Carly's Scary Spine!

October 30th will always be a special day to me. Two years ago today a doctor placed two steel rods and 28 screws in my spine to fix my scoliosis. Here is my story and some warning signs you should look for in your kids.

I had no idea I had scoliosis (an abnormal curvature of the spine) until I was 19 years old. At that point I was told that since I was fully grown I should "gain 10 lbs and hopefully no one will notice."

That was the worst medical advice I have ever received. If left untreated, scoliosis can be debilitating and cause obvious deformities.

After the birth of my daughter, the curve in my spine started to progress. The mid section of my back felt like it was on fire almost all of the time. (You can see how crooked my back was in the picture on the left, and after scoliosis surgery on the middle and right photos.)

Scoliosis robbed me of my self-esteem. I wore jackets or baggy shirts most of the time to hide it. I would always encourage people to walk in front of me, because I was so worried that someone would notice the hump on the right side of my back, and I hated swimsuit season.

Finally I found a doctor in Austin, Texas who listened to me and agreed that if my scoliosis wasn't fixed, it would continue to progress and I would probably end up in a wheel chair.

On October 30, 2014 Dr. Matthew Geck fixed my scoliosis during a nearly 5 hour operation by de-rotating my ribs and spine and fusing 14 of my vertebrae together with two steel rods and 28 screws.

My recovery went flawlessly and there isn't a day that goes my that I am not grateful for the metal in my back and my very skilled surgeon. (I still deal with some low back pain and sciatica, but 90% of the time I am pain free.)

Even if you do not have a family history of scoliosis, I would highly recommend you check your children a few times a year for scoliosis. Here's what you should do.

Have your child bend at the waist and touch their toes. If one rib cage pokes out more than the other, your child most likely has scoliosis.
Look to see if their shoulders and/or shoulder blades are even. If not, your child may have scoliosis.
Check to see if their hips are even.

Keep in mind that scoliosis is much more common in girls, but boys can develop it too. Check for scoliosis in your children between the ages of 10 and 16.

If you find that your child does have scoliosis remind them that it is not a death sentence. If caught early, a specific back brace or a less invasive procedure called vertebral stapling could help them avoid the major surgery that I had.

Also point out positive role models for your child like Miss Idaho USA 2015, Claira Hollingsworth, actress Shailene Woodley, or former E! Correspondent Giuliana Rancic.

I never thought in a million years that I would be grateful for my scoliosis, but today I truly am so grateful for my journey. I gained sympathy for others who deal with pain and or disfiguring ailments and I learned that there is so much more to a person than what you see in the mirror.

If any of you have questions about scoliosis and/or surgery, please feel free to reach out to me at rickandcarly@wow1043.com