Pam,
I don't have a broken tailbone. Probably the only way that could actually be fixed is with surgery.
As far as the scoliosis, I do have that (I also have several arthritic joints in my spine). I am still quite young, but I have lost a fraction of an inch already & am concerned I will end up like my great g-ma who was all hunched over. Her spinal curve went side to side like mine & yours and it did cause her to lose height (4-5 inches by the time she was in her mid-80's) & to get hunched over. The NS was probably wrong about
a lot of things, but that one sounds right.
As far as the yoga goes, I can definitely relate to the brutal pain it causes. It can be a major set-back if it's not done carefully & it sounds like that NS couldn't be bothered to give you any sort of instructions. My PM finally sent me to an aquatherapist & I did the exercises in a specially heated therapy pool. The pool is warm like bath water so you don't feel the pain like if you were to do it on land. It is best to start it under the supervision of a therapist at first.
Now I'm up to being able to do some of the seated or lying down positions on my bed. The floor is still brutally painful, but I am getting some benefit from the exercises in bed. The do help a lot with posture & also decrease the pain in my back. You have to have them majorly modified (that's where the aqua therapist comes in) & progress super slowly, but they really do work. I take some of my narc pain meds about
10 min. before the end of the workout. That way I can feel if the pain is getting too much in the pool or on my bed, but I'm not in horrible pain when I stand up on dry land.
I'm really glad I found a way to do yoga & pilates because even though it cost me a lot of pain in the beginning it is making my life less unpleasant & painful now. My goal is to be able to get strong enough that I can stand intermittently for 3 hours of the day so I can return to my beloved teaching career. My PM says if I go slow & steady with the treatment plan (which includes a lot of alternative medicine -- PT, massage, C-S therapy, acupuncture, myofascial release, and probably some others) that we can get me to that point within 5 years.
I know it's not fun & not fair. They should be able to just give us a magic pill that can make everything heal up to perfection. I would be first in line for that pill. Unfortunately, that's not reality. Making even small gains in our health, posture, etc. can be very difficult. They are hard fought battles, trying to balance pushing to the limit without overdoing it & causing another set-back. But the alternative is even worse -- lying in bed without the comforts we long for in life - peace, mobility, freedom, hope, accomplishments. The doctors are not always our greatest supporters. Sometimes it seems like they're not even on our side -- sometimes they aren't.
You have a lot to offer this world - especially your gift with words. Some of your writings are really quite impressive. You do clearly need to find a better doctor who is willing to explain things to you, answer your questions, and really become involved in coordinating & overseeing your treatment, but once you find that I would encourage you to give things a try. If something doesn't work for you or is too painful, find out if there isn't some way to modify it so you can do it. What do you really have to lose? Once we've lost jobs & homes & friends & family & everything else, we have the freedom to really try things because the cost is much less. What's the worst that could happen -- you might over-do & be in pain for an extra week or two or maybe a few more, right? Isn't that risk worth it for a chance to be able to get around more & be in less pain?
As far as the pain, they do need to limit the number of steroid injections, especially since your joints are in such bad shape. Nonetheless, maybe with the right PM that would be an option. There are facet injections & epidurals & trigger point injections & others. My PM leaves it up to his patients to decide how much risk they're willing to take. He will often do several facet injections at all different levels in one visit. That way we can knock the pain down low enough for me to either take my annual break from the narc meds (to mitigate dependence) or to increase the amount of physical activity I do for a week or two. The increased activity allows me to build strength in my core muscles and as a result have a little less pain in my daily life once the injection meds wear off. I do have to cut back some once the injection meds wear off, but usually I still come out a little stronger than where I was before the injections. You just have to take the gains little by little & keep working at it.
Anyways, that's my take on it. Hope you have a great day & aren't in too much pain.
GB,
frances