I’m curvy

As many of you know I have had back problems for about 8 years now, since a Dickenson Road sneezing incident and some subsequent backcare by Vaughan! I’ve seen Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Acupucturists, Alternative Therapists; I’ve done Pilates, Yoga, and all manner of low-impact exercise, in a bid to ‘mend’ my back… with varying degrees of temporary success. I recently spent $1,600 on a new bed so I can sleep well, and I resist pain killers so I don’t further damage my back, despite the constant pain. Everyone I see has their own theory of the cause of the problem, and having no medical knowledge whatsoever I have to believe what I hear. So when I finally saw X-rays of my back yesterday it was a revelation – finally I find out the cause…

Me standing up 'straight'


This X-ray (you can tell it’s me because they forgot to ask me to take my bellybutton ring out!) shows that I have Scoliosis – curvature of the spine. I have a spine shaped like an ‘S’, which also has an impact on my neck and legs (my hip bones are misaligned). Other X-rays I had done show the damage to my lower back, probably as a consequence of not treating this properly – I have vertebrae which are nearly touching, and nerve ducts which are nearly closed! The doctor I saw said if he had been handed the X-rays without being told whose they were, he would have said they were from a 55-year-old woman who had never been treated… in fact it was his shock at seeing the X-rays that made me more worried than anything!

I’m not yet 100% of the implications of this – I am seeing him again on Wednesday so will update you, but it’s my priority not to let this get any worse – I’ll be ploughing my money into treatment – no more shopping for me! I think that it can’t be corrected without surgery, but it’s important that I don’t let the curve get any worse. So, it’s a bit of a shock, but my initial despair is now being channelled into very practical steps to alleviate any worsening of the condition, get fit and healthy so I’m in a better position to deal with it, and still enjoy being here, (albeit a little more cheaply!)

Anyway, next weekend I’m going away with some people from work to Huskisson, down the coast. We’re staying in a beach cabin and we’re taking films to the only screen in the town, for the Travelling Film Festival. Should be lots of fun.

cx