You win. 
I don’t know what it’s like NOT to have scoliosis. Some of my vertebrae are messed up so it was inevitable. I don’t know what it’d be like to be told out of nowhere, but I must echo medstar – I don’t think it develops that quickly. I’m very much surprised that nobody noticed it before.
I love to swim. It takes all the strain off of my back.
Must have just collapsed from carrying that great… uh, never mind.
Seriously, though, I’m sorry to hear you have bad back problems. I hope things do get better for you!
Good question.
In 1996 and 1999 I was in car accidents, both of which were pretty hardcore. (The '96 one was worse). I have back pain. Headaches. Sciatica. etc. etc.
Both in '96 and '99 I was treated for car accident related injuries. The problem with soft-tissue injuries is that they can have a tendancy to malinger. I always assumed that my discomfort and difficulties were left-overs from the accidents.
Fast forward to now. 1 month ago I started my dance class - you have to wear little outfits so the instructor can see your position, etc. 3 weeks ago, the instructor said “Do you know that your spine is crooked? Your left hip is at least 2 inches higher than your right. Your shoulders are lopsided as well. Do you have one leg shorter than the other, or scoliosis or something?”
Sooo - I went to my Dr. I had x-rays. I consulted with a physiotherapist. I have scoliosis. 
Typically, it develops around puberty. I was checked for it in grade 7 and came out clear; however, I didn’t really hit puberty until grade 9 and was never checked after that.
Typically, in the early stages of scoliosis, there is little or no pain. Hence nothing to investigate.
So there you go.
My spine IS getting worse - more compacted - I guess, based on the relative flexibility of various parts of the spine, the problem started down low, and is now moving up. What this means is that the top portion of my spine can still be manipulated, which is what the physio did yesterday, and I have to say, it feels pretty good. The lower portion, however, is pretty well bent. It doesn’t straighten when I bend over - typically a spine straightening thing.
So, I guess what this means is that:
a) my spine is bent, and going to stay that way.
b) they are taking yearly X-rays from this point to determine how rapidly it’s deteriorating.
c) I’m doing physio, and exercise for the portion of the spine (upper) which is still flexable enough to benefit from it.
d) I may get surgery for my SI joint.
e) If my spine continues to get worse, despite all of this, I will consult with an Orthopaedic Surgeon, and then I will be Robo Alice[sup]TM[/sup]. 
Scoliosis sucks.
However, it’s not the end of the world. I have an S curve and rib rotation. It looks pretty bad, but actually, it’s not terribly painful. My back get sore once in a while, and maybe once per year I’ll pull a muscle and throw it out.
What helps?
Two words. Sit ups. I’m not sure why. Maybe it strengthens the muscles in the back too. But I have noticed less back pain since I started doing sit ups every night.
Hot baths. OK that one’s pretty obvious.
I have considered surgery. But I can’t justify it because I’m not in much pain now, and the curve isn’t getting worse. Surgery is pretty painful. And I hear it takes a long time to fully recover.
I can’t stand for more than an hour or so. And I can’t do any heavy lifting. But other than that, it’s not that big a deal.