this is mostly just a vent but any advice is appreciated.
i was diagnosed with mild scoliosis when i was 10 after complaining of back pain and having my mom take me to urgent care. by that point i was pretty much done growing so the doctor didn't see any point in giving me a brace or anything like that. at 17, my pain was worsening so my mom took me to see her doctor for some x-rays. they revealed my top curve was 11° and my bottom curve was 24°, still considered mild and not serious enough to qualify for surgery despite the pain i was in. that doctor told me that even if i did have surgery, i would "never have a normal spine" (direct quote). he prescribed some physical therapy and at the end of the sessions, he essentially shrugged his shoulders and said it should've worked when i told him i was still in pain. i made the mistake of telling him my back felt tight which led to him immediately dismissing my pain, saying i must not be stretching enough. mind you, i spend literally all day stretching because of how much pain i'm in.
i'm 22 now and it's just continued getting worse. i've been with my boyfriend since i was 18 and he's witnessed firsthand how much worse it's gotten. the pain keeps me up at night often and sometimes it's so debilitating i can't get out of bed. my warehouse job does group stretching at the beginning of the shift and my coworkers who are decades older than me have an easier time squatting and touching their toes than i do. standing and walking for long periods of time is unbearable, which sucks for me as someone who loves going to concerts. i'm basically bedbound the day after most concerts i go to.
with my scoliosis being considered mild, it's incredibly easy to dismiss me as being dramatic. doctors think mild scoliosis = mild pain which couldn't be further from the truth. people don't believe me when i say i'm disabled and the most a doctor has ever prescribed me for pain is naproxen which does absolutely nothing for me. i mostly manage with weed since i turned 21 but even that has its limits. i'm hoping to be able to get to a pain management doctor sometime in the near future for some specialized care. i was doing a bit of research recently on scoliosis pain relief and came across scolibrace which looks promising but i have no idea if i can afford it. my boyfriend said he'd be willing to pay out of pocket if it really works just because he sees how much pain i'm in and wants to fix it.
at this point i just feel stuck. i just know if my spine was straight, i wouldn't have this pain, but i'm not severe enough for surgery. and i already pay so much monthly for treating my diabetes that i feel like i can't afford to treat my scoliosis too, especially since i'm planning on moving out this summer and have to take my doctors appointments and expenses into my own hands. anyone else here in a similar situation? it's genuinely depressing.