u/Ambitious-Drama-7732

10 days post-op spinal fusion for severe neuromuscular scoliosis (SMA Type 2) – really struggling mentally. Is this normal?
Hey everyone,
I’m 20 years old and have SMA Type 2. I had a long spinal fusion for severe neuromuscular scoliosis 10 days ago.
Physically, I actually don’t have much pain, but mentally I’m having a really hard time.
These are the things I’m experiencing:
My whole back feels extremely stiff.

Sitting feels completely different compared to before surgery. right now i’m really not sitting im sitting like a wooden box with support while sitting im not being able to handle my neck it bends back I can’t get comfortable.
My neck is incredibly stiff and tight, and it’s driving me crazy.
My chest sticks out much more than before, and I really don’t like how it looks.
My body feels unfamiliar, almost like I’m living in someone else’s body.
I’m terrified that I’ve lost the independence I had before surgery.
I keep thinking I made the biggest mistake of my life.
I’m constantly regretting the surgery and wondering if I even needed it.
Before surgery I could sit for 10+ hours with just a simple cloth lumbar support, so now I’m questioning whether surgery was the right decision.
I feel overwhelmed and anxious almost all the time, and I’ve cried multiple times because I’m so scared.
My biggest fear is that this is how I’m going to feel forever.
For anyone who has had a long spinal fusion, especially if you had scoliosis or a neuromuscular condition:
Did the stiffness get significantly better?
Did sitting eventually start to feel normal again?
Did your neck muscles eventually adapt?
Did your chest/rib cage look strange at first and then settle as your body healed?
Did you regret surgery in the first few weeks and later feel differently?
I know I’m only 10 days post-op, but right now it’s really hard to imagine ever feeling normal again.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have been through this. Thank you.

Just want to talk to somebody from india or from other country too, im 20m feel free to dm me!