Hi! I'm Hailey! I first found out that I had scoliosis and would need surgery on October 9th, 2007. It was very discouraging to find out I would need surgery in the very near future, but I soon had a better attitude about it. I was very scared and worried about what would happen during the surgery, but then I realized that it probably isn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be.

In December 2007, I found out that my surgery would take place on January 30th, 2008 at 5:30 in the morning. I did everything I could think of to prepare for the surgery physically (new memory foam mattress cover, body pillow, shower seat, things like that) and also mentally.

On January 3rd, 2008 and January 17th, 2008, I donated my own blood at the hospital. I had a hard time with this part (I was afraid of the long needle they used). And it was very frustrating because the nurse that was taking my blood had to poke me 4 times because she couldn't find the right vein, and when she finally did, it collapsed (just my luck). But I was very happy I donated my own blood just because I know there are some (not very many) risks for a donor's blood.

Before I knew it, it was January 30th, 2008. I remember my mom waking me up at 3:30 a.m. I had a lot of mixed feelings and of course I was terrified. The day that had been on my mind for 4 months had finally come. I packed up my suit case and quickly checked to make sure I had everything that I needed for the hospital, and then me and my family left for the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:15 a.m. I checked in at the front desk and got a wristband put on. Then one of the nurses called my name and told me to wait in the pre-op area. Pretty soon, I was called back to get all ready for my surgery. At this point I was bawling because I was getting really nervous. But one of the nurses gave me an I.V. with some Versed in it so it calmed my nerves down a lot. I felt so tired. And then it was time for the nurses and doctors to wheel me back into the O.R., so I said good-bye to my parents and off I went.

It's kind of weird, I actually remember what the operating room looks like. It was completely white, with all sorts of tools and equipment on tables. And I could here a ton of nurses and doctors talking and "scrubbing in." Luckily the nurse had given me some Versed before I went into the O.R., other wise I would have been running to the door trying to escape =) About 3 minutes after I had been in the O.R. awake, everything went black and I was completely out of it.

What seemed like a few minutes later (with was actually 3.5 hours later) I woke up in my own hospital room with my family all around me. One of the nurses came into my room to turn me on to my side which was very painful. Thank goodness for my PCA pump (Patient Controlled medicine pump)!

The first night after my surgery was tough. The stupid machine that was right next to my bed that monitored my heart beat and blood pressure kept going off every 15 minutes or so because I would stop breathing (it was very painful to breath). It was so annoying (all I wanted to do was go to sleep).

On the 2nd day after surgery, the Physical Therapist got me out of bed and had me walk down the hall half way and sit in a chair for like, 5 minutes. It felt good to get back into bed though =). At night, I got really sick because of the morphine and ended up throwing up about 3 times. I felt so bad because every time I threw up, one of the nurses would have to come in and change my sheets and my hospital gown. I'm a very modest person, but while I was in the hospital, I could've cared less if one of the nurses/doctors saw me naked.

On the 3rd and 4th day, I was walking more and more... I even tried doing the stairs! My PT said that since I was walking pretty good and I could go up and down the stairs, that I would be able to go home the next day!

On the morning of the 5th day, I got up and took a shower! I was so nervous to do this at first because I was afraid that the water would hurt my back. But once I got in, I didn't want to get out! The warm water felt so good, and it felt good to be all clean again! After my shower, I got dressed and was wheeled out to the car. I'd have to say that the car ride home was the worst! Every bump, even the smallest bump, hurt so badly. But I got home okay.

It felt so good to finally be home, and for my surgery to finally be over! I have to say that the surgery was totally worth it! I'm so glad that I made the decision to have the surgery! Even though I had to go through a lot of pain, it was only temporary, and the outcome was terrific! 2 rods and 12 screws and 12 weeks later, I feel fantastic!

Back to Scoliosis Stories