One of my older sisters had received this diagnosis with a severity that warranted bracing when she went through puberty. \u00a0Having been well versed in her daily routine wearing a \u00a0Milwaukee Brace<\/a>\u00a0and frequent trips to Mercy Hospital<\/a>\u00a0in Pittsburgh, PA I wasn’t too concerned that my time had come too.<\/p>\n But looks were deceiving. \u00a0My condition deteriorated much worse than my sister’s. \u00a0In fact, the severity of my curve bordered on the line of where surgery was warranted. \u00a0Now that I wasn’t up for.<\/p>\n Having a metal rod surgically placed in my body next to my spine for the rest of my life wasn’t on my bucket list. \u00a0If this were done I would no longer be able perform flip turns at swim practice. \u00a0Would the rod rust and deteriorate in my body over time? \u00a0How long would I need to stay in the hospital and miss school? \u00a0Would I be stretched out with weights in traction prior to surgery? \u00a0How could I survive the cast when I passed out in the cast they molded on me in order to design a Milwaukee Back Brace for me?<\/p>\n The surgeon took the conservative approach to try bracing<\/a>\u00a0first. Whew! \u00a0But I knew that I had better comply with wearing it and completing the accompanying physical therapy if it was going to work in order to keep my out of the OR<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wearing the brace didn’t hurt once I got used to in ~48 hours later. However, there were discomforts like, if I ate too much food would back up my esophagus because there was no room for my stomach to swell. \u00a0And then others like sitting in a car cut off the circulation in my legs because of how the girdle fit so tightly. \u00a0Few understood what my needs were and even less bothered to listen to learn and find out. \u00a0Many projected their fears onto me and jumped to conclusions.<\/p>\n Often feeling misunderstood felt painful and lonely. \u00a0But,\u00a0I found strength because I heard a voice say, \u00a0“Everyone is on the outside of the brace. \u00a0But I am<\/a>\u00a0on the inside. \u00a0Because you gave your heart to me and asked me to come in as Lord. \u00a0I will be here<\/a> with you and understand.”<\/p>\n This incredible comfort and odd brace also protected me from the many wiles of adolescent experimentation. \u00a0Boys feared me. \u00a0The popular girls could no longer be bothered. \u00a0The sweet girls who attended the community Bible church invited me to their youth group. \u00a0At least they would socialize with me and shared somewhat of the heart lordship business I had entered. \u00a0But as time wore on, those girls busied themselves in high school with their boyfriends.<\/p>\n I adapted. I busied myself with sports, music, leadership training, and a rigorous academic load. \u00a0I no longer needed the brace, but I noticed that pain re-appeared. \u00a0In my mind I replayed the advice my doctor gave at my last visit. \u00a0“Stay physically active and keep extra-weight off.” \u00a0So I returned to my daily physical therapy.<\/p>\n As I’ve aged I added more exercises to protect my elbows and knees from injuries due to sporadic tennis play. \u00a0The results? \u00a0I look and feel great. But my point is my motivation isn’t that wonderful, much less pure. It’s still self-serving or preserving.<\/p>\n We live in a culture that glorifies image. \u00a0Images can be empty and vain. \u00a0They usually aren’t what they seem at all. \u00a0Let’s stop judging books based on their covers and take time to “read” or get to know what’s really going on inside. \u00a0And most importantly when we do read, keep in mind that only the author knows exactly what he\/she intended when he\/she wrote. \u00a0Our interpretations \u00a0are simply ours. \u00a0Let’s own our responsibility for this and stop projecting onto others what we think or feel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I may look on the outside like an incredibly healthy fit self-disciplined individual. \u00a0Some of this is true. \u00a0I am physically fit. \u00a0I wear size 4 clothing and love to eat healthy foods. \u00a0But my motive for being fit and eating well is just as selfish and self serving as the individual who is wearing … Continue reading Things Usually Aren’t What They Seem<\/span> ![\"Picture\"](\"http:\/\/www.bracingscoliosis.com\/uploads\/1\/0\/7\/9\/10792706\/1198752_orig.jpg\")
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