In December 2024, I noticed that my shoulders were crooked. I wasn't in any pain at the time. But I did notice that I got out of breath quickly, for example, when jogging, and I sometimes had mild abdominal pain in the same area.

We made an appointment with an orthopedist in Bonn for February 2024. He was visibly shocked when he performed the classic "forward bending test."

He spoke of severe scoliosis and gave us referrals for X-rays, an MRI scan, and a referral to see Dr. Desai at Sana Hospital in Cologne. He specifically recommended Dr. Desai as a specialist in spinal surgery.

We were a little worried, but hadn't yet considered a possible operation.

The X-ray examination took place in April. When we received the X-ray, we were quite shocked. The spine had two curvatures and looked very severe to us.

The appointment with Dr. Desai took place on April 30, 2025. We were still not considering surgery, but hoped that the spine could be treated with a brace and physiotherapy.

Even the arrival at the Sana Hospital in Cologne was very pleasant. Everything was well organized, and we were cared for by a very nice doctor who was already evaluating the X-rays and asking us various questions until Dr. Desai arrived. We all liked him from the very first moment and seemed very calm and competent.

He took more X-rays, so-called bending X-rays, i.e., X-rays in motion. For these images, I had to tilt my upper body sideways to the left and right.

At this time, I also had frequent back pain.

After Dr. After Dr. Desai had taken a comprehensive look, examined me thoroughly again, and looked at the X-rays, he gave us his treatment recommendation. He explained everything to us in great detail and recommended the classic spinal fusion for scoliosis. Two sections of the spine, one with a Cobb angle of 74 degrees and the other with a Cobb angle of 58 degrees, were to be straightened as far as possible. Dr. Desai spoke of a difficult and long operation that could take 6 to 7 hours. He pointed out the possible complications of the operation and also explained in detail the possible consequences if we decided against the operation.

When we left the hospital, I was very composed and calm. It was clear to me that I didn't want to develop heart or lung problems, even though no one could promise me that, of course. I knew immediately that if surgery was necessary, I only wanted to be operated on by Dr. Desai.

A few weeks later, my parents had another private meeting with Dr. Desai to clarify any remaining questions. During the consultation, he suggested first performing a lateral procedure, opening the rib cage, to loosen the very rigid vertebrae in the thoracic spine. He hoped this would result in a few degrees of improvement. This additional procedure complicated and prolonged the entire operation.

We decided to do it because we had placed our trust in Dr. Desai from the very beginning and his explanations sounded plausible.

In the months leading up to the surgery, the scoliosis worsened significantly.