Hi! My name is Bekah, and I'm 15 years old. I was diagnosed with juvenile scoliosis when I was 8 years old. When I was in 3rd grade I was very active. I played soccer, softball, and tennis.

One day in school, we were having our routine vision tests, and our school nurse had just come from the junior high doing scoliosis checks. When my name was called, the nurse noticed that one of my shoulders was higher than the other. She had me bend forward, then she said that she needed to call my mom. As I sat in the office, my 8 year old mind could only think, "Oh my gosh, am I in trouble? What did I do wrong???"

When she came back, my mom was with her. The nurse said something about "blah blah blah, doctor, blah blah blah, scoliosis..." I wasn't really listening to her. I was only watching my mom's face, and saw that she was looking confused and kinda scared.

Later on that week, my mom and dad took me to Dr. Lehner's office, a scoliosis surgeon. I knew that this wasn't going to be a good appointment because both parents were there, not just my mom. I got some xrays, and my parents talked to the doctor. I was still zoning out, wishing we could just leave, when the doctor looked at me, took my hands and said that I needed a Milwaukee back brace. I just looked at him. Then I looked at my parents, who only looked at me with sad eyes and nodded. I nodded too, not really understanding.

A few days later, my mom took me to the "brace guy", and he tried to calm me down by making some jokes, and smiling alot. Then I got the body sock and then the plaster. Getting the brace was actually really fun!!! I remember smiling and laughing a lot with my mom and the doctor that afternoon. When we picked up the brace, I put it on in the office. The doctor told me to slowly sit down in a chair because it might hurt. I plopped right down on the floor, and jumped back up with no pain at all. I wasn't even uncomfortable! I'll never forget the expression on his face after I jumped back up with a smile. The only awkward part was the car ride home, but once I figured out how to sit, it was a piece of cake! That night, I slept extremely well. I was actually really comfy, because the brace kept me snug, with enough pressure to feel cozy. I never really minded the brace until I was older.

When I was first diagnosed, my curves were around the low 20's. I wore my brace to school 4th, 5th, 6th, and part of 7th grade. I was really nervous about wearing it at first, but then I realized that nobody really cared about the brace. It was just like having a brace for a sprained ankle, and no one gets teased for that! In 7th grade, Dr. Lehner said that I only needed to wear the brace at night. I was so happy that afternoon! I called all my friends, and my mom called my aunts, uncles, and grandparents. All was going okay, with my curves going down, then back up, which was expected.

Then, this year, at my most recent appointment, my curves were 36 and 38. Dr. Lehner was starting to get worried abut the size of them, and said I shouldn't block surgery out of my mind just yet. I left that appointment near tears. All I could think was that I possibly wore a brace for 7 1/2 years for nothing. I cried the whole way home, devasted that I might have been fighting the inevitable all this time just to let the "bad guys" win.

That week, I searched the internet and found this site, and became a "regular" on the SpineKIDS message boards here. My sn is drummergrl -- feel free to talk with me more there! This site has become a constant place of encouragment and a place where I can voice my opnions (good and bad) about my scoliosis with other kids who truly understand.

I'm continuing to wear my brace as much as possible, but I know that surgery is a very real possiblity for me. Even though I was really upset when Dr. Lehner first mentioned surgery, I have calmed down enough to realize that I didn't waste 8 years, I simply prevented it as long as possible.

No matter how hopeless you may feel at first, it does get better, and you learn to have fun with your brace!!! Some of the girls and I have been discussing the best ways to destroy the braces when we are done wearing them! I know that wearing my brace has made me a stronger person, and has become a valuable part of my life. To quote someone off on the message boards, "teenage girls have curves, but real girls have curves in their spines!!!"

July 13, 2006
Today I got my Boston Brace (or technically it's a low-profile TLSO brace). I tried the Providence nighttime brace for about 5 months, but the brace wasn't right for me, so my doctor and I decided on a Boston. After putting it on for the first time this morning, I can honestly say that it isn't as bad as I thought it might be. It's something different, sure, but manageable nonetheless. My lumbar curve is at 42 degrees, and this is a last ditch effort before considering surgery. I'm up to wearing it about 10 hours so far, and in the next few days I plan to be up to 23/7. I'll wear this brace for approx. 1 year, unless it doesn't seem to be working. I have an MRI scheduled to check for any spinal abnormalties, which is scary, but something that has to be done. So for anyone who is waiting for a Boston brace- take my word for it- it's not as bad as it may seem. You'll adjust in no time and hopefully prevent surgery!

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