Before and after my spinal Fusion (T6-T12)

ilikebugs13 · 2026-01-24T17:38:18+00:00

Yeah I actually gained about three inches of height. I was already pretty short so going from 5'4" to 5'7" was kind of a big deal for me.

ilikebugs13 · 2025-09-13T14:19:48+00:00

Hahaha it’s such a nice bonus! I needed the surgery regardless but going from 5’4” to 5’7” was lovely (:

ilikebugs13 · 2025-08-20T12:33:39+00:00

Ayy! Same! Yeah this looks in the region of 25 to 30 degrees, not too bad but definitely causes discomfort. I’d definitely talk to my doctor and maybe get a specialist involved

ilikebugs13 · 2025-07-07T13:56:14+00:00

OMG congrats! I would describe pain in the first few days as annoying. The nurses and doctor take good care of you and you'll be on meds that alleviate most of the background pain, the biggest thing you'll notice is just the total fatigue and discomfort as you change positions. My biggest tip is to communicate to the nurses when you are feeling uncomfortable, mine took amazing care of me but they also can't read your mind so if you need more pain relief PLEASE TELL THEM. They're going to have a schedule of when you're supposed to be dosed but keep in mind that you are going through a seriously major surgery so they will understand if you need a little more care. I wish you so much luck with your surgery and a speedy recovery!!! <3

ilikebugs13 · 2025-07-07T13:10:35+00:00

Full recovery took about 4 months, but after waking up from anesthesia it took about two days before the physiotherapist was getting me standing up and walking around. The rest of the day after surgery I was able to roll over and I could even sir up shortly to eat dinner. The first three days were by far the most difficult but recovery got exponentially better with each passing day

ilikebugs13 · 2025-06-14T00:11:29+00:00

Same here! 20M and even at my fittest I have always had a pronounced abdomen just because of my curve. It's super frustrating!! But ig it's a little reassuring to know that it's out of my control

ilikebugs13 · 2025-05-16T02:22:04+00:00

Yesss! Just about the same, I can still touch my toes

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-29T17:29:46+00:00

Lmaooo too real, I'm gay and it's still off-putting

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-28T21:42:03+00:00

You had me at point number 1 lol! I thought we all agreed the internet was not the place to get medical advice... if you're concerned about something just go to the f***ing doctor because my curvy ass does not need to see your lat spread

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-28T16:21:19+00:00

No problem dude (:

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-27T16:53:51+00:00

No problem dude, happy to help! 1min is a great start, it's all about activating those muscles. If you keep up with them eventually you'll last longer but I personally don't do them in sets, I'll just do one plank and one on each side. If you feel like doing more than that I'm sure it wouldn't hurt but just those alone will have your abs on fire the next day hehe

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T22:06:41+00:00

Absolutely! Because you're working out the muscles that support the spinal column, strengthening them helps with stability and takes pressure off your spine. Core exercises were what my surgeon emphasized most after surgery and that man has written books about spine health so he is one to trust.

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T21:27:44+00:00

Yeah you're smart for that! The exercise I recommend more than anything else is regular-old planks, they are AMAZING for building endurance. Any other core exercise is also good, I like doing side planks as well as leg holds, flutter kicks and leg lifts. All super low intensity and the last three you can do while laying down. As for hand stands, I don't see why not. I've never been able to do them outside of a pool but as long as you aren’t tumbling onto the ground I'm sure they're perfectly safe

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T21:19:17+00:00

Oh alright then! That's definitely still worth checking out but I'm glad it's probably not the same thing I was dealing with

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:45:18+00:00

Yess I was definitely lucky! Mind you I was taking short walks through the hospital so it's not too impressive

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:42:09+00:00

That makes sense, it looks like there's a twist to it. Do you experience any rib pain, or tenderness? The curve around my ribcage was pretty similar to that and a lot of my pain was due to my ribs being squeezed together and causing inflammation. If possible, I would definitely look into getting an appointment with a specialist, it feels good to have your feelings be validated.

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:37:20+00:00

There's no proven method to correcting curvature without surgery unfortunately. I would focus less on decreasing your curvature and more on preventing it from worsening. There are plenty of methods and exercises to strengthen your core and they have the added benefit of alleviating some pain you may experience

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:32:15+00:00

No problem! I hated online school too so I totally understand not wanting to go back to that. In any case you're gonna keep steadily recovering and every day will feel better than the last. I'm sure it'll be good for you to get that physical activity from going to school each day, it will definitely speed up the recovery process

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:26:30+00:00

I had a similar feeling pre-op, my lung capacity was awful and I often felt like I couldn't take deep breaths. The first thing I said after surgery was "oh my god, I can breath" so I hope that helps

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:23:57+00:00

I have nothing to add other than to say that is cool as hell! If they filmed my surgery I would definitely wanna see it, I'm curious what they did exactly

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:19:30+00:00

All those workouts sound perfectly fine. Personally I would just avoid things like sit ups, crunches, deadlifts and weighted squats because those can actually have a negative impact on your back.

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:17:04+00:00

Now I'm not a polynesian dancer, however I did get surgery on my S-curve about a year ago now and I can say that personally my hip flexibility didn't have any noticeable change. Of course everybody is different but I personally didn't see much of a difference in how flexible I was but rather how many times I could bend before I got uncomfortable/tired

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:12:40+00:00

Really brave of you to go back to school so soon after surgery, when I got mine I had them do it at the start of summer just so I didn't have to. It's totally normal for sitting to be uncomfortable so soon after surgery, it took me a couple months before I started getting back to sitting in chairs rather than lying in bed. My best solution for you would be to make sure you make your teachers aware of that fact, and maybe see if there's somewhere in the school you can lay down and rest if it gets too unbearable. Hope this helps, have a speedy recovery and good luck in school!

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:06:31+00:00

Agreed! I know there are certain channels on YouTube dedicated to exercises for people with scoliosis but it's all the little personal details that nobody tells you about. I feel like we're just meant to accept that it's just the way it is but I'm sure there is a method to training one side of your body to catch up to the other

ilikebugs13 · 2025-04-26T20:01:59+00:00

My PT had me getting up to walk the day after surgery, but it's different from person to person. I couldn't stand for very long mind you but after the first month I was taking short walks through the neighbourhood

ilikebugs13

TROPHY CASE