Hello, my name is Emily and I am 11 years old now. I've been wearing my brace for 4 and a half years now! After a while you get used to it and don't think it's that weird.

When I first started wearing the brace I thought everyone at school was going to tease me. Now everyone always comes up to me and asks how it's going or if I'm still wearing the brace.

I am on my 4th brace now because I just got a new one. I wore my first one for a year, my second one for a year, my third one for a year and a half, and my fourth one I don't now because I just got it.

. I found out about my scoliosis when I went to my doctors for a checkup when I was 6 and told my mom that my spine looked curved. He told my mom for me to go see an Orthopedic Surgeon. So we went and got a doctor named Dr. Thomson and said I definitely had Scoliosis. My top degree was 45 and the bottom was 27. They were so close of just saying a brace can't fix this curve and putting me straight into an operation. Instead they thought again and said maybe a brace could fix it so they did put me in a brace. Now after 4 and a half years of wearing a brace my curve is in the 20's on top and 20's on the bottom.

About a year ago I started wearing the brace only at night, instead of 20 hrs a day, because it wasn't as bad. I still only wear it at night and I will stop wearing the brace when my spine stops growing in about a year or so, hopefully. When I wore my brace day and night I only got light colors because I didn't want people to see I wore a brace. Now since I only wear my brace at night I get all colors because no one will see me except when I have sleepovers. They still don't see me because my mom doesn't make me put my brace on when I sleep over a friend's house.

My doctor and my mom says it's good for you to horse back ride when you have scoliosis because you have to sit up straight the whole time your on a horse. My mom and doctor know because I do ride and have a horse. At the point I'm at right now it's not a big deal anymore. The first night I wore my brace I couldn't sleep at all. A few months later I thought it was a little comfy but you get used to it after 4 and a half years of wearing it. People are surprised when I say it's comfy. Well that's it for now. I will write again next year!

Back to Scoliosis Stories