Not Your Typical Freshman

          Another essay from advanced writing class from fall semester '10. For this one the assignment was to write an essay about yourself.

          The experiences during my freshman year of high school were different from those that most freshmen go through. It started at an appointment with my family doctor for the mandatory physical for incoming freshmen. Dr. Long, my doctor since I was born, noticed something wasn’t right. I already knew I had scoliosis—I had had surgery on my back in the fifth grade which fused bone on a bone in my shoulder to try to stop the increasing of the curve. But the curve had grown worse and something needed to be done about it.

            I went back to Dr. Grayhack, the orthopedic surgeon at Children’s Memorial Hospital who had done my first surgery. I had x-rays taken, from a side view and from the back. When Dr. Grayhack showed me those current images compared with the ones from right after my surgery it was evident that the curve had increased quite a bit. Not only was the increase evident on the x-ray images, but it was also visible externally—my left shoulder was higher than my right shoulder. I remember feeling sick to my stomach and like I was going to pass out when the doctor told me I needed another surgery. But before that could happen, I had to go through a lot of different tests to be sure I was able to go through the long surgery.

            One of the tests checked my breathing and lung function since during surgery I would be face down the entire time. I had to sit in a small chamber with clear walls and breathe into and through a tube. Once the test was over, the tech realized he hadn’t shut the door to the chamber and the computer hadn’t recorded any of the results. He had me redo the whole test after he made sure the door was properly closed. I got upset at the time, but looking back I can see the humor in the situation.

            Another test was a kidney ultrasound. I was born with only one kidney and the doctor wanted to make sure the one that I did have was healthy enough to go through a major surgery. For this procedure I had to lie on an examination table and the tech told me to get into a comfortable position; I wasn’t allowed to move until it was over. I got into a position that was comfortable at the time—ankles crossed—but after lying immobile in that position for fifteen minutes, the rest of the hour-long procedure felt like torture.

            Then I had to have my heart tested because I had had open heart surgery as a baby. For this I had to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours. I had an appointment at a nearby hospital and a technician stuck the electrodes all over my skin and gave me some instructions. I had to wear the monitor on a strap over my shoulder and it was a bit cumbersome to wear it around school all day. I had an appointment with the pediatric cardiologist who had seen me since I was born as well. Everything looked good and I received the go-ahead from him.

            These tests took place over the course of the months after the school year began until December. After all the test results confirmed that it was okay to proceed, the surgery was scheduled for an early Tuesday morning, January 25, 2005. Instead of fusing bone, this time the doctor was going to straighten my spine and use two titanium rods and screws to keep the bones in that position. I arrived at the hospital early that morning and donned one of those much-loved hospital gowns. The nurses prepped me for surgery; the anesthesiologist covered my face with a mask, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery after the surgery.

            I had to stay in the hospital for a week, lying on my back for most of the time. After I was released from the hospital I had to stay home from school for a whole month. One of the teachers from school that I knew pretty well came and tutored me during that time so I kept up pretty well with my classes. The surgery as since affected my life as well, considering I can’t bend my back except for at the neck and at the waist.

My first semester of high school was different from the typical high school freshman’s experience. Learning I would need major surgery, going to numerous subsequent doctor appointments, going through the actual surgery, and staying home for an entire month of school certainly qualify as atypical.