By Eulalee Thompson, Staff Reporter

Shawnette's life has been a 14-year struggle with constant, excruciating back pains but at least now she can put a name to it - she has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine.

IT SEEMS that life has been nothing but massive lower back pains for Shawnette Theophilus. She has been in and out of hospitals and doctors' offices, and when that didn't work she turned to herbalists, and still no long-lasting relief.

"I was 13 or 14 years old when I started feelings these pains running from my neck to my lower back, mostly on the right side...many times I was unable to turn over in bed. I would cry. I was taking painkillers and so on but I didn't have much family support, they thought I was kidding around...they thought I was being rebellious," she said.

Fourteen years later, she said that the diagnosis is "a mild case of scoliosis with serious muscle spasms." This diagnosis of scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, came after 14 years of back pains that prevented Shawnette from participating in any form of sport at school, and after breathing problems and black-outs.

"I started blacking out (five years ago) and I experienced lots of headaches on the right side. I always had headaches as a child... But I couldn't understand the breathing problems. I passed out one day and I went to the Spanish Town Hospital, they said that there were no signs of asthma. I started hyperventilating, they gave me an injection. But I was still having breathing problems. I passed out twice, I was put on the pump for two years...I still had the back pains. I was limping ­ my foot bottom was swelling...They did a sickle cell test, examined me, they couldn't say why I was limping or had these back problems. They X-rayed my hips, since I was limping but they said I was fine. They wanted to cut my hips to see what was happening," Shawnette said.

She wouldn't allow this operation, but still searching for answers, she went instead to see a herbalist, a hyrologist in St. Catherine. There she found some relief and direction for the first time since the start of her unnamed health condition.

"It was the hydrologist who gave me the bad news. She actually told me that my spine was twisted and that I had infections in the lungs, kidneys... and it was poisoning my body," Shawnette said.

It was the first clear explanation she was receiving about her condition after visiting so many health specialists and it made an impact on Shawnette, connecting with her past experiences. Under the guidance of the herbalist, she went through a cleansing process, physiotherapy and other related treatment. As a result of this treatment, for three or four months Shawnette began to feel like herself again.

"I was feeling fine, living life normally again and I felt like I was starting over again," she said.

With this revived energy and almost second chance for a 'normal' life, Shawnette moved to Mandeville to start university. Her second chance, however, didn't last long, soon the pains started again and with it another round of visits to doctors and hospitals. This round of visits and medical tests was more fruitful, however, indicating, according to Shawnette, a problem with the 12th disc in her back.

"I was 26 years old and scoliosis was diagnosed after referral to an orthopaedic surgeon...and I was still given more pain killers and physiotherapy. The physiotherapist said that the left side of my body was not responding...it feels as if the left side is going to snap and I couldn't do the exercises at home and I was vomiting," she said.

The next stop was to the chronic back pain specialist for a series of injections ­ two sittings per week, six injections (from the neck to the legs) at each sitting along with a $3,000 price tag. Shawnette could not keep up with being injected two times per week for the rest of her life or with the cost of the injections and the physiotherapy. Now, she's on a quest for some long-lasting relief. She visited a chiropractor but he frightened her.

"He said that my back was out of line, the disc in my neck was wrong... my head was swinging from side to side. He said that I was pretty messed up but that he could fix it. But he said if I make any funny turns I can be crippled for life and so he advised me to check out my options," she said.

Other health specialists in Kingston told her that her bones are too old but they could have fixed her 14 years ago, so after doing extensive research on the topic, Shawnette has located a spine specialist at a hospital in Florida, United States. After reviewing her medical records and X-ray results, the U.S. specialist says that he would like Shawnette to visit his U.S. practice for further evaluation but he believes that he can help her. For this visit and evaluation, she needs US$5,000 and she is now turning to the public for help. She may be contacted at netto90@yahoo.com.

Causes of scoliosis

Three main causes:

1. Congenital ­ linked usually to problems with bone formation during prenatal development.

2. Neuromuscular ­ arising as a result of some disease process such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

3. Idiopathic or of unknown cause ­ a straight spine begins to give problems.

Symptoms

Usually, health professionals suspect scoliosis when one shoulder appears to be higher than the other, or if there is a tilted pelvis. Other symptoms and signs include low back pain and fatigue.