Life with scoliosis Archives - Life with Scoliosis

Spinal Fusion and Mobility

Posted on January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 by Louise

Hi everyone, I get asked a lot about my mobility post spinal fusion, so I thought I would write a post and create a video on this very topic. My spine is fused from T3 - L3, which means most of my spine is fused. I have 3 discs unfused at the bottom of my spine, which does give me some flexibility. How much mobility is lost in general following spinal fusion surgery, will depend on how long the fusion...Read More

7 Tips to Survive Christmas with Back Pain

Posted on December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 by Louise

Over the years, I've found a few ways to cope with Christmas back pain, and so I thought I'd provide some tips to survive the festive period. Now, I love Christmas, but I find that festive activities - such as Christmas shopping, decorating the Christmas tree and wrapping presents - can really aggravate my back and cause pain. Factor in the cold weather and holiday stress, and my back seems to hurt more during this time of year, which can...Read More

My 5 MUST-HAVE items for living with scoliosis and spinal fusion

Posted on October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 by Louise

Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links. Hi everyone, In this post, I wanted to talk about some of the items I use/have used over the years that have made living with scoliosis and a spinal fusion that bit easier. I will link to the items I use below in case they are useful to anyone. Now, I can pretty much do anything I want to, however not being able to bend my back does limit me somewhat, and I struggle...Read More

Scoliosis Pain Vlog – 12 years post scoliosis surgery

Posted on July 30, 2022July 30, 2022 by Louise

Hi everyone, This week I am 12 YEARS post my scoliosis surgery - which I just can't believe. I decided to make a scoliosis pain vlog over on YouTube, to show what my back pain is like now, 12 years post my surgery. I actually found it really interesting and what I discovered was, that whilst I actually get pain most days, it's usually bearable and luckily low enough not to stop me from doing things. Most of the time...Read More

Life After Scoliosis Surgery – How Scoliosis Affects My Everyday Life

Posted on June 21, 2021October 22, 2021 by Louise

Hey everyone, To mark scoliosis awareness month, I have launched a new video over on my YouTube channel! This video is about my life after scoliosis surgery (11 years ago!), and how scoliosis affects me everyday. Scoliosis is more than a back condition. It is a chronic, life-long condition that affects the whole body. It can also impact on mental health too. It affects me everyday of my life. I wanted to highlight this in my video, and also help to raise awareness for...Read More

7 Mistakes I Made When I was First Diagnosed with Scoliosis

Posted on May 10, 2021August 25, 2021 by Louise

This blog post is all about the mistakes I made when I was first diagnosed with scoliosis. Can you relate to any of these? Let me know in the comments. Isolating myself The first and major mistake I made when I was first diagnosed with scoliosis was isolating myself. I didn't tell anyone about my scoliosis for a long time. I used to spend most nights alone in my room feeling pretty down and upset about myself. If you have...Read More

Scoliosis Poem – World Poetry Day

Posted on March 18, 2021May 19, 2021 by Louise

This weekend, it is World Poetry Day! So, I thought I'd get my creative juices flowing and write a little scoliosis poem. I call it "My curved spine." Now, I'm not much of a poet but I just wrote how I felt, which was therapeutic. The poem represents my love/hate relationship with my scoliosis and body. Over the years, my spine has caused me much pain, but it's made me who I am and I'm proud of the person I've...Read More

Happy February

Posted on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 by Louise

So we are now halfway through February and almost a year into the Covid-19 pandemic. It's time for my monthly link-up with A Chronic Voice. I try to take part each month, as it is a chance to connect with fellow chronic illness/condition bloggers, whilst reflecting on the month. The writing prompts for this month are - Defining, Allocating, Uniting, Saving and Educating. So I'll try and arrange my thoughts for February around these themes! Defining I think almost a...Read More

New Year, Same Virus

Posted on January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 by Louise

So we are now in January 2021 - happy new year! We are getting towards the end of the first week back to work after Christmas (for myself and many others), and what a week it's been! I feel like so much has happened already, and I'm ready for another break. As it's a brand new month, I wanted to take part in the latest link up with a Chronic Voice. I try to take part every month, as the...Read More

My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2020

Posted on December 23, 2020December 23, 2020 by Louise

As 2020 draws to a close, I thought I'd share the 10 most popular blog posts from this year, in case you missed them. It's been a strange old year but one positive to come out of 2020, is that I have had more time than ever to spend writing blog content. These are the top 10 posts I've written this year that have been read the most, in reverse order. Enjoy! 10. 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for those with...Read More

Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week

Posted on October 17, 2020October 23, 2020 by Louise

Did you know, that the 18th - 24th October is Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week? I wasn't aware of this until recently, but it really resonated with me, so I wanted to write a bit about my own experiences around this topic. What is an invisible disability? According to Scope, there are over 14 million disabled people in the UK. The majority of these are not "visible" to other people. Invisible disabilities may include conditions such as mental health conditions, hearing/vision...Read More

Be Kind To Yourself: 20 Positive Scoliosis Quotes

Posted on October 5, 2020January 10, 2021 by Louise

I personally love a good uplifting quote or affirmation. For this post, I have listed my favourite positive scoliosis quotes that I can apply to my own experiences with scoliosis. If I've learnt anything over the years when dealing with my scoliosis, it's this. Be Kind to Yourself. Scoliosis can be difficult to live with at times. It can be painful, uncomfortable and isolating. However, it's all about mindset. A positive mindset can do wonders for your self-esteem and self...Read More

Scoliosis and Mental Health: My Story

Posted on October 3, 2020January 29, 2021 by Louise

It's World Mental Health Day on 10th October, which got me thinking about how scoliosis has impacted my own mental health. What many people don't realise, is that scoliosis is more than a back condition. Depending on severity and location of curve(s), scoliosis can cause physical deformity, pain, neurological issues, breathing, digestive problems, and more. It is also a chronic condition, meaning it cannot be cured and it can also be progressive in severe cases. All this is not to...Read More

5 ways to look after your back when working from home

Posted on July 26, 2020August 25, 2021 by Louise

As more people are working from home amidst the COVID19 pandemic, looking after your back and minimising resultant back pain is more important than ever. Even if you don't have scoliosis or any pre-existing back conditions, sitting down at a desk all day can cause no end of aches and pains. I've been working from home since mid March and it really does not help my back sitting down all day. I thought I'd share 5 tips that I have...Read More

Scoliosis Awareness Month: 10 Years Post op!

Posted on June 25, 2020May 30, 2021 by Louise

I can't believe I'm writing this, but next month, I'm 10 years post scoliosis surgery! Where on earth did that time go? As it's Scoliosis Awareness month, I have made a YouTube video where I talk about how I'm feeling now at 10 years post op, as well as reflecting on some of the things I have managed to achieve post surgery. I honestly cannot believe how far I've come and all the things I've managed to achieve. To celebrate...Read More