My Story!
I thought that I would have wrote this story sooner.
I kept putting it off for a while, making notes and trying to think of the best way to do it. I just wanted it to be perfect.
To be honest, it was all just a waste of time. The best way for me to do this is to just write as I go, because knowing me? It would definitely be left here and not get done at all. I kind of have a problem with success ... but that is a story for another day!
Today is about telling you my journey from start to finish!
It all started when I was 13. It was easter Sunday and every year on easter my family and I would go up to a little town called Waterfoot, where we had a little holiday caravan right on the beach. It is so beautiful up there, the white sandy beach, the freshly cut grass and the warm fresh air carrying the smell of the sea. (We are so lucky if we get that weather over here, so we always remember the best sunny days!)
My mum's brother and three sisters always come up on Easter Sunday and we would have Sunday dinner, sing a longs, catch ups and just sit and relax with each other.
A few of us would at some point during the day a few of us would take a walk on the beach. However on this particular Easter Sunday, I wasn't feeling the best. I had a bit of back pain that I was just ignoring. The only reason I ignored it was because I was just hitting puberty and my mum told me that i could sometimes get back pain along with the cramps in my stomach. I just played it off.
My aunt had just gave birth to my little cousin Daniel. He was only a few weeks old and so adorable.
When everyone had took to the beach, I decided to stay behind because I wasn't feeling the best. I held little Daniel in my arms and after a couple of minutes I knew it wasn't period pains I was having.
I didn't want to shout over to my mum incase I woke the baby up, so I decided to just wait until she came into the room and asked her to take him. I tried to stand up and got a blinding pain in my back beside my waist. I didn't know what was happening and I was a bit scared.
My mum gave me a painkiller and that seemed to help a little.
On the drive back home, I was still really sore and my mum said if I am still sore she will take me down to the doctors. When we got home, I was getting changed and I bent down to pick my pyjamas up of the floor and I looked into the mirror and and seen that something did not look right. I seriously started to panic and then I went into her room and told her to take a look.
The next day she took my down to the doctors for him to have a look. By the way you need to know that my doctor was a tight ass and always thought that everyone was over exaggerating with their symptoms, especially me! This is how the conversation went:
Me: Hi doctor, I have been having really bad back pain and it doesn't look right. could you take a look?
Doctor: Yes, I'm sure it's nothing serious. It could be because you have bad posture.
Mum: No! you look at her back!
My mum decided to make me stand, lift my top up and show him what we saw.
He was speechless and said, ooh ok ill send you for an x-ray. He realised he was being an ass! he shut right up!
I was sent straight over for an x-ray. I had to go for a few more test and things before I found out what was wrong. I was brought into a consultants room in the hospital. My mum, dad and I sat there so nervous and we were there stunned not knowing what to do when we came out of the room. Let me explain.
When we were talking to the consultant, he showed me my x-ray, then this is what he said:
Consultant: You have scoliosis. It is a curve in the spine. You have two curves, one at 10° and the other at 15°.
Never asked if we had any questions or anything, just that one statement! My mum had asked about the pain I was having and he told us that I shouldn't have any pain. I was so upset because I didn't want my mum to think that I was lying to her or anything and I really wasn't. Thankfully my mum believed me!
We went home and researched more and thats how we got some more information, but not a lot.
***
Skip forward a few years. I had been going to yearly check ups and x-rays. The pain had gotten worse, and the curves grew. I knew nothing about back braces and was never offered one, until I decided to have an operation.
However, all through these years, I had struggled through the pain I was having, physically and emotionally.
I never really liked telling people about my back. I was paranoid, especially going to an all girls school!
When I told a few people about it they were good with it. But as you know, friends come and go. I had a few anonymous messages saying how I was really bad at acting of how much pain that I was faking it. It really hurt and brought me down a lot.
Some people just did not understand because you couldn't see the problem, especially since I was hiding it with clothes.
When I was 18 the hospital discharged me because I had stopped growing. I still went to my doctor to refer me back every year since because I was in so much pain. When I was 20 I then seen another consultant and he agreed that he would do the operation for me. He seen how unhappy I was. I had been to concealing and everything because I was so down with the pain.
He told me it would be October of the following year that I would be having the operation since the waiting list was so long.
October came and there was no sign of an operation. Just after Christmas I got a letter from the hospital. I was so happy to hopefully get a date for the operation. In fact it was not a letter with a date. It was a letter saying that the waiting list is too long so they are sending a few people over to London to have the surgery and if I wanted to go give them a call.
I talked to my mum and we agreed that it would be a good idea because I needed to get it done. We went to London on January 19th and I had my surgery on the 20th.
The surgery went so well and I felt so good after. I mean I was really sore, obviously, however it felt so good to feel so straight. It was AMAZING!
I was let out of hospital after a week and was on a flight back home. I was so happy and excited.
I wanted to recover quickly and the situation made me so happy. Don't get me wrong I had really bad days and I could barely move, but because I had such a good attitude about it all it really did help me to recover quickly.
I know that it is something a lot of people just say but I am telling you it really really works!!
So anyone who is going through a hard time or recovering after surgery and I know that it can be really difficult to do, stay positive!
Trust me!
You're all beautiful!
Niamh xxx
P.S. I know that this post is really long but I tried to keep it short for you all, even if it doesn't seem like it. Here are the before and after photos of my surgery.
I kept putting it off for a while, making notes and trying to think of the best way to do it. I just wanted it to be perfect.
To be honest, it was all just a waste of time. The best way for me to do this is to just write as I go, because knowing me? It would definitely be left here and not get done at all. I kind of have a problem with success ... but that is a story for another day!
Today is about telling you my journey from start to finish!
It all started when I was 13. It was easter Sunday and every year on easter my family and I would go up to a little town called Waterfoot, where we had a little holiday caravan right on the beach. It is so beautiful up there, the white sandy beach, the freshly cut grass and the warm fresh air carrying the smell of the sea. (We are so lucky if we get that weather over here, so we always remember the best sunny days!)
My mum's brother and three sisters always come up on Easter Sunday and we would have Sunday dinner, sing a longs, catch ups and just sit and relax with each other.
A few of us would at some point during the day a few of us would take a walk on the beach. However on this particular Easter Sunday, I wasn't feeling the best. I had a bit of back pain that I was just ignoring. The only reason I ignored it was because I was just hitting puberty and my mum told me that i could sometimes get back pain along with the cramps in my stomach. I just played it off.
My aunt had just gave birth to my little cousin Daniel. He was only a few weeks old and so adorable.
When everyone had took to the beach, I decided to stay behind because I wasn't feeling the best. I held little Daniel in my arms and after a couple of minutes I knew it wasn't period pains I was having.
I didn't want to shout over to my mum incase I woke the baby up, so I decided to just wait until she came into the room and asked her to take him. I tried to stand up and got a blinding pain in my back beside my waist. I didn't know what was happening and I was a bit scared.
My mum gave me a painkiller and that seemed to help a little.
On the drive back home, I was still really sore and my mum said if I am still sore she will take me down to the doctors. When we got home, I was getting changed and I bent down to pick my pyjamas up of the floor and I looked into the mirror and and seen that something did not look right. I seriously started to panic and then I went into her room and told her to take a look.
The next day she took my down to the doctors for him to have a look. By the way you need to know that my doctor was a tight ass and always thought that everyone was over exaggerating with their symptoms, especially me! This is how the conversation went:
Me: Hi doctor, I have been having really bad back pain and it doesn't look right. could you take a look?
Doctor: Yes, I'm sure it's nothing serious. It could be because you have bad posture.
Mum: No! you look at her back!
My mum decided to make me stand, lift my top up and show him what we saw.
He was speechless and said, ooh ok ill send you for an x-ray. He realised he was being an ass! he shut right up!
I was sent straight over for an x-ray. I had to go for a few more test and things before I found out what was wrong. I was brought into a consultants room in the hospital. My mum, dad and I sat there so nervous and we were there stunned not knowing what to do when we came out of the room. Let me explain.
When we were talking to the consultant, he showed me my x-ray, then this is what he said:
Consultant: You have scoliosis. It is a curve in the spine. You have two curves, one at 10° and the other at 15°.
Never asked if we had any questions or anything, just that one statement! My mum had asked about the pain I was having and he told us that I shouldn't have any pain. I was so upset because I didn't want my mum to think that I was lying to her or anything and I really wasn't. Thankfully my mum believed me!
We went home and researched more and thats how we got some more information, but not a lot.
***
Skip forward a few years. I had been going to yearly check ups and x-rays. The pain had gotten worse, and the curves grew. I knew nothing about back braces and was never offered one, until I decided to have an operation.
However, all through these years, I had struggled through the pain I was having, physically and emotionally.
I never really liked telling people about my back. I was paranoid, especially going to an all girls school!
When I told a few people about it they were good with it. But as you know, friends come and go. I had a few anonymous messages saying how I was really bad at acting of how much pain that I was faking it. It really hurt and brought me down a lot.
Some people just did not understand because you couldn't see the problem, especially since I was hiding it with clothes.
When I was 18 the hospital discharged me because I had stopped growing. I still went to my doctor to refer me back every year since because I was in so much pain. When I was 20 I then seen another consultant and he agreed that he would do the operation for me. He seen how unhappy I was. I had been to concealing and everything because I was so down with the pain.
He told me it would be October of the following year that I would be having the operation since the waiting list was so long.
October came and there was no sign of an operation. Just after Christmas I got a letter from the hospital. I was so happy to hopefully get a date for the operation. In fact it was not a letter with a date. It was a letter saying that the waiting list is too long so they are sending a few people over to London to have the surgery and if I wanted to go give them a call.
I talked to my mum and we agreed that it would be a good idea because I needed to get it done. We went to London on January 19th and I had my surgery on the 20th.
The surgery went so well and I felt so good after. I mean I was really sore, obviously, however it felt so good to feel so straight. It was AMAZING!
I was let out of hospital after a week and was on a flight back home. I was so happy and excited.
I wanted to recover quickly and the situation made me so happy. Don't get me wrong I had really bad days and I could barely move, but because I had such a good attitude about it all it really did help me to recover quickly.
I know that it is something a lot of people just say but I am telling you it really really works!!
So anyone who is going through a hard time or recovering after surgery and I know that it can be really difficult to do, stay positive!
Trust me!
You're all beautiful!
Niamh xxx
P.S. I know that this post is really long but I tried to keep it short for you all, even if it doesn't seem like it. Here are the before and after photos of my surgery.
