Questions

Some questions I get alot:

What brace do you wear and why is yours so painful?

I wear a boston brace...I think. Every brace fits differently though, and every case of scoliosis is different. I think mine was so painful because my curve pushed a rib out, (my dominate rib, the doctors called it. ha;) and the brace had to push that rib back in. I'm a little bony in that area as well. But some people don't have that bad of curves and their brace might not hurt as much as yours. Everyone's different.

How long is this gonna last?

It all really depends on your age and when you had your period. (I guess I don't really know for guys). Usually, its 1-2 years after you've had your period. I had my period when I was 12, and that's around the same time they put me inthe brace, I'm 14 now, and I just recently got my brace off. But everyone's growth pattern is different.

If you've ever heard the doctor talking about your hips being a 0, 1, 2, 3 then maybe you know what that means. But if you don't, those numbers are measuring how solid your hips are becoming. When you're young, your hips are mostly cartilage. But as you progress through puberty, they become more hard into bone. Just like a baby's skull is mostly cartilage and soft when he's young, so that his brain and skull can still grow. His skull later becomes bone when he is done growing.
if you're a 0, then your hips most likely have a while to go. But at 3, you're almost there!

What can I do about pain when I'm not wearing the brace?

Core strengthening and toning is a great way to help your throbbing back. Some of you may not have back pain, but for more serious curves, it can really start to irritate the muscles and tissue in your back. Pilates are really helpful. The more you tone your core (including back and abs) the more even your back muscles become, and the more this helps the pain. It can sometimes even help the curve.  

I hope all of this helps you guys:) If you ever just wanna talk, my email address is in the below post:)

Hey guys! I'm so excited that several of you have found my page!

Just to let you know, I've read all your comments! I just don't always reply sometimes.

Feeling insecure about the brace showing through is so normal. It's perfectly normal to be afraid of people knowing. And pain with your brace is normal.

My brace is especially painful. I have calluses on my side, and sometimes during school, I'll have to slip into the bathroom, rip my brace off, only to find that they're bleeding. I have a huge bruise ontop of a muscle that's tangled into a knot and pressure is painful on it.

Some are more painful than others. I get it. But you can't take the pain and the fears and bottle yourself up. Don't you think you can use your experience to help others? I had a older friend who had scoliosis, but it was really bad. And she became a hermit for two years, until she got a brace. But she never wore the brace. Now, she needs surgery. She told me that the one more important thing was to wear the brace. Don't give up on it. it's not worth it to give up.

She was homecoming queen, Has a boyfriend, and is a model for a store. But she is as sweet as can be and she really inspired me to step out of this shell that I had created to protect myself from people. The shell was made of fear and built up pain, that I wasn't letting go.

So what if you have a little curve, your ribs lean a little to the right, you still have the potential to do something great! And you're not going to have the brace forever. I've worn my brace 24 months. And I can assure you when the doctor releases you from it and you look back, you're gonna think, wow. I wish I had just used the pain and fears to become a stronger person.

I know it's really hard to let go, email me if you would like to know more about me and how I'm getting through it. I would love to help! awsmshaw@gmail.com

I can't hide the truth from everyone..

I wear my brace to school and after each day I put it in my brother's car so I can go to drama practice/sports.

Lately, my brother has been driving his friends home. So I would try my best to hide it in plain sight, throw a jacket over it.

But sometimes I dont have a jacket. And sometimes his friends open the door and there my brace is, sitting right there.

I used to be so afraid of anyone knowing about it, but their reaction really surprised me.

They just kept moving on. They didn't even think of me differently really. All three of the people that my brother drives home don't care at all. Some people at school have poked my stomach and asked about the brace but when I tell them, they don't really seem to mind at all.

This was a huge surprise to me cuz I thought that having a back brace was the ugliest, worstest thing that could happen to a lady, but it's not! I thought people would be absolutely disgusted with me, but they're not.
I've had my brace for about ayear now. Honestly, I don't care if people know. I think about 20 or 30 people know, but they don't mind.

Having a brace doesn't change who I am. My friends will know me for how I act, and how I make them feel. Not what I'm wearing under my clothes.

So don't be afraid to tell a few people. You'll be surprised at how understanding some of them can be.

The ones that mind don't matter. And the ones that matter don't mind. :)