Category: Hip pain

Back? Hip? Pain! What is going on…. We may be closer to finding out..

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness, Hip pain10 Comments

Last Wednesday I saw the spine doctor, and good news, the herniated disc is doing great.  So, why am I in so much pain?  My physical therapist and spine doctor think it is my hip.  So do I.

(If you are ever in Charlotte, NC and need a recommendation for a spine doctor, give me a shout out.)

The spine doctor I see is a really good doctor.  He has a great bed side manner.  I never feel rushed when I’m in there, he makes sure to always look at me when he talks, he explains everything very well, and he is very thorough.  He examined me and decided I needed to see the hip doctor again.  I told him how I did not have any respect for the last hip doctor I saw, and why.  I’m not sure if I mentioned it here, and if I did, it probably bears repeating.  The last hip doctor breezed in, did not examine me, and told me that all my problems were from my back.  I asked him why then did I have hip problems before I hurt my back?  He simply ignored me, and said nothing showed on the CT scan, so good news, I had nothing wrong with my hip, good bye.  The spine doctor decided I should see a different hip doctor.  One he said he was sure would treat me with much more respect.  thank you very much.  I will not go to a doctor who does not respect me.

Today I had an appointment with the new hip doctor.  First I had an x-ray of my back.  After all the stuff going on with my back too, he wanted to get a view of it, and looked like no problems there.  Yay.  Then the doctor’s assistant came in and got a good history and did a good exam.  He told me what he suspected and that he wanted to go over everything with the doctor and he would come in soon.  I then had to have another hip x-ray to compare to the one I had in September.  They suspect I may have necrosis of the hip bone, caused by steroid use.  I have been given steroids a lot over the years of my life.  Doctors seem to hand them out like candy, they don’t think about the long term effects of what they can do to you.  Not once when I have been prescribed steroids have I ever been asked how often I have been prescibed then in the past.  Well, they can kill your bones.  The bones that have blood in them, it can kill the blood tissue, then the bone will collapse on itself.  Pretty gnarly huh?

Image taken from the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons linked from http://osteonecrosis.me
Image taken from the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons linked from http://osteonecrosis.me

The x-ray that was taken in September had a very round ball socket, the one taken today looked a little bit flatter on the top.  It could have been just the angle of the x-ray, or it could be the beginning of Stage II.

If you are interested you can read more about the different stages here: Osteonecrosis.  Right now it looks like I’d be around Stage II, just starting to show outward signs….maybe.

My doctor wants me to send in my information about my cochlear implants to the MRI people there to make sure I can’t have an MRI under any circumstances.  They said sometimes they can do something and they can do them.  So I’m sending in my information.  I’m very wary about this, and think I might just refuse it even if they say it’s alright.  If they try this and (even if it doesn’t rip them out of my head) if it damages them, I don’t think it would be covered under my warranty, and I don’t want to have to have unnecessary surgery to replace them.  So unless they’ve done this many, many times before, I just don’t think the risks are worth the benefits.  I think he will understand that.

If I can’t/won’t get the MRI he said I will get another CT (Computerized tomography) scan.  CT scans are cross sectional.  Normally they are done at a certain width apart, I forgot how wide he said, he will order my new one to be done much closer together to try not to miss anything.

If you were reading my blog before when I went to the hip doctor and had the hip injection and it didn’t help at all  (another reason the original hip doctor said there was nothing wrong with my hip) this doctor said the hip injections often don’t help with this issue.

I was very impressed with this doctor and his assistant. He was very behind in his schedule, but I could understand why, and I didn’t mind.  He did not make me feel rushed when he was with me, he was very careful to make sure I understood everything.  He was great.  Also, before he came in to actually see me, I was seen by his assistant, and I had 2 sets of x-rays.  I wasn’t just sitting there twiddling my thumbs.  I was also impressed that when I got there he had already reviewed my chart and had questions waiting for me and orders for the back x-ray.  He walked in and knew all about me before he started talking to me.  I love it when a doctor does that!

This is a scary diagnosis.  However, if this is what it is, it is a diagnosis!  It can also be fixed pretty easily…I’ll have a hip replacement.  There are a lot of things that a lot of doctors do to work on this that don’t replace the hip, but there’s a lot of risk and most treatments don’t work very well. shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that.  I don’t want to worry people who are having those treatments done.  Just my opinion from what I have read…today…and from talking to my doctor.   Looks like most people have to have their hip replaced anyway, after many more years in pain.   I’m thinking I’d rather just get my hip replaced now.  I know I’m a bit young to have it done, but really not all that young, and with the new technology I hope the new hip will last as long as I do. That is…if I have to have it done.  I can’t predict the future.  Just preparing my mind for it in case that is a possibility.  Heck, my father has had both hips replaced, and I think one he has had done twice, or they are talking about redoing one of them?  He’s hard to keep up with.  All his artificial joints….shoulders, knees….ect….He’s bionic!  He has all the body parts, I have the ears.  Now if I get a new hip, I’ll be working on body parts too!  hahaha

I will be going back to PT, working out in the pool.  The doctor wants me as strong as I can be in case I have to have any kind of surgery.  Also he doesn’t want that leg to get too weak, and I can work it out in the pool because it is non-weight bearing.   Maybe I will hurry up and take this weight I gained from the steroids off and continue to lose more weight!  According to the scales at the doctor’s office I’ve lost about 8 of he steroid pounds.  (I gained almost 16 – that was depressing!  I’ve worked hard to take this weight off…and I want to keep taking it off! Go weight….get off my body!  Not that my body isn’t fantastic just like it is, but I want to make it easier on my hip…less weight to carry around….less pain!  I do not think beauty is determined by size!!)

 

drawing by w. holcombe copywrite - 2015 quote - unknown
drawing by w. holcombe copywrite – 2015
quote – unknown

Now for some awfully sweet news.

When I walked in this office I was met by 2 of the nurses there that just grabbed me and hugged me.  They we so happy to see me and to see me in less pain than I was in the last time I was there.  I also had a small vertigo attack last time I was there.  I’ve only been there 3 times, and I haven’t been there since October, but these girls remembered me and were so thrilled to see me.  I was amazed.  I told them I couldn’t believe they remembered me like that.  They said, they don’t remember everyone like that, nor do they treat everyone like that…only the nice people.  They kept saying how wonderful my spirit is.  How nice I was even though I was in so much pain.  I just cried.  My nurse couldn’t believe I was crying.  Just think, I am home alone most of the time, and on the rare occasion when I go out it is usually to the doctor’s office, I’m amazed I could touch a person’s life like that, in the little amount of time I see people.  We never know just how we may touch another person’s life.  So watch what you say, and always try to be the best person you can be.  On a day when you feel scared and a bit down, you just might run into a couple of people who grab you and hug you and tell you how special you are because you are who you are, and you just make them feel special because of that.  It was an amazing feeling!

 

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I’m a Spinning Hipster

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness, Hip pain, Meniere's Disease6 Comments

It is a challenge to always be aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.  However, that is the basis of mindfulness, and it does help when you live a life full of chronic illness and pain.  Sometimes I just can’t do it, sometimes I wish things were different.  It’s not that bad right now.  Yes, I’ve wished it were different at times, but I haven’t been too worried about it.  I know things will change, and I one very big thing I have learned, even when I can’t be mindful enough to be aware of what is happening in my life right now, without wishing it were different, I can be non-judgmental of myself.  That’s a big thing for me.

Traveling back and forth between Charlotte and Durham over and over again during this move has worn my body a little bit.  My hip left started to protest a little over a month ago.  We came back from Durham and I wasn’t walking very well.  I rested it and after about a week and a half I it was acting more normal.  Then we went back to Durham.  When we got back, I was much worse.  This time it didn’t settle down.

hip x-ray courtesy of http://www.orthop.washington.edu
hip x-ray
courtesy of http://www.orthop.washington.edu

I ended up going to the orthopedic urgent care on the evening of August 29th, yes they have a special urgent care here just for hip and knee orthopedic, isn’t that amazing?  I was shocked at how wonderful this place was.  I didn’t have to wait long.  They didn’t rush me in and out, the doctor took his time with me, they all worked hard to make sure I understood what was being said after they learned I was hearing challenged.  (nice way of saying, one of my Cochlear Implants was broken so I was really not hearing much of anything!)   The x-rays showed that everything looks good.  He thinks the labrum is catching, but really we aren’t exactly sure.  I’ve had trouble with the other hip too.  Could just be in my genes.  My father has trouble with his hips (well he had trouble, now he has new hips) and my aunt has trouble with her hips.  It could be arthritis starting, just not to the point of showing up on an x-ray yet, or I’m just wearing out.   The doctor wanted to give me steroids to get the inflammation to go down.  He said when inflammation starts it is very hard to get it to stop, it just kind of get out of control.  I explained to him that I am very afraid to take steroids because they often cause me to have severe vertigo attacks.  He respected that and said he didn’t blame me.  He suggested getting a shot in the joint.  I agreed.  Then we realized the holiday was coming up.  I was in a lot of pain and told him to write the prescription for a very low dose of steroids and I would take them.  We filled them on the way home and then I chickened out.  I couldn’t do it.  I’d rather hurt, a lot.

I had a follow-up appointment scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.  I was awakened on Tuesday morning by a Meniere’s attack.  Full blown vertigo!  There is no way for me to prepare for that, couldn’t center myself and get calm, all I could do was grab the trash can!  I was totally unprepared!  Stuart had just left for work.  My phone was across the room being charged, this is strange, I normally charge it on my night stand, for some reason I plugged up across the room.  My emergency kit was in the living room.  I was really unprepared.  I started to panic.  Then I stopped.  I took a deep breath and said, “NO”. “Calm Down”  “Feel the Night Stand under my hand, it is not moving.  I’m not moving.  Look at the bottle on the night stand.  It is not moving.  Focus.  Calm Down. You are safe.”  It was very hard because I was SO HOT!  I had no way to cool down.  That was making me very sick.  I did get in a Valium and Phenergan. I was calming down but the heat was still making me sick.  I started to control the spinning but was still throwing up because of the heat.  I was able to lunge for the phone and text Stuart…”vertigo help”  all of this had happened so fast.  He had just parked at work and gotten out of the car, he turned around and got back in the car and came home.  (I found out it did take him longer to get to work that day because he stopped to get gas, so it didn’t happen as fast as I thought.)  He came home and got me an ice pack and cooled me down.  Then I could really make peace with everything.   I did a good job handling things.   I will say, I did want things to be different.  I’m not that great at that part of mindfulness all the time yet.  In that instance, if nothing else, I wanted me to be more prepared.  I haven’t had anything like that happen in so long, I got lazy.   I can accept the fact it happened.  It is the nature of the beast.  It happens.  I was very upset that I was not prepared.

stop worrying
image at http://sharifahnorhamidah.blogspot.com

Then I started to worry.  What if I am on my way to feeling bad again.  I had a reprieve of a little over 4 months before, and it all feel apart.  What if…..   What if….   My mind grabbed a hold of that and it kept going back to it.  I would think I needed to stop thinking about the future I can’t control it, but I wasn’t really able to stop my mind from going there.  Finally I was able to let it go.  No I don’t want to end up getting that sick again, but if I do, it’s not the end of the world.  I will make the most of it.  I learned a lot, heck, if it happens again, I think I could handle it a lot better this time.  I can’t control what happens.  I’m not going to worry about it.  I’m not going to think about it.  I’m staying right here in the now.  I’m living in this day, and I like it.

My appointment with the hip orthopedist was rescheduled for September 4th.  I still felt a bit hung over from my attack on Tuesday and my hearing sounded a bit off, but I was able to make the appointment, no problem.  I saw a different doctor.  She was also very nice.  The entire office is very understanding about my hearing, and try very hard to remember to look at me when they speak.  (I did have both my Cochlear Implants in working order at this time, but it is still always a challenge.)  My doctor forgot a couple of times and I gently reminded her that I need for her to look at me, she was so apologetic, you could tell she was trying so very hard.  She is just so used to speaking to both people in the room, and also speaking when she takes notes.  She was a lovely woman who explained things very well, and gave a thorough exam, that HURT! haha  She agreed with everything the doctor said in Urgent Care.  I will be getting a shot on the 11th. I will go back to see her about 4 weeks after that.  She told me to take notice how I felt when I got the shot, if I felt better immediately, when it started to hurt again, if I felt better later….ect..  This is a good diagnostic tool telling them more about what might be wrong, and we will discuss it more when I see her again.

Right now, my hip hurts, but I’ll be getting a shot soon.  I’m feeling happy I’m alive to feel it all, and just be.  I’m grateful I handled the attack as well as I did even though I wasn’t prepared.  I’m grateful my hubby has a flexible job and was able to come home and work from home that day and watch over me….and take the time needed to take me to the doctor.  I’m grateful there is a special urgent care for hip and knee orthopedic needs.   I’m grateful I had such great doctors at both of my visits, the urgent care doctor and the doctor at my follow-up visit.

I have much to be grateful for during all of this.  I will admit there are a lot of challenges.  I am not able to do much without pain, so I can’t do things around the house.  Stuart is once again having to do most everything.  This is taking its toll on my poor husband.  I can see it wearing on him.  There is still so much to take care of with the house in Durham.  So many things to just do.  It doesn’t help to worry about it.  We can’t change things by worrying.  What has happened, happened.  We can make plans for the future, but we can’t get too wrapped up in them.

Something we’ve had to learn because of my illness, don’t fret if something happens to mess your plans all up.  Change your plans as the day changes.  Go with the flow, it’s much easier to float with the current than to fight up-stream.  So when things happen to completely go against your plans, change your plans.  I sound like a broken record, but this is one of the hardest things for people to understand.  Not just chronically ill people, everyone can learn from this.  People get really stressed out when things don’t go as planned.  This goes for what we expect of others too.  Perhaps we should talk more about this at another time….this post is getting a bit long.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow.

Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.    ~Lao-Tzu

How my life has changed….and the straw that made the camel’s back snap.

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness, CSF, Hip pain, Life, Meniere's Disease, Pain13 Comments

First, I’m feeling a bit better physically today.  Not as much pain, and not having that weird feeling you get after being sedated.

This is the first time after having this procedure that I do feel like I had surgery.  (I may have mentioned that yesterday.  Forgive me if I did.)

Over the past couple of years my life had changed A LOT!

My biggest health problem went from being my hip, to the Meniere’s.

Almost everything in my life has changed dramatically starting in the winter of 2009.  That’s when the Meniere’s came back full force, and I went bi-lateral.  By April of 2010, I was getting the Endolymphatic Shunt Surgery in my worst ear to stop the attacks from happening every day.

It worked, for a while.  By October of 2010, I was ready to talk about the surgery for my left ear, the attacks had returned, happening many days per week.  That’s when I was asked if I’d be interested in the research study.

And if you’ve been following this blog you know the rest.

But just how has all of this changed my life?

  • I wasn’t working when this started because of my hip, but planned to go back to work at least part time.  That isn’t going to happen.
  • I had a little reprieve from my symptoms earlier this year.  For 4 months.  I was almost normal.  I took it for granted, and keep looking for the magic button they pushed to make it better again.
  • I’ve lost a good part of my hearing.  I can’t hear in my left ear, and even with my hearing aid it’s a bit off on the right side.
  • I don’t know how to be a friend to my old friends any longer.  We did things, went places, … you know things you do with friends.  I can’t do most of these things now.  Even when I am feeling better, my hearing is so off, I find it very difficult to spend time with people unless it’s one on one.  Restaurants are horrible, Malls…no way, parties are often torture.  Even just having one person, if they aren’t in front of me talking straight at me, it’s hard.
  • A friend recently told me that she was hurt that I didn’t put more effort into our friendship especially during my good period.  I look back and realize, I didn’t do much with any of my friends, I tried a couple of times, but my hearing was still such an issue.   And people were very busy because, life went on without me, and I was crazy busy, because, life was restarting for me.  It was difficult to get back in the swing of things, by the time I finally felt I was finding my footing….it all came crashing down again.  I look back and think…if I had known this would happen, I would have spent that 4 months much differently.  (certainly not spending most of it trying to become foster parents!  That’s not going to happen now…but I didn’t expect to only feel better for 4 months.  So most of that time, we spent wrapped up in trying to be parents.)
  • So I realized, I don’t know how to be a real friend to the people who were my friends prior to my illness.  I try hard not to have my illness be my life, but in a big way it is.  I have to think about everything I do….how will it affect me, and my illness.  How much will it take out of me.
  • When I do see my friends I try to look better.  I get out of bed, if they come over, put on something decent (even a bra!) and at least make it to the couch.  Lately, that’s a very big deal.
  • When I was feeling better and driving, and would try to meet my friends, I was scared.  I hadn’t been spending time with most people for a while, and I was uncomfortable, talking with them, trying not to talk too much about me.  But my life was changing so much, that was hard.  And now, my life is static, and it’s even harder.
  • Many of my friends don’t like to email, text, or IM…and right now that’s the only way I can communicate.  So it’s hard.
  • I can’t keep my house as clean as I’d like.  We decided to get cleaners to come in, but that might not happen again….(more about that later).
  • I feel like I really needed some time away from here..away from this house…..just a change of scenery.  I was scared about seeing my friends in Tucson, how they might react to my hearing, and health issues.  But we’ve been emailing and texting…so I don’t think it would that big of a deal.  My best friend there is Japanese, so she has a hard time communicating too, I think that makes her more understanding about my communication issues.  But, the trip isn’t going to happen.  (again, more of that later.)

I’ve been feeling like I couldn’t post a lot of things lately.  Things that have really been weighing heavily on me. (like not knowing how to be a friend….I don’t want to be just the “sick friend” people tolerate.  If I’m your friend, I want to be more than that.  And right now, I don’t know how.  I can still listen and try to give advice (if you are willing to “talk” with me by writing.)  But it does seem to take a lot of the personalization out of the situation and I know that’s hard.  I realize how hard these things are for my friends, but I wonder how many know how hard it is for me.

They have their busy lives…I get to watch the world go by without really being able to join in…they can work, exercise, have children, go to dinner parties, go shopping….things normal people do.  I can’t.  And it hurts…down deep inside…that I just can’t.  I don’t fit in.  And I don’t want to be pitied.

Oh, and our house is only 4 years old, and we have to get a new toilet.  For the master bathroom.  They said it would be cheaper than fixing it.  It broke where the tank and the seat are connected.  So one night I went downstairs, and found water everywhere.  So I’m worried about possible mold problems.  I’m being shrugged off about it.  Just put a little Kilz on it….on the ceiling downstairs, yes…but what about between the upstairs floor and the ceiling downstairs?  We had to move from a rented house once because of mold…I don’t want that to happen with this house.

Another straw landed on this Camel’s back today….I think I heard it snap!

Stuart was told his job will end in one month.  They’ve decided they can’t afford him.  *sigh*

He has an interview tomorrow.  But this breaks my heart.  I feel like he will feel he has to take the first thing he finds that pays anywhere near enough, just so we can survive.  I can’t help.  I can’t do anything to bring in some income.  I really want to do something.

This sucks.

But surely, it will get better from here.

Things have to go up from here.

I feel like I’m one of those old cartoons that have been flattened by an anvil…..now just peel me up and pop me out…and things will be better!!

Oh heck, we’ve been through a lot, we’ll get through this.

Life is changing again.

Perhaps it’ll be fun.

Company Coming! Excitement and Worry all rolled up.

On By WendyIn Disability, Gluten-Free, Hip pain, Life, PainLeave a comment

Tonight one of my very best friends and her husband will be coming for a visit.  Not only is Kym a great friend, she was once my roommate, and my maid of honor. (Which I think was a great honor considering I only had one attendant.)

During our wedding ceremony. (l-r) Kym, Wendy, Stuart

I haven’t seen Kym and Camden since their wedding 4 years ago.  Unfortunately, we live on opposite sides of the US, about 3,000 miles apart.  They live in San Francisco, CA, we live in Durham, NC.  So, of course, I’m VERY EXCITED!  However…

I’m also a bit worried.  Kym and Camden are very energetic people, they love to site see and just go, go, go.  Well, the go, go, go is a little hard for me.

Let me explain with a little side note:  Yesterday I was telling Stuart how much I hate it when a doctor asks me to rate my pain on a number scale,  0 being no pain and 10 being pain that sends you to the ER.  I think the amount of pain it would take to send me to the hospital (someone who absolutely HATES to go to the ER) a lot different than someone else (who doesn’t mind going at all).  I told him that the scale should be 0 for no pain and 10 for when I pass out from the pain, and I really think they should tell you what 5 would represent.  Stuart said he was glad that he hasn’t been in pain that often.  Once when he broke his arm, and when he had to have surgery on his knee…but not much.  I confessed that I can’t remember a day that I haven’t been in some amount of pain.

Now I guess you can understand why I’m a bit worried.  I really want to show my friends a good time, and do things with them, but I’ve been in a lot a pain lately.   I know they’ll understand, and wouldn’t dare think of me being in pain so I can do something with them.  However, I don’t want them to be bored.  And I really WANT to do things.  *sigh*

I’m still having trouble with my arm with pain and tingling, my wrist with carpel tunnel, my hip is still giving me trouble, and I can’t seem to walk very far without pain in my feet, calves, and knees.  I feel so old.  I feel like I can’t do much at all before I get so tired (or hurt too much) and have to sit down and rest.  Every night I’ve been taking a hot bath before bed, it seems to help dull the pain, especially in my legs and hips, so I can go to sleep.

I keep waking up in a lot a pain, and I feel exhausted.  I wonder if I’m hurting so much while I’m sleeping that I don’t sleep deep enough to rest?

I’ve been baking today, and I’m exhausted.  I was trying to make gluten free hot dog buns.  After 3 tries, I gave up.  So no buns for the cook-out tomorrow.

They’ll be here in about 3 hours.  Think I might take a nap.

Orthopedist Appointment – Ouch!

On By WendyIn Hip pain, Medical Tests, Pain4 Comments

Today I had a follow up appointment with my Orthopedist about my hip.

This shows where part of my pain is located. (image courtesy of http://www.cartage.org.lb)

Last night I was in the kitchen and turned from the sink to the counter behind me and my hip popped and hurt.  It hurt for most of the night.  (one of the reasons I had a hard time going to sleep).  This was good information for the doctor.  He took this information and then moved my hip all around, causing a lot of pain.  He came to the conclusion that my psoas may be need to be “clipped”.  (My husband reminded me that the doctor said that he would “release” it.  I remember hearing both terms being used, but perhaps “releasing” is more descriptive of what he’s actually talking about.)   His office is getting a new ultrasound machine, hopefully, next week.  He wants to look at my hip under a live ultrasound to see what it’s doing.  Perhaps we will be closer to getting some answers.

While I was there I decided to ask him about all of the pain I’ve been having in my shoulder, neck, down my arm….and my hand is asleep every time I wake up in the morning.  This has been bothering me much more than my hip lately.

My doctor examined me.  He moved my arm all around, had me push this way and that, and heard the crunching in my shoulder.

He said I have some trouble with my rotator cuff.  He also said mentioned that I have some carpel tunnel troubles.  (I knew that.)  He said that my hand shouldn’t be going to sleep because of my rotator cuff, unless it is very inflamed.  He said it was probably the carpel tunnel, but I mentioned that it doesn’t get better when I where my wrist brace.  So…we just don’t know yet.  He said I need to strengthen my rotator cuff first, and we’ll go from there.

On a better note, my ear isn’t hurting any more, and I haven’t been dizzy any more.  Yay!!

Lately my blog has been having some problems.

I don’t know what happened to my Theme on my blog, but it just wasn’t showing up right.  Some technical difficulties, I guess.  So I tried to fix it, and well, I lost everything that I had in my right sidebar.  I’m trying to fix it up, but bear with me.  Please.

image courtesy of butnowwhat.com

I’m pleased to announce that coming up next on Picnic With Ants

Maureen from Sunshine and Chaos writes about living in limbo!

Stay tuned!!

Feeling Better and Worse

On By WendyIn Hip pain, Life, Meniere's Disease8 Comments
The Dance, by Wendy Holcombe

Great News, the Meniere’s is still staying calm!  Virtually no symptoms!  Yes, I feel like Dancing!!  Since I’ve been feeling better I’ve been doing much more.  On Saturday we went to the new outlet mall that recently opened not too far from us.  Actually, it was farther than I thought, but we made it.  After that long ride, we walked around for a long time.  Then we left there, got some lunch, and went to the grocery store.  Next, we stopped at the library to pick up a few books I had on hold.  Finally, we headed home.  I went upstairs to get in more comfy clothes, and saw a print out for an exercise routine that I got off of Faith, Hope, and Fighting Spirit’s Blog. I decided, to try it out.  Whew! for someone who hasn’t been exercising, it was intense.  Really, it wasn’t so bad, but it calls for many push-ups and I’m really not good at doing push-ups.  I am very proud that I got through the whole Total Core Pyramid, and I only skipped a few push-ups.  I rested for a while, then made dinner and a friend came over and we watched movies.

What a busy day!

After all of that my hip was hurting so much!  It popped and everyone heard it!  Ouch!  I guess I haven’t been having hip troubles, simply because I haven’t been doing much.  When I went to bed my shoulder was hurting so bad after all those push-ups I couldn’t get comfortable.  I finally decided to take a pain pill, and it helped.  (I took a total of 3 hydrocodone yesterday.  The first because I had a headache, the second because of my hip, and the third because of my shoulder.)  I don’t think it’s a good thing that I have to take pain pills to get through an active day.

I don’t want to have surgery on my hip again, so I’m going to try to build it up with light exercise, working out in the pool, and having massages.  I’m hoping to be able to start going to the pool next week.

My husband is starting a new job on March 16th.  He will be working as a contract employee for the first 3 months, then he will be full-time.  It’s an exciting and nervous time.  This is a much more stable company, and it has better insurance.  Of course he won’t have this insurance for the 3 months he is a contract employee, and for the first 30 days after he is full-time, but we will still be on his old company’s insurance, we just have to pay for it.  He will still be able to work at home, with great flex time.   I just hope he will end up loving what he’s doing!  It’s very hard to have a job that you hate, no matter how good the benefits.

To Sum Up:

  • Meniere’s is doing great.
  • I’m being much more active.
  • Hip is not doing so great.
  • Hubby has a new job.

Oh, by the way, I’m looking forward to my appointment with Dr. Kaylie on the 14th.  I’ll  be getting a hearing test and we’ll find out just how much better I really am.

What’s Up with Wendy

On By WendyIn Hip pain, Life, Medical Tests2 Comments
Cherry Trees are blooming in NC

It’s beginning to look a lot like…Spring!  The cherry trees are blooming.  The grass is starting to have little green spots.  The weather is crazy; one day it’s hot, the next day it’s cold.  Spring is trying to…well..spring!  It’s an exciting time, watching life begin.  We are busy planning our garden, it’s so nice to think that this year I will be able to have a garden.  This is the third year we’ve been in this house, and I really wanted to have a garden, but this is the first time I thought I might actually be able to take care of one!

I’m so excited about how well I’ve been feeling.  I’ve been busy, busy, busy doing things I haven’t been able to do in so long.  I know it probably sounds crazy, but I’m so excited about being able to clean!  Yes, I scrubbed our bathroom and was just so happy!  I’ve been doing laundry!  We have a front loading washer and dryer and before I couldn’t load and unload them without getting dizzy, so doing laundry is just so exciting.

I’m sure I won’t be as excited about doing house work for long, but right now I’m just so happy.

I’m also excited about something else.  I haven’t had diarrhea in over a week now!  I don’t know what has changed, but I’m so very happy.  Now if I could just take off this weight!  Hopefully, now that I can move more the weight will start to come off.  I sure hope so.

One unfortunate thing about moving more, my hip is starting to really bother me again.  I’m hoping to start going to the pool and working with it.  I don’t know if it will work, but it has before.  If not, I guess I’ll have to start considering surgery.  But not until I’ve exhausted every other option!

Right now I’m doing the last Breath Test.  Today is the fructose test.  The stuff I had to drink was so sweet, I still have a sickly sweet taste in my mouth.  I’m so hungry, I haven’t had anything to eat since about 8:30pm last night.  Just 2 more hours to go, and I’ll be finished!  I’m looking forward to finding out what these tests show.  I doubt it will show anything, as usual, but at least I will know.  : )  I’ll let you know next week!