Hi! My name is Jamina and this is my story. In 2018, I had a riding accident where I fractured two vertebrae (Th11 and Th12). I spent a week in the hospital and after that I slowly started to do sports again and since I had light scoliosis, I did physiotherapy for that too. In April 2019 the doctors did an X-ray to see if everything was okay. They told me that my spine sunk into that broken vertebrae (Th12) and at this point my scoliosis was at 37 degrees. They sent me in another hospital, two hours away from me, and there they said I had a strong rotation and very strong kyphosis too (76 degrees) and that I needed surgery. That was quite a shock for me.
I got my spinal fusion scheduled for February 2020 and from April 2019 to February, I couldn’t do any sports without back pain. I continued physiotherapy, but other things were not possible such as riding or running. I also had a lot of headaches.
I finally got my spinal fusion (Th10 to L2). The surgery straightened my spine, counteracted the rotation and fixed the crushed vertebrae. They took the whole vertebrae out, smashed it and filled the bone marrow into a cage which they placed into my spine. After surgery, a part of my leg, my belly and my hips got very numb because of the replacement. After surgery my scoliosis is at 7 degrees and kyphosis is around 40.
Post op:
The first week after surgery was really hard, sometimes even sleeping was too painful because my back felt very stiff. In the second week, I took my first shower and it was not easy, but the nurses helped me with everything. After the third week, it got a lot better and I was able to go on short walks. The healing process does get better and worse, and it is different from day to day!
I am now 17 weeks post op and I am able to do a little bit of yoga, walking and gym is possible too. Many sports like running and riding are not allowed yet. It is a hard and long journey, but we are all in this together!
