… that I've never offered up any context for all this back/hip pain that I've been blogging about. This is not anything new for me—I've had back pain most of my life, due to scoliosis and a surgery when I was 15 to correct it. Pilates, massage and chiropractic have helped me keep it mostly in check for the past several years, but I've had trouble keeping up on my Pilates during pregnancy, and I think that has made me more susceptible to imbalances.
Want some fun facts about my back? Here goes:
- Before my surgery, I had a 62-degree curvature of the spine. After surgery that was reduced to 28 degrees.
- I now have 11 fused vertebrae (basically my entire thoracic spine), fixed in place with two metal rods.
- I came out of my surgery an inch and a half taller than I was when I went in.
- I have somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds of stainless steel in my body. I try to remind myself of that every time I'm weighed.
- In spite of all that metal, I do not set off metal detectors.
- In high school, I used to convince people I was magnetic by hiding a big magnet under my shirt and letting them stick other magnets to me.
Hmm. I think that's all the spinal trivia I can come up with right now. Very exciting, I know. I hope it helps my recent posts seem a bit less bizarre. Also, I'm feeling TONS better. Leaps and bounds. I can even lift Sidamo as much as I need to, so no more crib climbing.
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3 comments:
Is that why you lived in a plastic Room in college ala Magneto in the XMen? that explains a lot.
Brian Bell
Wow, that's quite a history! I love the magnet-under-the-shirt thing. That's brilliant and my husband will be jealous that he never thought of that. Glad you're feeling better!
Spinal trivia - now there's a Jeopardy category! :)
Glad to hear you're feeling much better!
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