Hey!
I found out that I had scoliosis at the age of 16, I am now 20. I went to two or three specialists. I don't remember what degree mine was at the moment I have the X-ray at home, I'm assuming it was between 20-30 degrees in the lumbar section.
They said that because it was congenital scoliosis that I wouldn't need surgery and because I was already 16 that it probably wouldn't progress too much more.
It's now a few years later and I have problems sleeping. Any wrong positioning will lead to a day full of low back / hip pain. My knees and ankles hurt me regularly too.
I decided to go to a chiropractor because I was concerned on how this would effect me later on when i wanted to get pregnant (carrying all that extra weight will be more difficult for us than it is for normal people). This time around the X-rays show that the degree is a little tiny bit higher.
I've been doing intensive therapy to try to stabilize it as much as possible and have better posture, and it's been working for me. The pain is minimal and the lumbar support option that is in the premium package is wonderful!
This is just my experience; I don't know what you should do. Hopefully you will be alright after the first surgery and you won't have to ever go back. I've heard of rods breaking, doctors keep changing the metal they are made from and they have all either bended or broke at one time or another.
I joined this board:
http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/index.php
Maybe you should to.
Quick question: Does having scoliosis make us "disabled"? Is it something that I have to mention when applying for a job? Can I get handicap parking pass? It would be nice to be able to park anywhere I want to.
I wanted to ask my chiropractor that but I didn't know if it was a stupid question and I didn't want to seem selfish.