Today, I bring here the testimony given by Larissa Mélo about how she discovered scoliosis and what happened in her life afterward. At the end of the text, there's also a lovely message. Don't miss it! This is another inspiring story that I'm proud to share.
My aunt Claudia was the one who noticed the deviation in my spine during a walk on the beach in 2006. Since I was wearing a bikini, she noticed that one side of my waist was more curved than the other. We informed my mother and planned to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic doctor, but as I was in my last year of high school, preparing for the college entrance exams, I kept postponing the consultation. Eventually, the results of the entrance exams arrived: I had been accepted into the Tourism course at the Federal University of Pernambuco. I lived in Caruaru, in the interior of Pernambuco, and the campus was in the capital, Recife. Therefore, the first months of 2007 were a period of rest after a year of studies. In April, I moved to my godparents' house, where my sister already lived, and, caught up in the excitement and travel of the first year of college, I kept delaying the visit to the orthopedist.
Only in 2008 did I start looking for a specialist. I have an uncle who works in pharmaceutical representation and knows many doctors in Recife, so I asked for a recommendation, and he directed me to Dr. André Flávio, a spine specialist at Ortocentro clinic. In August, I had my first appointment, and, coincidentally, my uncle Edu was there in the waiting room, waiting to speak with one of the doctors. The Beijing Olympic Games were on the television in the waiting room. During the first appointment, Dr. André requested X-rays of my spine and pelvis to determine my bone age. When I brought the exams, he took measurements and identified a curve of 50º. I felt no back pain or discomfort caused by the curvature. Since I had already stopped growing, treatments such as physiotherapy or the use of a brace to reverse or halt the curvature would be ineffective. Therefore, the doctor informed me that we would monitor the progression of my condition. After a year, in August 2009, I returned to the orthopedist with new X-rays. The expression on his face when comparing the previous X-ray with the most recent one made it clear that something was not right. As a precaution, he requested a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine to confirm if there was any issue with the spinal cord and, more alarmingly, he told me to bring an adult to the next appointment. Well, I was already 19 years old and used to attending all my medical appointments alone, as I no longer lived with my parents. At that time, my mother had just moved to Petrolina, and my father was still in Caruaru. Since it was difficult for them to travel due to work commitments, my mother asked my uncle or aunt to accompany me. I ended up going with both of them, and I found it funny to go to the doctor accompanied by adults, but at the same time, I was anxious about the requirement for companions in that appointment. Some very serious news would be given. Well, the good news was that everything was fine with my spinal cord. As my doctor mentioned, there was no "tumor" or anything similar. I underwent some movement X-rays, bending completely to the left and right, to assess the possibility of correcting the curve. Since I was still young and my spine was not very rigid, the prognosis for correcting the curve was very good. However, when we heard the final diagnosis, my aunt was more frightened than I was when the word surgery came up. She asked if there were alternatives, other forms of treatment. As I already knew there weren't, we listened to his considerations about the risks and necessary procedures going forward. He mentioned that the main risks were hospital infection and paraplegia, meaning losing the movement of the legs. Regarding this, he assured us that it had never happened to any of his patients. He also mentioned the possibility of having the surgery accompanied by a neurosurgeon who would monitor the movements of my legs through equipment. However, this would come at a high cost. I got the neuro's contact information and was supposed to discuss it with my mother. We agreed that the surgery would be at the end of the year, after the college exams.
I held it together until I got home, but when I called my mother, I broke down. I cried a lot. I'll never forget how devastated I felt, with my parents away from me at such a serious moment. After all, it was major surgery, in one of the most sensitive and delicate areas of the body. The despair lasted a short time. The surgery was already a certainty, and I had to go to university in the afternoon. From then on, we needed to arrange the necessary exams and start the battle to get my health insurance to approve the surgery. There were numerous calls and a visit to my insurance company's office, accompanied by my father, to expedite the process. Even so, there were moments of tension and nervousness. Dr. André had estimated a cost of around R$ 60,000.00 because the materials would be imported. However, three days before my hospitalization, the insurance attendant informed me that my surgery had been quoted at R$ 90,000.00. Thanks to God and the insurance, the surgery was authorized.
Between August and December, life went on as usual, and I started dating Pitágoras (an essential support throughout the process). Finally, the day arrived: Monday, December 7, 2009. Admission at 2:00 PM at Santa Joana Hospital. Since 6:00 AM without eating (ugh...). There was no standard room available, and I ended up staying in a suite that my insurance didn't cover. If it weren't for the hospital admission, I would have felt like I was in a hotel. My parents and I talked to Dr. André and the anesthetist. Pitágoras arrived to stay with me for a while. I took photos for the "Before" and "After," took a bath with a weird soap, and then came the sublingual. The last thing I remember is telling my mother that I was sleepy. After that, I blacked out. I only woke up around 8:30 PM in the recovery room. Hot, cold, pain. The night was terrible. The next morning, Dr. André came to save me, and everything improved: removing the catheter, drain, getting rid of the sponge bath, eating normally. Walking! In the first steps, I stumbled, thought I was going to fall. But I held on and took a walk around the room. On Thursday of the same week, I was discharged and went back to my aunt's house.
Since my mother needed to return to work, I spent a week with the world's best nurse: Grandma Janete, my mother's mother. Pitágoras visited every day, very careful, and after fifteen days, I was cleared to travel. I went to Caruaru to spend the holidays with my parents and then spent a month at the beach in Tamandaré, where I discovered scoliosis. After that, I even provided consultancy on my surgery! One was for a 13-year-old girl who, despite wearing the Milwaukee brace, would have to undergo surgery. She, her mother, and her sister were terrified, and I talked to them a bit, saying that I had undergone the operation a few months ago and was recovering very well. Another was a phone call with Adriana, Júlia's mother, who also needed surgery to correct scoliosis. The news I received was very good. I hope they are well, like me, and continue with their lives normally.
The above text was written in January 2012 while I was reading "The Girl with the Crooked Spine" (I love that title, and I still consider myself one of those girls). When I finished reading, I felt like sharing a bit of my story too, and Julia, your book encouraged me to write. Thank you for encouraging so many girls to move forward, not to abandon scoliosis treatment, and to tell their stories. This movement has helped many people learn about scoliosis and make preventive decisions before corrective surgery is necessary. I hope the project grows more and more!
Larissa Mélo
Do you want to discover more inspirational life stories? Check out all the testimonials we have published here on this blog.
