One of the complications of being diagnosed with infertility is that I'm more likely to have osteoporosis because my body isn't producing estrogen. After two bone density scans it was determined that I was losing bone density which, if left untreated, could start leading to fractures. As it so happens there is an osteoporosis treatment center down the block from my house. As with many of my doctors, the discussion of my spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis when I was 15 came up. Now I'll admit, osteoporosis isn't one of those conditions that worries me much because I don't look or feel any different than I did before I was diagnosed. However, when thinking about bone loss I will admit that I started wondering how that affected my spine. During the course of my doctor's long winded explanation of the history of how osteoporosis came to be diagnosed and how this will affect my overall life, the doctor made this comment "normally patients experience bone loss in their back first and then their hips. You have significant bone loss in your hips, but your back is actually stronger because of the rods fused to your spine. I wish I could convince all post menopausal women to have spinal fusion surgery. If you didn't have surgery you'd be in constant pain at the moment and you'd have a hard time doing anything."
So...let's get this straight...when I was 15 we prayed for healing from scoliosis so that I wouldn't need back surgery, but God know I'd need to have back surgery and temporary back pain so that I wouldn't have to suffer future debilitating pain and could continue teaching in the Bronx. Go figure. Maybe one of these days I'll just learn to trust that whatever my circumstances, God is using all things for good and I can trust His plan for my life instead of trying to control everything on my own.😃
