It was the summer before my sophomore year of high school and I was eager to begin running track for Case. Today was my annual physical at the doctors. I did not think much of it, as I always received the same feedback, which was that everything was normal. I knew that I needed the physical in order to do any sport, and in particular, winter and spring track. I entered through the glass door of Swansea Pediatrics and waited in line at the counter. It was an average five minute wait to check in. “The doctor will be with you in just a moment” the receptionist said. She had dyed red curly hair and glasses. I walked over to the seats, blue hard benches, and waited. As I waited, I slowly glanced across the room. I found myself surrounded by young kids. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to see a “real” doctor. The walls had blue wallpaper with fish and underwater scenery on them. There was a table with magazines on it across from me. I sat nervously tapping my foot and glancing at my cell phone. Walking in, I had no reason to be nervous, but as a self proclaimed hypochondriac, I always expect the worst. I always hated the doctor’s office; I was not afraid of it, however, I’d rather be somewhere else instead.
I continued waiting and the bench got more uncomfortable the longer I sat. It was so bad I had to stand up for a second. The wait was probably no longer than ten minutes in total, since walking in the door, but felt like an eternity. Waiting times always feel longer when you are either very excited for something, or you completely dread it. In this case, it was the latter, of course. “Dr. Denuyl will see you now” the assistant said. As I expected, I followed her through a narrow arched hallway with ugly yellowish walls. At the end of the hallway were rooms labeled one through ten, if I recall correctly. On the other side of the rooms was the main office, the bathrooms and the scale. I approached the scale and my height and weight were recorded. She then guided me to one of the rooms; six, I believe, and I waited.
I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that I didn’t need any shots. With that out of the way, I sat down on the exam table. It was blue and had oak legs, but was surprising comfortable. The room was small and had only one window, but the blinds were down, so I couldn’t see outside anyway. There was a counter and a sink that had tongue depressors and a stethoscope on it. Dr. Denuyl finally came in and I couldn’t wait to get it over with. I was then asked a series of questions, which I quickly answered. I don’t recall the questions or my answers, because I knew that I had no underlying issues that needed to be addressed. Therefore, the questionnaire was simple. The next step was getting my vitals checked. I always hate when the doctor shines the light in your eye, I feel like I was temporarily blinded. I actually did not mind getting my blood pressure checked because I like the pressure from the cuff. Dr. Denuyl then left the room so she could record all of the information.
Five minutes later, she returned and I knew it was time for the check up. The first thing she wanted to check was my back. I have always been told that I had good posture and always stood tall, so I felt like there was nothing to be afraid of. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It was clear to Dr. Denuyl that I had scoliosis as it was present on my upper right side and the lower left side. These are characteristics of a severe “S” curve. When I was told of this, I was shocked. “How come I’m not hunched over or why don’t I lean to one side” I wondered. “Well, those are more noticeable characteristics, but are associated with a “C” curve, rather than the “S”, which can be unnoticed for years.
As I was fairly familiar with scoliosis, I knew it obviously was not life threatening by any means. But I worried that I wouldn’t be able to run track. “Will I still be able to do track?” I asked. “You will need an X-Ray, but as it appears, you should be cleared” she responded. I was relieved that she thought I would be fine, but I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet. A few days later, I received the X-Ray from Primacare in Somerset. My doctor was Dr. Katz and he is an orthopedics specialist. I walked down a long corridor that had white walls with zoo animals on them. It was catered to children, I presumed. I had never had an X-Ray before so I didn’t know what to expect. It was surprisingly quick and easy. All I had to do was stand with my back on this board that had measurement on it and a grid and I had two sensors placed on my back.
My result was that I had a twenty five degree curvature, approximately. I then asked Dr. Katz if I could run track. “Although your curvature isn’t ideal, it will not prevent you from participating in sports. You will however have to wear a back brace, which should prevent the curve from worsening.” I thanked him and left, relieved that I could continue as a sprinter, but nervous about sleeping with a back brace.
Currently my curvature has progressed significantly, to about fifty-four degrees, but still isn’t noticeable. I am thankful however, that I was able to participate in five seasons of track, consisting of both winter and spring, and my curve never interfered with my performance. I finished my last meet with my personal record in all three of my spring events. I am awaiting surgery, which will take place in the next few years. I am very fortunate that I achieved my goals and found something I am passionate about, competitive running. Running track and receiving a total of two varsity letters and three pins was my greatest achievement from high school, as it required surpassing a challenging obstacle.