u/ca11iop3

i’m set to have a long spinal fusion in a few months and i was wondering what i should be doing to optimize my recovery. it’ll be around T4 to L3 and will also cause some rib repositioning. i’ve already quit all nicotine products and have been going to the gym regularly to try and strengthen my core. i also started doing some physical therapy exercises daily. what am i missing? and what should i be asking my team about, especially pain management-wise?

no, not physically awful, but emotionally. i had gone solely to get advice on adult bracing, which ended up not being for me regardless.

but during the appointment he began telling me all of the things i and my parents had done wrong throughout my teenage years when the scoliosis was getting worse and worse.

he told me it wouldn’t be this bad and i wouldn’t need surgery now if i had done all these chiropractically minded things. i know it’s probably not true but i can’t stop crying now.

edit: i was directed to this chiropractor through the scolicare website, which said he was the only one nearby who did the braces. i would never have gone to a chiropractor on my own otherwise and don’t ever intend to again

i know, it’s not as dramatic as all that. after spinal fusion i’ll be able to return to it and hopefully not think about my scoliosis as much anymore.

but i just finished grad school and all of my classmates are getting jobs and expanding their careers. meanwhile i’m going home to get surgery. i’m happy for them but it feels so so so unfair that i have to put it all on hold for this. i go from feeling angry to sad to scared. i should be building my resume, not recovering from surgery. i had even applied for a few jobs on a whim and got interviews and now i have to turn them down.

the worst part is that these thoughts are seemingly trying to convince me that my scoliosis isn’t “painful enough” for surgery — i don’t have severe, shooting pain but i have constant discomfort and with nighttime comes this deep, grinding ache in my back. i’m at 66 and 51 degrees and i’m expecting my next consultation will show a worsened curve since my legs have begun to tingle as well.

to other young professionals: how did you cope with this feeling?

i finally made the decision to get spinal fusion. it hasn’t even been scheduled yet and i’ve been feeling so afraid that i get nauseous. i’m terrified of the moments leading up to going over and i’m terrified of waking up in pain. i’m physically shaking just writing this and thinking about it.

i really want to do the surgery, i want to get it out of the way but i have these recurring nightmares of backing out at the last second and everyone getting mad at me. if you had spinal fusion how did you handle it?

how are other az jews feeling about wearing stars of david? i’ve always worn one and i want to keep wearing mine because it should still belong to jews as a whole but i also have to be aware of its more widespread recognition as a symbol of israel. at

I recently moved to a new place in Rogers Park with three roommates — W North Shore Ave. I am on the lease as well as two of them. There is a severe cockroach infestation, so bad that it smells disgusting. My roommates don’t mind and don’t want to break the lease. I cannot live in it and need to leave. The landlord first yelled and cursed at me for demanding an exterminator but has since paid for one to come by twice. It has not helped. I do not want to have to be in charge of subletting because it is unfair to subject someone to cockroaches and the smell without their knowledge the way I am.

Is there anything I can do? I feel like I am living in hell and my roommates still leave food and trash out. No lawyers or tenants unions will get back to me.

i finally got blood tests done for my chronic hives and while i didn’t want anything to necessarily be wrong with me, i was hoping to find some reason behind it. the allergist said the only thing she can think of is i have higher than normal estrogen. i’m just so tired.