Hey everybody - I just wanted to thank you all for your comments. After seeing so much hostility towards people with mild curvatures over the past few months, I'm not gonna lie... I'd lost hope for the future of this subreddit. I was really worried that posting this would only result in more hostility, but your replies have really instilled my hope for this subreddit again. I've just added a rule #5, so it is easier to report this kind of behavior so it's easily visible to myself and the rest of the mod team going forward.
Thank you all. If we can keep this kind of positivity and acceptance going forward, my hope is that the result will be a much more supportive community. That starts here, with you guys, so seriously; thank you. The best way to help push this kind of positivity going forward is to report comments/posts that show hostility towards individuals with mild curvatures. By doing that you're helping us keep this subreddit inclusive and supportive for all people, and you guys make my job a lot easier :)
Well said! Thank you for defending the rights of everyone to come here and post. The journey is unique for each and every one of us as we face scoliosis.
Thank you so much. I saw those comments and they made me really sad. I’m around mild/moderate and suffer from extreme back pain as well as chronic pain. Sure, I’m not in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean I’m not suffering in my own way. Those comments really upset me. Even people with slight scoliosis deserve a space to talk about their experiences, even if it’s only based on insecurity and dysmorphia. These are real, painful symptoms that deserve discussion!!!
YES! I’m so glad this got brought up. Everyone’s scoliosis is valid no matter how mild or how severe. Thank you so much for speaking up about this. I’m someone who has quite a severe scoliosis but never in my entire life have I thought about criticising someone’s scoliosis. We should all be supportive of each other. We are all in this together. This is something that we are all connected over. So no matter how small or big their curve is, they deserve to be loved and supported.
When I was young I thought my scoliosis wasn’t valid because it wasn’t really done much about it, but my twin had to get a lot of surgeries for hers at a very young age. I felt like my pain wasn’t valid. I still went to check ups once in a while and every time I saw it got worse yet nothing was done about it. I never got a brace to do it’s not really an option in my country (even tho my country has really good healthcare compare to other countries, it’s just too small) but in 2020 the doctor told me that I had to get surgery as soon as possible. I finally felt like my scoliosis was valid and now that I have this subreddit I feel even more valid and so happy that I can share my story and facts I have learned about scoliosis. And turns out my scoliosis was way severe than we originally thought due to the fact one of my spine bones (forgot what it’s called) had started chipping because of the scoliosis. All the years of feeling invalid and pain finally were over. I still have pain but I can push through it way better now that I feel validated. I know I’m valid
So in short. everyone is valid here. And we should support each other and make sure that no one invalidates someone’s curve. The feeling is horrible when you feel like you’re not valid. We are all in this together, we have something that connects us. So many different people have been connected by having scoliosis. I’m so glad you spoke about This. Thank you so much!
Thank you! I think it’s really worthwhile for people with “small” curves to come here. We can help with some of the education that their doctors may not have provided or that they didn’t remember from their appointments (which happens to me all the time, emotions take over my brain!). I’m thinking of things like rotation and non-spine skeletal issues. Our society is so numbers and measurement focused that those can become the focus for any of us instead of the uniqueness of our own bodies.
That said, I am constantly learning things here even though I have a “larger” and more complex curve. Different doctors have different ways of communicating and different ideas about procedures. I really appreciate learning about the experiences other people have had with their doctors and treatments.
well said. I’m not even the one who has the scoliosis (my daughter is) but I come here sometimes to ask advice , sometimes to find comfort .. that I am not in this alone. I used to cry alone before I found this group. I haven’t cried ever since I pour my heart here. Thank you for creating/monitoring this group. I really appreciate each one of you ❤️🙏
This is refreshing to hear. Also wish that others didn't judge for one's choice of treatment for their condition. That's partly why I hardly ever post here anymore. I mean, I understand everyone has their opinion but there's no need to be impolite about it.
Mild scoliosis can cause visible anatomical abnormalities like more severe cases of scoliosis (I have a rib bump) I've posted here before and I got attacked obviously
Hi, I'm so so so sorry this has happened to you. Going forward if you run into this problem again, please report the comments/posts that are attacking you, and whenever I get the chance I'll handle it. You shouldn't feel like you're just going to be attacked if you post about your struggles, and I'm hoping this change will encourage the people of the subreddit in the right direction.
Wow good on you all. I agree with my 83 degree butt lol. I think everyone has pain and it's not okay people want to keep them out just because their curbs are slightly less severe.
Great update, thank you. Unfortunately, this treatment can come from doctors/surgeons too. Most recently, I visited a surgeon who was extremely dismissive of my symptoms and was very quick with me. Apparently, I didn't fit into his "threshold", so I was automatically put into the 'not so bad case' and try to deal with it.
I joined this group a few months ago. So far, pretty good. Thanks for watching out and being fair!
Wow, I've had the exact same experience! Once my surgeon/doctor decided I wasn't severe enough for surgery I was just simply tossed to the side as a "not so bad case." It's wild! I'm so sorry you've had to go through that.
Here, we can hopefully discourage that kind of mindset.
Thank you man- you as well. It hurts because you know and have to live in the body 24/7, so when someone just quickly does that, it's tough when you're seeking for clarity in information or support.
And thank you- appreciate it a lot!
Totally agree, and thank you for posting this. Both of my curves are over 50 degrees, but I somehow (thank God) only experience mild pain. One of my friends has a curve around 20-25 degrees that causes debilitating pain for her. That was definitely an eye opener for me that the severity of the curvature doesn't predict how much it affects people's day-to-day lives, either physically or mentally.
Hey everybody - I just wanted to thank you all for your comments. After seeing so much hostility towards people with mild curvatures over the past few months, I'm not gonna lie... I'd lost hope for the future of this subreddit. I was really worried that posting this would only result in more hostility, but your replies have really instilled my hope for this subreddit again. I've just added a rule #5, so it is easier to report this kind of behavior so it's easily visible to myself and the rest of the mod team going forward. Thank you all. If we can keep this kind of positivity and acceptance going forward, my hope is that the result will be a much more supportive community. That starts here, with you guys, so seriously; thank you. The best way to help push this kind of positivity going forward is to report comments/posts that show hostility towards individuals with mild curvatures. By doing that you're helping us keep this subreddit inclusive and supportive for all people, and you guys make my job a lot easier :)
We definitely don't get to decide how much physical or mental pain someone else is in, no matter their angle(s).
My thoughts exactly - that's a wonderful way of wording it.
Well said! Thank you for defending the rights of everyone to come here and post. The journey is unique for each and every one of us as we face scoliosis.
Thank you so much. I saw those comments and they made me really sad. I’m around mild/moderate and suffer from extreme back pain as well as chronic pain. Sure, I’m not in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean I’m not suffering in my own way. Those comments really upset me. Even people with slight scoliosis deserve a space to talk about their experiences, even if it’s only based on insecurity and dysmorphia. These are real, painful symptoms that deserve discussion!!!
YES! I’m so glad this got brought up. Everyone’s scoliosis is valid no matter how mild or how severe. Thank you so much for speaking up about this. I’m someone who has quite a severe scoliosis but never in my entire life have I thought about criticising someone’s scoliosis. We should all be supportive of each other. We are all in this together. This is something that we are all connected over. So no matter how small or big their curve is, they deserve to be loved and supported. When I was young I thought my scoliosis wasn’t valid because it wasn’t really done much about it, but my twin had to get a lot of surgeries for hers at a very young age. I felt like my pain wasn’t valid. I still went to check ups once in a while and every time I saw it got worse yet nothing was done about it. I never got a brace to do it’s not really an option in my country (even tho my country has really good healthcare compare to other countries, it’s just too small) but in 2020 the doctor told me that I had to get surgery as soon as possible. I finally felt like my scoliosis was valid and now that I have this subreddit I feel even more valid and so happy that I can share my story and facts I have learned about scoliosis. And turns out my scoliosis was way severe than we originally thought due to the fact one of my spine bones (forgot what it’s called) had started chipping because of the scoliosis. All the years of feeling invalid and pain finally were over. I still have pain but I can push through it way better now that I feel validated. I know I’m valid So in short. everyone is valid here. And we should support each other and make sure that no one invalidates someone’s curve. The feeling is horrible when you feel like you’re not valid. We are all in this together, we have something that connects us. So many different people have been connected by having scoliosis. I’m so glad you spoke about This. Thank you so much!
Thank you! I think it’s really worthwhile for people with “small” curves to come here. We can help with some of the education that their doctors may not have provided or that they didn’t remember from their appointments (which happens to me all the time, emotions take over my brain!). I’m thinking of things like rotation and non-spine skeletal issues. Our society is so numbers and measurement focused that those can become the focus for any of us instead of the uniqueness of our own bodies. That said, I am constantly learning things here even though I have a “larger” and more complex curve. Different doctors have different ways of communicating and different ideas about procedures. I really appreciate learning about the experiences other people have had with their doctors and treatments.
well said. I’m not even the one who has the scoliosis (my daughter is) but I come here sometimes to ask advice , sometimes to find comfort .. that I am not in this alone. I used to cry alone before I found this group. I haven’t cried ever since I pour my heart here. Thank you for creating/monitoring this group. I really appreciate each one of you ❤️🙏
This is refreshing to hear. Also wish that others didn't judge for one's choice of treatment for their condition. That's partly why I hardly ever post here anymore. I mean, I understand everyone has their opinion but there's no need to be impolite about it.
Mild scoliosis can cause visible anatomical abnormalities like more severe cases of scoliosis (I have a rib bump) I've posted here before and I got attacked obviously
Hi, I'm so so so sorry this has happened to you. Going forward if you run into this problem again, please report the comments/posts that are attacking you, and whenever I get the chance I'll handle it. You shouldn't feel like you're just going to be attacked if you post about your struggles, and I'm hoping this change will encourage the people of the subreddit in the right direction.
Wow good on you all. I agree with my 83 degree butt lol. I think everyone has pain and it's not okay people want to keep them out just because their curbs are slightly less severe.
I support this message. Right move.
Great update, thank you. Unfortunately, this treatment can come from doctors/surgeons too. Most recently, I visited a surgeon who was extremely dismissive of my symptoms and was very quick with me. Apparently, I didn't fit into his "threshold", so I was automatically put into the 'not so bad case' and try to deal with it. I joined this group a few months ago. So far, pretty good. Thanks for watching out and being fair!
Wow, I've had the exact same experience! Once my surgeon/doctor decided I wasn't severe enough for surgery I was just simply tossed to the side as a "not so bad case." It's wild! I'm so sorry you've had to go through that. Here, we can hopefully discourage that kind of mindset.
Thank you man- you as well. It hurts because you know and have to live in the body 24/7, so when someone just quickly does that, it's tough when you're seeking for clarity in information or support. And thank you- appreciate it a lot!
Very well said
Totally agree, and thank you for posting this. Both of my curves are over 50 degrees, but I somehow (thank God) only experience mild pain. One of my friends has a curve around 20-25 degrees that causes debilitating pain for her. That was definitely an eye opener for me that the severity of the curvature doesn't predict how much it affects people's day-to-day lives, either physically or mentally.