My children are now 39 and 34, in the middle of their productive, busy adult lives. They are also functioning with fused spines and rods in their backs. Each had spinal fusion surgery to correct and prevent worsening of their curves. These surgeries were performed when each was a fairly young teenager. Our son was 15 and our daughter was 12.
One of the hardest things I remember about this time was being strong enough not to take the easy road and do nothing.
Why would anyone be tempted to do nothing? Because these were considered elective surgeries…our children were functioning fine, and the curves were pretty well disguised in clothing. But to project down the road, a worsening of curves to the degree that heart and lung functioning might be compromised as well as disfigurement, was not something I wanted them to have to deal with. But these are very big surgeries. Young people, who are in good health, do recover relatively quickly and move on with their lives. I know this was the right decision for them, but I also know that it is not an easy decision for any parent to make.
