So I'm Katie Fowler and I'm 18 years old I'm in grade 12 and I just had scoliosis
surgery last February. So it's been a little over a year now. And I like to run
and I'm on the, I was on the cross-country team. I'm going to
university in September for teaching, so that's gonna be pretty exciting. When I
first found out I had scoliosis I was a little nervous because I had no idea
what it was, or what it was about, what would happen in the future. So I had to
do my research and I was a little scare at the beginning to know like that
I had to get surgery and that it had something to do with my back. Because I
had. Like I said, I had no idea what was going on. When I first found out that
I had to have surgery like I was nervous obviously because I had to undergo a
serious surgery that I had no idea what to expect in the end. Um, pretty much I was
nervous, but at the same time I was able to overcome it all because I had the
support of all the supporters I guess you could say at SickKids and my parents
and everything like that. Um, Dr. Howard was a huge help with it all and he just
like went step-by-step what was going to happen, so I was like reassuring to know
that everything was going to go well. Well, what made me have the surgery,
rather than waiting in the future, was pretty much that he told me that if I
didn't have the surgery when I had it that there was a chance that the curvature
in the spine would increased drastically. I decided to have it just so that I get
over and done with because I'm healthy and I'm young and everything would go
well right now. When my parents first found out that I had to have surgery, they
were nervous they didn't know what to expect as well as nor did I. Um, they were
very hesitant, but at the same time they knew that I was in good hands with SickKids,
it's one of the best hospitals in Canada, and then even the world, so they in that
sense were reassured that everything would go well. As far as me going into
surgery they were nervous but upset and why it had to happen to me they didn't
want happened to me they'd rather them go
through the pain whereas me going through the pain. If I had to go back in time
I wasn't I would most definitely have the surgery again. It's benefited me in
so many ways. Like I've learned so much about myself. I can conquer anything now.
I can feel like I can do anything. Because surgery is a huge step and it
was so hard to overcome and there was times where I was going up and down and
with emotions and it was just so hard, but with going through that it helped me
out a lot to learn about myself. After my surgery I found that my body was a lot
different. Um ,I felt more or less straight. I didn't feel like I was leaning to one side
I find that when it rains I feel the pain like drastically like I can feel
it's almost like I can predict that it's gonna rain almost because the pain in my
back. The numbness that I find after my surgery that I had, it's all over. I find
that it's like closer to my neck, like on the top of my spine, right around where I
got the ribs taken out.That. There's a lot of numbness there as well, so it's a
little off-balance I guess you could say. I still have numbness to this very day.
Like once in a while like I have my days. I am a runner and before my surgery it'd be hard
for me at times to run long distances because my ribs were closing in because
of the curvature in the spine, but after my surgery I'm able to do a lot more
running. I'm able to do everything that I once did before the surgery but a lot
more successful now. One of the toughest things that I had to concur with the
surgery was pretty much just preparing myself for the surgery. Do your research.
You have to know what you're going getting yourself into rather than having
it one big surprise when you go into the surgery room. Um, my advice is to stay
positive throughout the whole thing even though you're in tons of pain and you're
always on medication and it's hard, but you have the support of friends and
family and everyone here at SickKids that helps you so
that sense it's reassuring that everything will get better. And no matter
what happens and no matter how much pain you're in, it will get better and it'll
benefit you later on in life. Well when I first came home from surgery I had to
obviously depend on my parents emotionally and physically. It was hard
at the beginning because I was so used to having nurses being there 24/7 and
like always there no matter what. I just had to press a button and they were
there. That's same with that at home but it was different because my parents didn't
go to school for so many years to know what to do and what to expect. Um, it would take
a little while for all of us to adjust. It was hard at the beginning because you
had to go home and readjust yourself and be in like your own bed and it was just
hard at the beginning.