have my life flipped around and adjusting to all the help I now need, but I am slowly finding my way through the pain with the help of lots of faith, family, and all these chronic warrior pages that remind me I’m not the only one.
