There were no problems in my life and I felt great. But then during the summer of 2003, my piano teacher noticed that one of my hips was not quite on the piano bench. She kept telling me to sit up straight and I would try to. It wasn't long before my ballet teacher started to notice, she kept trying to straighten my hips out, but they wouldn't. Then my mom would constantly be telling me, "Kati stand up straight, can't you see your crooked?" My aunt who is a physical therapist, suggested I might have scoliosis. "Scoli-what?" She explained it to me and I thought nothing of it, until my mom made an appointment for me to see my pediatrician. My pediatrician asked me to bend down as he ran a hand along my spine. He thought I might have a mild case of scoliosis, so he referred me to an orthopedic surgeon.

First Appointment
When I went to see my orthopedist he was nice. They asked me to go into this dark x-ray room. When we later looked at my x-rays, I kept on thinking 'no that can't be my back.' I had a 60 and a 36 degree curvature. He told me that with a curve like mine, it would require surgery. I felt my eyes burning and my teeth chattering. I kept telling myself, 'I'm only 11, I don't need surgery this early in my life."'I wanted to cry. He said that we should do it that Christmas break, but I would have to miss some school. I did not want to have to miss any school. My mom asked for any other dates. He said that we could brace me and wait until summer to perform the posterior spinal fusion surgery, but if it got any worse we would have to do it earlier. I went home and cried. My mom called my dad at work and he also cried.

The Brace Guy
About a month later we went to a brace guy. As I walked with my dad to the brace place, I kept on thinking, how did this come to happen in my life. Why had God chosen me. They told me to put on this body suit. Soon they came in and told me to lie down. They put this gooey plaster on me. It was so uncomfortable. I hated it. Finally the plaster got really hot and dry. My face was covered in the plaster pieces, and my hair looked like somebody dumped a bucket of clay on me. The brace guy cut the plaster off me. It was pretty scary.

School and the Brace
About two weeks later we got the brace. When I put it on, it felt fine at first, then the doctor pulled the straps in the back to fasten it. I then took off for school with my brace that we had some how managed to squeeze on under my uniform (thank goodness my uniform was too big on me). At first I wore it over an undershirt under my clothes. None of my under shirts seemed thick enough and I sweat like crazy. So I finally settled with wearing it over my uniform. Talk about attention. I did feel somewhat special though. I explained to most of them what scoliosis was, and why I had to wear it. But those who I couldn't be bothered with, I just told them I went camping and tripped over the metal stakes in the tent and I flew head first into a patch of thorns.

Changing Doctors
My mom then heard about a better doctor then my current orthopedist, his name was Dr. Schufflebarger. Dr. Schufflebarger said I definitely needed surgery. He also said I should have an MRI to see if there was anything causing my scoliosis.

The MRI
The MRI was the most treacherous event ever. Little did I know this would accompany my nightmares here on. We arrived for the MRI at 7:00 at night. There was another kid there who was going to do a MRI. They had me take off my jewelry, and shoes. They gave my a blue hospital gown. It was difficult to walk without your underwear showing so I pressed my hands to my sides. As the lady who was controlling the MRI machine told me that I had to be very still, I couldn't even scratch myself. As they placed me in the white tube I started getting scared. My mom was allowed to come with me. I had to put on a hospital gown. Once it started it sounded like someone pulled the fire alarm. I got so scared. By the middle of the MRI I started calling for my mom. But to no avail, my mom mom had ear plugs on. I was scared and stiff. Finally the hour and a half was up. I had moved in one of the pictures and they wanted to retake it. I reluctantly said yes, but inside I was screaming, "Get me outta here I wanna move." Finally it was over. I got up, I was very dizzy and had trouble taking steps at first. It was also 11:45 at night.

Preparing for Surgery
The doctor said I would need to donate my own blood for the surgery, so now I started taking iron pills. They are red and difficult to swallow. I am afraid of needles and don't want to give blood. I have to give blood in a short while.

When the doctor gave me a book on scoliosis surgical procedure, I memorized it front to back. I learned everything I could on it, I went to the library and checked out a lot of books on it. It is just one short month until they wheel me into that surgical suite, and I am scared!

UPDATE - JULY 18, 2004

Admission
As I walked into the hospital I said to myself, this is actually happening, I'm actually having surgery tomorrow! My mom, dad, sister and I walked into the small admitting room. There was an old lady at the desk and when she saw us she asked my mom if we were supposed to be admitted today. My mom said yes. From somewhere she produced a blue identification bracelet for me. I stared at it while we waited, and waited. Finally after what seemed a century, a man in a white coat came and took my family and me to the radiology department, my dad stayed with my 7 year old sister. I found myself being given what looked like a bed sheet and told to put it on. I stepped into the changing room and stared at it. I tried to put it on several times without success, so my mom came to help me change into it. After some more waiting time, my mom and I went into this other smaller waiting room, where we were escorted to the X-Ray room. They took a billion X-rays and finally let us leave.

The Hospital Room
We went back to where my dad and sister were waiting for us. A young lady came in with a wheel chair gesturing for me to sit in it. I looked at it, it was a mahogany color leather, and from what I saw, didn't look sturdy. I reluctantly sat proclaiming that I felt like an old lady in it. We stopped at room 205 and got off. This is where we would be staying. Two nurses walked in with these weird machines they checked my blood pressure and temperature. Later a guy came in to do my blood work. I winced as he took out the needle. The two nurses came back in to weigh and measure me. They also commented on my long dark brown hair. After they left I took out my book and started to read. When I got bored of reading I challenged my mom to a game of mancala. Dinner time crept up. I wanted to order pizza, so we did. After dinner my dad and sister left for home leaving my mom and me quite alone. I studied the room. There were two green sleeper chairs and two regular chairs. The room had one window that gave me the view to a construction site. The bathroom had a white toilet, a sink and a shower. The bed that I was to sleep on was a long thin mattress, with thin sheets. I looked at my mom as if to say, What's next. She flipped on the TV and we watched the Olympic gymnastic trials.

The Preparations
At 9:00 at night, a young oriental, friendly nurse walked in. She said that she would be doing my iodine back scrub. At ten at night she came in with the stuff. She poured this red liquid into a basin of lathery water. She then peeled off a plastic cover to a razor. I was no doubt scared. My mom had French braided my hair earlier. The lady told me to get off the bed while she lay this blue papery towel on the bed. Then she told me to get back on the towel. she first used a sponge which scraped my back to apply the reddish, lathery liquid on my back. The liquid was warm and felt good. Then she put the razor to my back. To my surprise it felt tickly and nice. I took her a long time to shave my back. Then she wiped my back down with the liquid one final time and gave me a new hospital gown. I had to sleep on the blue paper the rest of the night because the bed was not sanitized. I went to sleep. The next morning I got up at 6:00. I was extremely nervous. My dad dropped my sister off at my grandma's and came to the hospital. The nurse came in at 6:30 to glue these wires to me. The glue she used was very smelly like paint and felt like ice when it was applied to my head. She then used this little silver thing to blow the glue dry. Then she used sticky stuff to put wires on my legs and chest. At 6:53 the Oriental nurse walked in to give me the vice to versed medicine to make me relax. I downed it in one gulp. It tasted awful, something like poison. Then they told me to lay in bed because I might start getting dizzy. I was extremely nervous and kept saying, "Its not working," over and over again. Then they came to wheel me to the operating waiting room. (Note: I don't remember this part. My mom told me this. The medicine they give you doesn't quite let you have a clear memory.) Finally the relaxant medicine took its course. I started getting silly and saying stuff like, "Why is the exit sign moving? I've got to go to ballet camp now."

The Operation
Finally my surgeon Dr. Schufflebarger walked in the hospital waiting room with some other people to wheel me in the operating room. My mom and dad kissed me and I held on to my mom's hand until she had to pry it loose from hers. Once in the operating room they put a mask on me and told me to take a deep breath and count to ten. Trust me I have no recollection of ever being told to count to ten and whatnot. The relaxant medicine is really strong. I had a posterior spinal fusion where they fused my 60 and 30 degree lumbar and thoracic curve using two titanium rods and three pieces of my ribs as a bone graft to hold the rods in place. They also used several large screws to put everything in place. The procedure took three and a half hours. Record time, but then again what can you expect from the best orthopedic surgeon in the world? I had a 1 foot incision, the whole length of my spine.

The Recovery Room
I spent one hour in the recovery room completely off of any pain killers because they needed to make sure the anesthesia completely wore off. They kept lifting my arms up and down. I yelled a them that it hurt and they told me, "It won't help if you say it hurts!" Regardless of what they said I kept right on screaming that I was in pain and wanted to see my parents. After one hour of fighting the nurses I was wheeled to my regular room.

My Settlement Two Hours After Surgery
I had two IVs one for the blood transfusion of one unit I was receiving and the other for morphine pain medication and liquids and nutrients being dripped into my blood. I had a weird bed that turned me over every ten minutes It was excruciatingly painful each time the bed turned me over. I pumped my morphine pump every ten minutes. At 12:55 in the afternoon my twin cousin came to see me. I don't remember this either, but my mom told me about it. My grandma also came, I don't remember that either. Later a guy came in to do a blood test.

My Settlement Five and 1/2 Hours After Surgery
I had a lot of ice chips. They felt so nice and cool in my mouth. Then the respiratory therapist came or as they call him the RT. He attached me to this machine which I had to breathe into. I was in deep pain by the end. I felt like I was going to die.

Sleeping
I didn't. I'd doze off and then wake up with pain to push my morphine pump. It was terrible. That whole night the bed kept turning me. I kept feeling like the catheter was going to slip out.

Day 1
When I woke up Dr. Schufflebarger came to pull out the drain that was draining excess fluids that were secreting out of my incision. I tensed when he pulled it out for it felt like someone pricked me with a pin. Then the physical therapist or PT came. Her name was Marisol. Marisol put my bed into a sitting position and with a sheet she and my dad moved me to the edge of the newly formed chair. It was my first time sitting up. I felt very nauseous and kept making gagging noises in the back of my throat. I was in immense knife like pain. I begged to lie down again and do you know what the PT did, she asked my dad to help stand me up. I was so dizzy and so much pain. I begged to lie down. "Please let me lie down, I'm going to vomit. If you knew how I feel you'd let me lie down!" Later the RT walked in. It felt like knives going through my lungs with each breath on the blue plastic machine. Then at 12:30 in the afternoon the PT visited me again. She stood me up, but this time I just cried and cried. When she left the RT came an hour later. He kept putting his hand on the bed causing it to shake. I told him not to shake the bed, but he continued. I was angry. The nurse asked me what my pain was on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst. I said I was and 8. At 8:30 PM my aunt and uncle visited with their two children ages 8 and 6. I was feeling terribly. Then my neighbor who's kid had been like a brother to me since I was born came and visited. Then the nurses tried to take off my oxygen mask, but I wasn't breathing deeply enough.

Day 2
My parents put on a video for me to watch that morning, but I was definitely not in the mood. Then my Dr. walked in with a bunch of other Drs. to change the bandage on my back. Then the guy to take my blood came in again. I who am usually very queasy with needles just let him do the blood test without a whimper. Then the RT came. I was gasping and I felt like I'd been run over by a 2 ton truck. Ten minutes later the PT came in. I walked to the bathroom with help. I was pleading, crying. Then I got a big surprise, my math and science teachers from school came and visited. They were very nice and I felt so honored. I had RT again. Then my aunt and uncle Hai and Tati visited. I then had PT where I fell to pieces leaning on the PT. I cried and moaned terribly loud. When I got back in bed I cried about the sheets being wrinkled beneath me. Another blood test that day.

Day 3
They changed my bandage again. They were finally able to take off my oxygen mask. They took out IVs and the catheter. No more morphine! When the catheter came out I had to pee on my own, but there was no nurse to take me to the toilet. I wound up peeing in the bed. Then the PT came and I walked out of the door. With much pain. Then I took a shower. I cried so much I was in pain and wanted to get in the bed. I fell asleep a long time after that. I actually had 3 spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream. I passed my first gas which felt very good. At 8 at night I ate a spoonful of soup. Disgusting! Five minutes later I burped. The nurses needed me to pass more gas though. I slept waking up every three hours. Also another blood test.

Day 4
Started another pain medication called Perkised. I had to do my x-rays that day, but when I sat up I vomited. I kept vomiting all the way down to the x-ray room. I vomited a lot. It felt and tasted revolting. Finally they put me in a wheel chair back up to my room where upon entry the disgusting blow of badly combined flowers hit me. I must have not realized the smell because I was in the room all the time with the millions of flowers my well wisher sent me. When I lay back in bed I vomited on myself and had to take a shower. Then I got a suppository for my nauseous feeling. I hated the suppository. My Girl Scout leader visited me. I was just not in the mood for visitors.

Day 5
Leaving day! I was wheeled down in a wheel chair to the car where my dad was storing all the flowers and get well balloons. I climbed into the car with some difficulty and lots of pain Every bump seemed like a knife, every turn seemed like someone was pulling my insides out. When I got home my ballet teacher called to see if she could visit for her own niece that was 12 like me had had tumors removed from her spinal chord. I was happy. The whole ballet studio made get well cards for me. I felt a glow in me. I was in a lot of pain and was on tylenol pills for I refused to take the Perkised pills because they made me sick.

Home At Last
I didn't want a bath. It has been two weeks since my surgery. It is predicted 6 months until I can do ballet again. I get tired easily, but my appetite is returning. I hate going for walks. It took me several days to write this due to the fact that I get tired and have a lot of pain. I am on tylenol pain medication. I hope I helped somebody. This experience will make me stronger for the future, I know it.

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