As we quickly approach the first half term in the academic/working year, we are reminded of the hard work that is involved in academic/work related pursuits and we'll all be glad for the break.
Me?
I'll be looking forward to next year when I will finally start collage, because despite having finished high school last year and applying for collage a 'problem' arose.
The problem itself I had been aware of for a couple of years, this being that I have a condition called Idiopathic Scoliosis. Basically my spine curves to the side and the doctors have no idea what causes it. This being said it is not an unusual condition, it is mainly teenage girls that suffer from it but that doesn't meant that teenage boys are exempt. And after paying to hospital a few visits I was faced with a choice; either live with a curved spine or have corrective surgery. For me there was only one course of action, so I chose to have the surgery, even though I could have lived a normal life without the curvature in my spine affecting me.
The surgery entails having metal screws implanted into the vertebra affected and metal rods connecting the screws to keep my spine straight. In the week that followed I lay in a hospital bed; attached to many different machines including a morphine drip until Wednesday morning (I had the surgery on Monday morning); getting dragged out of bed once a day (from Tuesday) to stand and then beginning to walk again; and having people visit when they could, as it was the school holidays I had at least one visitor a day. Finally on Saturday I was discharged. The prospect of finally being able to go home was amazing. The car journey was the worst, as I hadn't been sitting upright properly for a week I wasn't comfortable, all the pot-holes in the road didn't help either. When I got home I saw that my parents had converted the lounge into a bedroom for me. Seeing as one of the sofa's in the lounge is a sofa bed this made things easier, my bedroom was filled with all the stuff (like the table) that wouldn't fit in the lounge now that it was a fully functioning bedroom. Now the first couple weeks were the hardest as I had limited mobility and had to have someone help me out of bed whenever I wanted to move around. The third week I was home both my parents had to go into work, but my mum came home at lunchtime to check on me and make sure that I was doing okay, by this time I had learnt how to get in and out of bed on my own and had improved the strength in my arms. The week in hospital had seriously reduced my strength making even the smallest thing, my phone for instance, feel really heavy and I was barley able to pick it up.
Now in the seventh week at home my strength has improved dramatically, I have almost all mobility back and can do most things on my own. Although my bedroom is still the lounge as me and my brother are swapping rooms because the bed I used to have was a mid-sleeper, this means I have to (literally) climb in and out of bed which is very difficult and something I won't be able to do for a while, so me and my brother are swapping rooms to make my life easier. This also has its advantages as I am going from having the smallest room in the house to having the biggest.
But as school has started up again I am bored all day and spend most of the time watching a Sci-fi TV show called Farscape and reading the Mortal Instrument books. Luckily my boyfriend is in Sixth Form so has a few frees, this means that I also spend sometime talking to him and he also manages to visit me at least three times a week.
I am really grateful for my family and friend's support through out this, I'm certain that I couldn't have done this without them.
I will admit that even though I had made my decision to have the operation many months before it happened, that morning walking down to the anaesthetic room I began to have doubts as to whether I had done the right thing. I'm not sure what the future may hold for me but I am sure of one thing and that is I shall never take anything for granted because until you have to teach yourself how to walk and speak properly instead of whispering you don't know how hard it is. That first step you take when you haven't walked for three days is the best feeling and every little thing after that whether it be getting out of bed on your own or just walking around the house without having to lean on someone for support feels like a huge victory and it's a feeling to treasure forever.
Just remember no-one can make you do anything you don't want to, and if you're faced with a life changing decision don't let anyone decide for you. Ignore what other people say about you're decision because you are the only one who knows if it is right. It's your life live it your way. Not someone else's way because that path only leads to disappointment. If your heart is truly in it you can do anything and there is no-one who can stand in your way.
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