MRA

I had my MRA yesterday. It went..ok..



I arrived EARLY! Honestly I was surprised I found it so easily. If you know me personally, you know that I'm not the greatest with directions... I mean seriously, I get lost in parking lots... I filled out all my paperwork and then got the text from Wifey's Hubby that BabyGirl was born. I got teary-eyed. I really wanted to be there :(



After filling out the paper work, I sat and waited for a little while. Then the tech came and got me and brought me next door to the hospital. I had to get the injection at the hospital. So she had me verify more stuff and I sat and waited for the tech to get me again.



A student came and got me and said I just needed to undress from the waist down. That wasn't too bad! But he was impatient. He was like, are you ok in there? Dude, can you seriously give me a few minutes? Obviously if you don't already know why I'm here, I'm having hip problems. Give me some time to take off my pants.



Then we went into the room they were going to do the procedure in. They hadn't set up so they got out all their little tools and what not. Then they had me lie down on the table and wait for the doctor to come in.

The doctor came in and he was VERY nice. He listened to me and he knew all about FAI and labral tears and everything. I really liked him. He joked here and there while he was doing it. It didn't hurt too badly, but honestly, my emotions got the better of me and I started crying. It was finally getting to me that I am going through this AGAIN! He kept asking if I was ok, and all I could do was nod. I told him when it felt like my joint was really tight and he stopped injecting. He didn't even hit my bone. I wish I could have him every time!



I got dressed and walked back over to the MRI building and was still kinda crying. The tech asked if I needed anything and I shook my head no. So she put me in the dressing room and told me to come out when I was ready. I tried to make myself look a tiny bit more composed... I put eye drops in and took a few deep breaths.



I walked out to the MRI and they strapped me onto the table. They gave me ear plugs, and it made me sad. They didn't have music in this MRI like they did at the other place. They loaded me in and I closed my eyes and just tried to clear my mind. I got teary a few more times but by the time I was out I was feeling ok. I got dressed and then I called Sweetie to let him know I was done. We went out to lunch and then off to see Wifey's beautiful BabyGirl!



Then (yes there's more) I was supposed to have an appointment with Lazzarini to go over my MRA. But SOMEONE decided to go to freaking surgery instead of looking at my beautiful face and telling me about my dumb MRA. So later this morning I had the bright idea of having my Supervisor call and get the report so I could at least see what the radiologist said. I went to lunch and when I got back the report was there. I read it and it says that I have a 1cm tear in my labrum.



I just don't know what to do anymore. I mean seriously. He was supposed have fixed me. I have a few questions now for him. This is ridiculous. I want to know if this tear is in the same spot. Did he miss it? When did it happen? Why did it happen post-op if it did, I mean he took care of the FAI! (or so he says...)



I'm not sure if I should have called and gotten the report like I had my Supervisor do...but now I'm goint to have a lot to google over the weekend so I can bombard him with questions. UGH! But BabyGirl made it all better last night when I saw her :)

Wifey's BabyGirl!

Wifey had her beautiful BabyGirl! I got the honor of seeing her last night! She was born at 9:24 am. She weighed in at 6 lbs 15.2 oz and was 20" long. I see a lot of babies, and maybe I'm biased, but she was one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen! Her blonde hair is too cute and her coloring was amazing! I told wifey that I was gonna be bad about them testing her for jaundice if she looked yellow to me, but she didn't ONE BIT!

Tagged?!

So, a friend of mine tagged me in her blog to do a photo post. I thought it would be fun, so here we go!


Rules?


1. Go to your pictures file.


2. Go to the 4th file.


3. Go to the 4th picture.


4. Post it and tell the story.


5. Tag 4 more people. (k.. I can't do 5... The people I'd tag have already done it! LOL








This picture is from my Disney trip with Wifey (big surprise) for my birthday last year! I was on the phone with someone I didn't really wanna talk to...lol








I'll show you some more from the trip too! :D





Yay for Birthdays at the Blue Bayou!!











One of my fav pics with Wifey was taken during this trip! Our eyes just POP!








On Splash Mountain!








On Tower of Terror! My fav ride in the CA park... This picture was a "retake"... The first time Wifey had her foot out and they deleted the picture...lol So we rode it again...

You've Been Thinking About Something Too Much When...

...When you start having dreams about it!!

I had a dream last night about my MRA. I finally got it scheduled. It will be done on the 25th... Which is when Wifey is having her baby :/ BUT I will definitely be there after! I'll make Sweetie drive. hehe

SO, my dream. I had gotten the MRA done, and it went off without a hitch. He didn't hit my bone this time. (hopefully that will at least come true!) So I went in to my appointment with Lazzarini and he was looking at the MRI. He pointed out a part that looked really funny. He said a piece of the titanium anchor he put in my hip had come off and jetted out and that's what my pain was coming from. In my dream, he was very unsure of himself and if we should even go in to do more surgery. And I was like, Just tell me what is best, but in all honesty I'll punch you in the face if we have to have surgery again. And he was all nervous and unsure of what to do since he couldn't fix me the first time. It was very reassuring...NOT!

Honestly, I don't know where that idea came from.
1. I don't think the anchor he put in could break apart, and I don't even know if it's titanium or not!
2. He is SO not nervous and SO sure of himself.

I have a week till my MRA. They told me yesterday I can't take any anti-inflammatory drugs :( That REALLY REALLY sucks because Tylenol does CRAP for me! I haven't had to take anything yet today, but I ALMOST forgot and took Motrin at work...OOPS!

I personally think that if anything is wrong is that my labrum didn't heal correctly and/or I have another labral tear. So we'll know in about 8 days... Any bets?!

Now You See it...Now You Don't!

So I called this morning to schedule my MRA. I was very excited I could have it next week. I don't want to have to wait any longer than necessary! So she said she was going to get the authorization from my insurance and give me a call back.

Well, she's a quick worker! She got the auth in a couple hours and called me back. I answered all the same questions. Basically they want to know if I have any metal foreign bodies in me that would affect the MRI. Which, I don't. I just have a couple piercings and I'll take those out prior to going on. It was scheduled for 10:15 am on 11/19. I was happy.

Then I noticed while I was with a patient, I was getting a call. I couldn't take it, so I let it go to voice mail. When I got out of the room, sure enough, it was her calling me back again. So I listened to the voicemail. Apparently the surgical center they would do the arthrogram at isn't contracted with my insurance. So now she's frantically trying to get me in some place where everyone takes my insurance. Since I have been working, I opted to take their insurance, Blue Cross. I knew my surgeon wasn't covered, but they were working on it. I mean come on people, Blue Cross is a huge insurance! Why can't you be nice and take it!?

I finally got her on the phone and they are trying to find a place that does MRI Arthrograms... So I'm going to call and see if I can find a place. Honestly it shouldn't be that hard...Right!?

Round 2 Put on Hold...

So my appointment with Lazzarini was supposed to be yesterday. But in true Lazz fashion, he rescheduled it. Big surprise. SO I had to miss work to go see him this afternoon. My appointment was at 2:45. I got there right about 2:45 and I signed in and gave them my new insurance card, paid my copay and sat down to be called back.

I sat there texting Sweetie and Wifey some while I was waiting. Big surprise, waiting... So I finally get called back into a room and of course I get to put on my favorite blue shorts!



Then I got to wait again... I waited a total of about an hour. I was seen at approx 3:45. I would have complained, but a little kid walked in crying with his arm in a sling. So I think he casted him first.

So Lazzarini walks in and says, "How dare you still be in pain?!" (jokingly). I laughed and told him I didn't want to be. So we talked a little bit about how I think it's improved but not. He talked about sending me home with home exercises. Then I would come back in early December and if it hadn't improved do another MRA.

After that he had me lie down on the table and he rolled my leg, like you would roll dough out. And he asked how it felt. I told him I could feel it kinda catching on something. So he took his hand and pressed it into my hip and rolled my leg back and forth again. Then he got up and left the room.. I was like ...? OK... So he came back in with a stethoscope and placed it on my hip and rolled my leg slowly. He said he could hear it and would like to get the MRA done now. THEN he springs on me that he's leaving in December because he's going to be some assistant professor in New York.. UGH! But at least the surgeon who will be taking over my case assisted on my last surgery. He also said that he will still have guest privileges at the hospital so he may be able to come back. That would be nice.

So he shakes my hand and tells me I know the drill (meaning I know how they schedule the MRA, etc.) and leaves. I had to hold back tears. I was hoping he would tell me that everything is still normal. I was really glad when I heard him say at first that home exercises may help. Stupid catching... When I got to the car, I have to admit I started to cry. I just feel for as much time and money that I've invested into this that it should be fixed. But working in the medical field, I know that some things just aren't always fixed 100% the first time. Looks like I can get my MRA done next wednesday. I'll call tomorrow morning to confirm it.

I know that this is all in God's hands, and it's God's plan. It's still hard though when things don't go the way that YOU think that they should. I know that there is a silver lining somewhere, I'll find it :)

Counting Down the Days!

Seems like I've been counting down the days to a lot of things lately...

1. Wifey giving birth! I can't wait to see the new addition to wifey's family! I'm so flipping excited you do not EVEN know! It should happen pretty much any day now! EEK!

2. Appointment with Lazzarini. I get to go complain to him more. I'm 28 weeks post op tomorrow. I still have pain, especially when I'm driving. I pop a lot. I don't have a very good range of motion. It scares me that I might have another labral tear. Wifey thinks (and I greatly appreciate her input) that I should go with a steroid injection if he offers it to see if it alleviates the pain for a while. I just want to be fixed. I have spent so much money on this that I just think for the amount I've spent and for what he offered, I should get it. I'm thinking he'll want to do another MRA...so we'll see. Pray!

3. TWILIGHT MOVIE!! I'm SOOO excited for the Twilight movie! I've already have it all lined up to see it twice...Wifey and a group of our friends are going opening night, and Dolly wants to go see it that weekend.

4. NEW COMPUTER!!! YES! I FINALLY ORDERED A NEW COMPUTER! Yeah, that's right. I ordered it. Working with Sutter Health, I get a discount on Dell computers. I've heard some good things about them recently. They aren't the crap they once were. AND they offer good, long warranties. Which I NEED! If you know me personally, you know that I break electronics...hehe... So it should be here the week of Thanksgiving if not sooner!!

5. Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving. This year it's on Mom's birthday! Luckily Dad takes care of the turkey, so she just has to take care of the fixings. Then I, with some help from my sisters (sometimes), do the dishes.

6. CHRISTMAS!! I seriously love Christmas. It's the time of year I get to celebrate my Savior's birth and remember that all great things start out small! What a wonderful God I have to give me such a gift! We get to spend time with our families and loved ones, and of course SHOP! Who could ask for anything more!?

Cookies in the Oven!

I'm in the process of baking cookies for tomorrow's potluck at work. I would rather bake than cook any day. While they're in the oven, I thought I'd give an update about how my day went.

We were a lot slower than yesterday, which was welcomed with open arms by both Doc and myself! I got caught up on some paper work which as some of you know is one of my favorite things to do (not); however, it was much needed. We got free lunch today. That is one nice (yet bad) thing about working for a big group: reps bring in lunch. Why is it bad? Well, often times it's stuff that's high-cal and just not as healthy as one would like! I have eaten more since I started working here than when Doc would buy me lunch! We had panera today, which wasn't bad.

After lunch, Doc and I met with the Big-Wigs at the big pediatric hospital in the area. It went well I think. We told them which specialists we needed closer out here. They have a clinic about 45 minutes from us, but it's still half way between their main hospital! They weren't too optimistic about the wait times for their developmental peds, neurologists, and psychiatrists... However, it gives us closer options! After our meeting, Doc made a round trip our area to show them all the different pediatric groups in the area that could potentially give them referrals, in hopes to woo them.

The afternoon was also quiet for us. It's almost Halloween, one of the biggest kid holidays, so no kid wants to admit they're sick and no parent wants to be the bad guy who takes them to the doctor and finds out they can't go out trick or treating! I would expect it to not be busy tomorrow, or at least I hope it isn't!

I'm hurting pretty bad today in both hips. I sat quite a bit today. Normally I'm up and down walking around. That's one of the cons about being slow... Tomorrow I'm going to check with my supervisor as to which day would be the best to take off for my appointment. I'm thinking Wednesday since Doctor J is off and his MA used to work with Doc and I. She knows how he likes things. So I'll probably take off the early that day.

I talked to one of the office managers at Lazzarini's re: my insurance. She was pretty helpful. Hopefully I can get them to take most of what I would normally pay out of pocket for an in-network provider. Sadly the new insurance I have to take, they aren't contracted with. UGH! But I know I just need to keep focusing on God and He will lead me through this mess, like He has since the beginning.

Big Meeting

So, Doc has a big meeting tomorrow with a big hospital about getting more pediatric specialists out here. Here, in the boonies (as we call it), we are at a loss with pedi specialists. We have some specialists, but with the more "in-demand" ones such as neurology, developmental pediatrics, and things such as those it's a really long wait. It's really hard to watch parents be frustrated with how long it takes to get into see a doctor so they can begin to try to figure out what's wrong with their child.

AND he asked me to sit in. I'm not exactly sure what it all entails, except that I know more than he does about the kinds of waits our patients are having to wait, the distances that they have to travel to see someone, and the problems that we have with getting what specialists that are relitively nearby covered by insurance...UGH!! It should be interesting to say the least.

Hip? What? Did you say something? Ignore? What? Psh..No...Ok maybe yes. I have been kinda ignoring my hip.......when it allows. Yes, I know it's bad. But I'm going to ignore it like I did for 4 years before until I get an appointment with Lazzarini. No, I haven't scheduled it. I have to figure out which day of the week I can schedule it. Stupid work.

On the bright side, I BOUGHT MY TWILIGHT TICKET! So I'm excited. Very, very excited. YAY! So on that note, I am going to go to go. And soon, very soon I will have a computer again.. YAY!

Oops..

So, it's been awhile.. Again... I am still without a computer, so that makes me sad. I need to make more time to update everyone...

So, in 3 days I will be officially 6 months post op... I keep thinking that in 3 days I will be all magically better that the surgery really did work... I have a feeling though that it won't be like that... I was supposed to call and get my MRI done, but I had decided to wait until I was sure that I could go through with the surgery.. So I think the first week of November I will make an appointment to see Lazzarini.

Other than that, not much has been going on. Wifey is getting ever so much closer to the baby being born. I know that she just wants it to be all over. I'm excited, and so is the rest of her family.

Lately, work has been going well. There was some issues with insurance, but me being as proactive as I am, helped fix the problem. We're getting busier and busier as the cold and flu season starts up, which is good!

Sweetie has decided that he will quit his job and go back to school for the Winter semester. So he's excited (for now). I wish I could do that...but I still have hip stuff that I need to work out before I can go back. It makes me pretty sad actually. I just want to get this over with so that I can go and get on with my life. For now, I will continue to enjoy life and will update after I go see Lazzarini....

If You Didn't Know...Now You Do!

I can be lazy...Yes. I'm talking about me. haha. Most of those who know me in real life know that I can be extremely lazy. And let me just say, that I deserve it (sometimes)!



It's also been harder to find time to blog as I am still sans a computer. My mom has started up taking her part-time classes again and uses her computer more often, which shifts Jewels to the computer in the kitchen, which is the computer that I normally go on when I find a spare moment here and there.

Work has been getting busier lately. So that means more running around. So that means more stress on my hip. Honestly, I'm starting to get a little worried. He made it seem like it should be perfect around the 6 month mark. I'm about 6wks away from that. Which is a really short period of time!

So last night Bestie and I went to the gym. I went for a swim. It felt nice, and I think that I need to just stretch it out more. SO I'm gonna pick back up the stretches that the PT had me doing and do some swimming and walking on the treadmill and possibly some stationary cycling and hopefully that will help. I want to be perfect by October 25!! He said if it's not better, he'd consider going back in...Which I'd like to avoid! I mean, what sane person wouldn't?!

Other than that life has been pretty boring. It seems all I do is work, and then crash on the weekends! Sweetie and I go out and see movies here and there, but other than that I'm, well, lazy!

DING DING! Time for round two!

So I saw Lazzarini today. It was my 16 wk post op appointment. But I'm really 17 weeks..almost 18 weeks. I thought I was a week behind not long ago...So I went to work this morning and got some organizational stuff done with Doc. I clocked out at 12:40 for lunch so that I could make my 1:00 appointment. I got there a few minute early and registered, paid my copay, and waited to be called.

Now, I'm used to Lazzarini gracing me with his presence a little bit later than normal. He's fashionably late. So it's about 1:20, and the Medical Assistant comes in and says that he's STILL running behind and he's on his way from the hospital and asked if there was anything "wrong". So I told her about the stabbing pain in the side of my hip from time to time. They decided to x-ray me again.

FINALLY he comes in at 2:00.. At this point, I'm already 20 minutes late to clock-in! So he apologized and notice my tan?! lol.. I didn't think it was THAT noticable, but I was like, "what else can you do but lie in the sun all day when you're on disability!?" He laughed and examined me. He told me that he felt as though my hip was still a little inflammed and that it was normal. He could give me a shot for it, but I opted out. I'm not a fan of those anti-inflammatory shots.

I asked him about my left hip, and told him it doesn't hurt AS much, but it does after long periods of time. SO we he ordered another MRI and they'll call and schedule that for me... Maybe I can do it on a Friday and leave work early...hehe

So for now, I will keep doing what I'm doing. He said I can return to normal activies lightly. So that means I can finally do whatever I want!! EEEK! I wanna go ice skating...who's coming with me?!

16 weeks Post Op!

I have made it 16 weeks post op!! It's hard to believe sometimes that I've actually had hip surgery, let alone it happened 16 weeks ago! I've definitely had my share of up and downs throughout this process. I never knew what to expect throughout this process. Of course some of it has been what I expected...and some way not! I was thinking about my expectations...

1. Lots and lots of pain right after surgery.
No, that didn't happen. When they woke me up from surgery and asked me my pain level, they were surprised when I said a 2.

2. The medicine would work well.
No, it didn't. It kinda helped the pain when it got a little bad, but I only took the good stuff (percocet) for a day and a half. I ended up throwing it all up on day two...

3. I would be on crutches for up to 12 weeks!
Turned out I was only on crutches for 6 weeks, so that was a nice improvement!

4. I was going to be bored out of my mind.
Actually, I found quite a bit to do. I finished a quilt and am giving it to wifey. I watched a lot of TV and texted A LOT! I had over 10k texts sent/received.

5. I wouldn't go to Disneyland for a while...
Psh, like hip surgery would really stop an addict like me! I went when I was freshly 6 weeks post op!

6. It would be an easy recovery
Well, it pretty much has been...but it's been a LONG recovery!

I think some of my healing expectations were way different than reality because we didn't know I had a torn labrum, which has a pretty long total recovery time. All in all, I would definitely do it again...and I am... I have another post op appt on 8/28 and I'm going to talk to him about doing my left hip. Some times, when I walk, it feels like something is "catching" on the inside. It's hard to describe. I hope he gets it...lol

As for now, I will continue to be a good girl and heal, and not complain too much :)

Burnt and Broken

BURNT
So, Sweetie and I went to the beach yesterday. I brought sunblock and failed to put it on (typical me). As you can see to the right, I'm a white girl...haha So we had a good time lying on the beach and looking for sea glass for a good 4 hours. I thought I wouldn't burn as easily since I had been working on a base tan. But sadly enough it was not not as substantial as I thought it may have been. I got pretty red. So did Sweetie, I feel really bad about that! :(

It feels nice to walk in the sand (or rocks when looking for sea glass). I feel as though it's good streching and strengthening for my hip. Toward the end, I was getting a little sore. But I woke up this morning just fine! AND I can FINALLY sleep how I used to. On my stomach, with my right knee bent to the side. BUT I've gotten used to sleeping the other way! lol so I'm sure I'll be whining again when I get my other hip done that I can't sleep how I want to again...lol

So then we left the dreaded beach and went to go see Tropic Thunder. He had seen it the night before and thought it was so funny that he wanted to take me to see it. I have to admit, it was really funny. So if you are looking for a good laugh I recommend Tropic Thunder or Pineapple Express (which we saw last week). We see a lot of movies. Wifey made the comment last night that watching movies is pretty much all we do. And it's pretty much all I CAN do at the moment. I want to try bowling soon, and no one will take me ice skating. They're too afraid for me...hehe

Broken
So the other night I went to turn on my computer and realized it wasn't turning on. It was plugged in and had been plugged in all day. All it does when you press the on button is flash on for a few seconds and then flash off. You don't hear the harddrive "thinking" or the fan turning on. It's awful! :( Luckily my Uncle M used to work on computers. So while Sweetie and I were getting charred yesterday, Uncle M took a look at my poor machine. He thinks it's some connector in the motherboard. Meaning, a new motherboard all together.

This is why I always need to buy the product replacement plans on my electronics. I always end up breaking them. The last 2 years, I've gone through 8 phones. Yes, EIGHT phones! Luckily, I had the insurance on my phones so I only had to pay 2 replacement fees. I suppose I'm a little too hard on my equipment. They should let me test things to see how they hold up...lol

So I decided so far, I'm not going to fix my computer. A new motherboard is around $150. I recently bought an external hard drive to put all of my music and pictures and files on and loaded it up a few weeks ago. I would be more inclined to fix my computer if I actually had stuff on it. For now, I will use one of my parents' computers. I would really like to wait and get a Mac! But for those of you who know me, know how impatient I am...

Fairfield? Vacaville? Isn't it all the same?!

SO I apparently, always get Fairfield and Vacaville mixed up. Don't ask me why. I don't live there. I don't really care. But I know Sutter Regional Medical Foundation has headquarters in both cities. So yeah. I had to do orientation today...In Fairfield but I thought it was Vacaville. So I had to wake up at FIVE in the morning so I could be ready to leave by 6 to get there by 8. Yeah, that didn't work well. I woke up around 5:20 and left around 6:20... At least I got there at 7:30! I thought traffic was going to be worse, but it wasn't! It would have been nice though, if they had told me which building and room to go to. I had to wander around lost. I finally got there though, only a couple minutes late.

It was your regular orientation. But we got to meet the CEO and a couple other big wigs at the Foundation. They were talking about where to park, and I couldn't help but laugh. They said all employees, even guests from other campuses, should park along the outter rim. YEAH FREAKING RIGHT! I used my handicap status. I can't walk that far especially when 1. I was hurting already (which I'll explain why) and 2. I would be sitting all day. Other than that it was your basic orientation. Nothing too exciting.

But last night I was massaging my hip because it makes it feel better and I felt something weird! So I feel around more and it's like a little ball off to the side. I made Mom feel it. And she thought it felt weird. It doesn't hurt when I press it, but after I've been pressing it a bit, it hurts. Yes, I know, then don't do that! lol Sweetie said I should go to the doctor. His answer for everything. Which cracks me up because he NEVER goes to the doctor! And I told Wifey about it today and she thought it could be scar tissue or calcium build up. Two very good possibilities. However, since it doesn't hurt actively when I press down on it, I'm not paying a co-pay just to have him tell me not to worry about it. I go in on the 28th and I'll ask him then.

Also while I'm there, I'm going to mention that my left hip has been like, having this popping out feeling when I walk. Kinda like it's loose in the joint or something. It's really hard to explain. He'll probably tell me it's normal with all the stress I've been putting on it (or so I'd like to think). It would be nice to get my next surgery done and over with, but honestly, I don't know if my right hip can handle it yet. Which makes me worry. It better be able to before the first of the year! I don't want to have to pay more deductibles!! :(

Other than that, it's back to work like usual tomorrow and then I will go to...Vacaville Thurs afternoon and all day Friday...Not looking forward to that one...

Good Week/Bad Week

Well. So far it's been a pretty good week. I can't complain too much! The past couple of weeks by Wednesday I wanted to either shoot myself in the head, or cut off my leg at the hip. This week, it doesn't seem to be as bad! I am 14.5 weeks post op. I can tell it's getting slightly better as I can stand with all my weight on my right leg for short periods of time. I am still having some problems with extension while walking and getting figety and uncomfortable during movies or long periods of time in the car. BUT! Let me tell you that it is a lot better! I can really see God healing me in all of this and I'm trying to prepare myself for the next hip surgery, which I'd like to possibly bring up on my appointment on the 21st.

Ok. It's also been a bad week. :( Wifey is at church camp and I am not! I couldn't get the time off because of the new job and it has been KILLING me not being able to text with her! One text made it through yesterday morning, but I haven't heard anything else. I'm keeping all of them in my prayers especially Wifey and hoping that she will have no-minimal contractions.

Other than that, things are well. Minimal hip pain and I'm excited to see Lazzarini the Thursday after next to talk about what kind of options we have to start treatment on the left hip...

The Price of Hip Arthroscopy to Fix Impingement and Labral Tear

Consultation with Lazzarini and x-rays: $ 401.00
Hip Fluroscopy (equipment/supplies): $ 2,447.00
MRI: $ 1,612.00
Fluroscopy Procedure: $ 815.00
Post MRI talk with Lazzarini: $ 127.00
Examination by Lazzarini: $ 97.00
Pre-op chest x-ray: $ 510.00
Pre-op labs: $ 370.00
Lazzarini's Assistant Operative Fee: $ 916.00
Lazzarini's Fee: $ 4,584.00
Anesthisologist Fee: $ 1,260.00
John Muir Medical Center: $ 46,808.00
Radiologist: $ 45.00
Post Op Check-up: $ 75.00
5 Sessions of Phys Therapy: $ 1,126.00

Grand Total: $ 61,193.00

It made me think this morning, while I was fighting with John Muir Medical Center about my bill and a $790 orthopaedic shoe that I never received, how much has my right hip cost me this past year?? So, I decided to look up all my claims online and add everything up. My insurance, of course, has paid for a good majority of it. I can't even imagine not having insurance at this point. I don't have the best insurance, but thank God I do have something!

Luckily, I've met all of my out-of-pocket costs (that I'm aware of). So this next surgery, I shouldn't have to pay a dime!

God's Always Working

It's always nice to see that God is taking care of me. Through all this I knew that He lead me to the right surgeon to give me the correct diagnosis. Lazzarini has been wonderful through this whole process basically giving me what I want, with in reason, of course!

But God also gave me a wonderful anesthesiologist. I have to admit, I was quite worried about that. Insurance sucks. I've gone over that before... I was worried that my anesthesiologist wouldn't be covered... In my area, Blue Shield has NO contracted anesthesiologists! We were told that they would bill my insurance. The insurance would mail me a check for the non-contracted price. Then we would mail the check to them. They would send us a letter to send to Blue Shield saying that they were the only group in the area and that there are no contracted doctors. Then, hopefully, Blue Shield would take pity on us and send us another check for the rest of the amount that a contracted doctor would get. THEN we could send a letter saying that we had a hardship and they would consider writing off the rest.

So, we went through the first part. God answered our prayers and Blue Shield decided to send us the rest of the money that a contracted doctor would get. We were excited. Mom then wrote a letter (she's so good at that!) and sent it off to the anesthesiologist.

Recently we got a letter back saying that we owed NOTHING!! PRAISE GOD! He really does take care of His children. That's approx 400 less in medical bills I have! I just finished a thank you card for him and plan on sending a letter to my surgeon to see if he will write off anything. So I'll be praying for that as well! So keep that in your prayers for me as well! Anything will be better than nothing!

Hardly Noticed.

I was looking over some of my old posts, and I read my MRI one. I was looking at the silly pictures and looked at my wrist band. It's been more than a year since my diagnosis. It's kinda hard to comprehend. My memories are still so vivid. Still like they were yesterday, which is probably why I didn't really notice.

I remember my doctor's appointment, when he first found my FAI. I remember scheduling my MRI. I remember going, and being stuck in the freaking bone with a 6 inch (no lie) needle. UGH! I remember him telling me that he didn't see any labral tears on the MRI, just fraying (which turned out to be more). And that I could do the surgery whenever I wanted. I wish I would have scheduled it then. Before I started school and realized how bad it was.

Of course though, I remember my surgery the most. It's still the freshest in my mind. And I am reminded everytime I see the tiny pink scars on my thigh, still bumpy.

We all learn. I am so greatful though for the experience. God has really shown me how to trust Him even more. Honestly, you think you have it down after a while. And then He comes and shows you that, no, there is even more to trust Him in. He has brought me through my first surgery, and He will bring me through my second one. He has placed people in my life to help me get through this and I cannot thank Him, or them, enough. I stand in awe.

Psalm 25:1-3

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.

She Works Hard for Her Money!

Ugh. That I do! This week has definitely been interesting! The first couple of days were nicer. By Wednesday I was ready for a break! I didn't notice it when I woke up and went around the house getting ready, but when I walked out the door it hit me! My good bad hip (right) was hurting when I walked; obviously not as bad as it had been but it was still sore. AND I think my bad good hip (left) had definitely HAD IT with all this extra stress. It was popping out of socket, or so it felt, when I walked. Something was popping out.

But, it was relively easy. Doc was working in the other office half of the day, so I didn't have to do much. Which was also kinda bad. I still get a little uncomfortable when I sit for long periods of time. But I have to admit, it was nice being in the office when no other doctors at all were in! The phones were quieter and not as many people were showing up. Just the occasional, oops my appointment was in the other office?!

Wednesday afternoon was another story. Doc was back in the office and I doubled as a front office person AND his medical assistant. That was interesting. We had a good amount of patient that afternoon and I was STILL hurting. But we got through it. I was really over it by the time work had finished.

Having Thursday off was a blessing! I dunno if I could have done it! I read most of the day. I've been reading the Twilight saga. Wifey got me into them and I cannot put them down! I started reading the first one Sunday night and have progessed to the third one tonight. So I read most of New Moon yesterday. Then I went with Bestie and PFC Pavon to lunch...a late lunch...thanks to the book! After that, my Sweetie and I saw The Dark Knight. It was pretty much amazing. That's all I can say, really.

Today, work wasn't too bad. I did front office the first half of the day, and back office the second half. We had an over abundance of physicals today! FOUR this afternoon alone! Which is really a lot! You can definitely tell when school is starting, everyone needs physicals like yesterday! School out here for two of the cities starts Monday. Sucks for those kids! All in all today went pretty quickly.

Now that I have the weekend to recover, I'm praying that next week will go smoother! We sit down and talk with Doc, the Office Manager, and Director about the hours that will be split between me and the other MA for Doc...I'll need all the prayer I can get for that one...It makes me nervous just thinking about it! I know though, all things considered, that God will take care of me in the end.

Not So Bad.

I left on time Monday. I prayed in the car on my way to work, as I usually do. It relaxes me before the day begins. Usually, before, I would pray for others more than myself. But, I have to admit, Monday I was a little more selfish. I didn't know what to expect. That morning I took some ibuprofen so that my hip would hopefully not bother me as much. But I still didn't know what to expect at all! They just told me to be there at 8:30.

Luckily, I don't live too far from the office. It's just a street over from where my old office was. However, I forgot that you can't enter the parkinglot from the street I normally take. And you really aren't supposed to make a U-turn at the light after. So I turned up another street to hit one of the main roads. I was a little on auto-pilot. I wasn't concentrating on my driving and I turned down the wrong street. It will take me the way I didn't want to go. So, I made the illegal U-turn at the light so I wouldn't be horribly late.

Doc heard my voice and came rushing down the hall to greet me. I have to admit, it was nice. There were five girls in the office that morning, not including myself, plus Doc and the OB that works there. There was the front desk lady, an intern, the Family Practice MA, the on-call MA, the OB MA, and the office manager. This was really something I will have to get used to. But they were all welcoming and very helpful. Then, after lunch, ANOTHER front office girl arrived! I don't think there is another man other than Doc and the FP doctor who works there!

The day wasn't too hard. We had FOUR no-shows! The OB had a couple no-shows too! The FP doctor was on vacation. It was actually kinda nice to settle on a quiet day. And the best thing was that my all-time favorite family was coming in later that day!! I was pretty stoked about that. The day was pretty normal. I gave my first set of shots that day in 12 weeks. I was a little shakey in putting on the bandages, I'll admit. Otherwise it was a breeze.

Their computer system is totally different though. It will definitately take some getting used to! It's more thorough than the old one. So they began traning me on that. Other than that it was pretty uneventful. Today was about the same. Liz came in today, and we had to get our pictures taken for our ID badges. At the new Antioch office, we won't be able to open doors without them. We trained more on the computers today, which I will also be doing tomorrow.

So my week thus far has been exhausting, but I haven't hurt too much. My bad good hip has been bugging me a little bit more lately. I think it's finally starting to get annoyed at all the extra stress I've put on it the past 12 weeks. My walking has improved greatly. My hip hardly hurts with extension. I keep saying that I'm going to get up early and exercise it some, but yeah, like that's gonna happen!

It's Official!

I start back to work on Monday, the 21st. I have to admit, I'm a little excited, and pretty nervous! Since merging with Sutter earlier this month, things will be a LOT different! All things considered, I think for all parties invovled, it was for the better. However, it's still a little scary going through something new! Lets go over why I'm nervous.

1. New place. It's a completely new office. And it's not going to just be me, Doc, another MA and someone at the front desk. It's going to be a few people at the front desk, at least two more doctors, both of whom I see, and more MAs!

2. Hours. While I'm getting more of an hourly wage than I expected (thank you, God), I don't know exactly HOW many hours I'll be getting. The other MA and I will be basically fighting for them. I believe, and Doc agrees, that I deserve the extra hours as she wouldn't even have a job if I hadn't gone back to school and gotten cut open in the first place. He said he will back me up, so we'll see how that goes. I know that God will take care of me all in all.

3. Corporation. We're not just a "mom and pop" stand anymore. We are under a pretty big corporation as far as Northern California is concerned. I won't be able to text (EEK!) while I'm on the job, and the rules will be more rigid all around. This should be fun. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but I was hoping it would last a little longer! I'll take this as preparing me for other jobs to come. I'm sure they'll be even more strict than here!

4. Hip. Yes, I'm kinda concerned about the whole hip thing. I know my bad good hip will be fine. It's been fine through this whole thing for the most part and will get its chance to be operated on soon. It's my good bad hip, the one I just got operated on. It's still a little tender here and there. I've been trying to stretch and work it as I can, but it's still nagging me. For now, all I can do is continue to heal and take care of myself. It's still normal. And that's what I have to keep telling myself.

And last, but certainly not least,

5. I'm not the Queen Anymore. This, I must admit, is going to take some getting used to. The office was my baby. I made it out of nothing. I nurtured it and kept it going. I made sure we were compliant in all things such as HIPAA and OSHA. I ran the schedule and whatever I said pretty much went. I knew that this would also end. I enjoyed pretty much being my own boss. And I think that this experience will make me strive to obtain a position (after much more schooling) so that I do make the rules again. Because, honestly, who doesn't like that?!

In all these things, I know that God will take care of me. He has put me in this place to learn and to grow and that's what I want and expect to do! Everyone has been most encouraging and Doc says he misses me. There comes a point when you work with someone that you know what they are thinking. Doc and I got to that point, he would start to ask for something and I would hand it to him. Or he would ask if something had been done and it had been done 5 minutes ago. I must admit, that while it's been wonderful being at home, it is nice to feel needed elsewhere.

Evening Swimming!

Finally over 11 weeks post op! One more week and he says I'm mostly healed, over the bulk of healing anyway. He says that it's actually 6-8 months for fully heal, so I have to wait that long about to have my next surgery. I'm just so happy to be as far as I am right now. I occaisionally hurt when I have a few days of too much walking, but it's not that bad.

I got into the pool tonight, it was still 83 degrees. Lately, I've been doing my pt exercises in the pool. And let me just tell you it feels SO GOOD to swim some laps! I need to get some of my muscle tone back...only to lose it again...lol

Other than that, I haven't done too much. I start work within the next couple of weeks. It should be interesting. New place and some new tasks. So this should be interesting...

Lets get Physical, Physical!

So today I had to drive to Vacaville to get a stupid physical for work. I woke up in enough time and got ready in enough time. I left a tad later than I hoped, but all was well. Except Mapquest told me to go a funky way. I should have had them switch it around, but I didn't.

My appointment was at 10:45 and I left at 9:45 which I thought would be more than enough time especially since the directions told me 48 minutes or something like that. So I figured I had a few minutes to get lost, since I ALWAYS get lost without fail in a new place.

Things went well until I got behind a slow truck and couldn't get around him. THEN I got stuck in 20, yes, TWENTY minutes of construction traffic. And of course I turned the wrong way down a street so I had to flip a U-Turn and go back. I FINALLY got there at 11:20. So I run up there and NO ONE is at the desk. They finally walk up 5ish minutes later. I had a TON of paperwork to fill out. So I did that and had to wait to be called back...

They called me back finally around noon. I did my drug screen and then she did a TB test that I have to get Doc to read it this Saturday, otherwise they were going to make me come back to get it AND back again to have someone read it! NO thank you! Then the doctor came in and he made me do all this balance stuff and it was funny. He made me balance for like 2 seconds and was like, you have wonderful balance.... DO YOU KNOW ME!? I have AWFUL balance since my surgery! lol So I got a kick out of that. Then I had to see the vampires at the lab so they could check my Hep B titers. My lab guy was nice and he did a REALLY good job! I barely felt a thing, but I think he pulled it out a little soon. He was like, "I dunno why it stopped, but since it's just one test it should be enough." WELL IT BETTER! I don't have a big problem with doing lab work, but it's still not fun.

After my whole physical experience was over, I went to the mall and picked up a few things. I watched a movie with a friend and then met another friend after that. I was pretty busy this evening! And BOY can I feel it! My hips HURT tonight! I'm so over it! Only one more surgery to go and hopefully I won't have torn the labrum in my left hip like I did my right! It would be less recovery time and hurting. He won't start doing pathology until a few more months...So that was my day!

Bills, Bills, Bills!

I love getting medical bills. Honestly. It's quite comical to see how much they want to squeeze out of you for doing almost nothing. If I didn't have insurance, I don't know how I could afford all this. Especially the physical therapy! I do most of the work there! Each physical therapy session is approximately 200ish dollars. The insurance pays approximately 70, and I pay approximately 30. Then they have to write off the rest.

Insurance companies really bug me. I mean REALLY! They're such a pain to get authorizations out of for work, to get paid, and to even TALK to a service rep sometimes! For as much as some people have to pay for premiums and copays (me) you would think they would pay more! BUT NO! They're raking in the billions of dollars every year on the backs of people like me!

Lets step off the soap box there for a bit. Other than receiving the ever so loved medical bills, I haven't done much. Bestie is in freaking Ohio visiting family and Wifey is not so close either. Monday I did have lunch with Panda, whom I don't see nearly as often as I'd like to. Tomorrow should be interesting. I get to have a physical for the new job I'm starting. I find it funny that I didn't need a physical to have major surgery, but I need one to work. Funny how things work out.

What?? Ten and a Half Weeks Post Op!?

Time flies when you're healing I suppose? Where oh where do I begin?

Ok. So I confronted my perfectionist surgeon about my squiggle suture. He admitted that I caught him. His assistant did it. UGH! But, he patted himself about on the back about what a great job he did. I wouldn't have it any other way though. A surgeon needs to be confident and full of himself in my opinion. I don't want a surgeon who is nervous. He needs to know that he can do the job right. Because honestly, I'd rather not go through this more than once per hip...

So he told me crutching for a total of 4 weeks and then walking with crutches for 2 more weeks. So that would mean 4 more weeks of crutches...But of course much to the dismay of the parents and close friends, I didn't use my crutches the last two weeks. Mostly just when I went out.

I saw him again at 6 weeks post op. He showed me my operative pics, which didn't print well, but they got the idea across. I'm still lazy and haven't scanned them in. I will eventually...

So the following week I went to my favorite place in the world... DISNEYLAND! I won a sneak preview for the new Toy Story ride. And of course, "wifey" accompanied me. Who else would I go with!? We had a blast...for the most part! The scooters we rented of course were a blast! I need to budget that into every trip. There were a couple slip ups here and there, but all in all it was ok.

After we got back...I started physical therapy... The first two sessions were actually pretty good. The next couple were NOT! Those people are slave drivers!! But I have to admit, it helped. So I'm glad I did it. Last week I went in because I was still having pain and I wasn't sure if that was normal and such. So he examined me, twisted my leg around almost making me cry, and told me it was normal. So that was nice to hear.

I only have a couple more weeks of being off of work left... Back to work on the 28th so far. So for now I will soak up the sun, (even if it is clouded by the gross smoke) watch Sex and the City, and finish the quilt I'm working on and start a new one!

8 Days Post-Op!!

So I'm doing great! I barely have ANY pain! I took the Percocet they gave me for the first day and a half...and then I started vomiting and could not keep anything down!! So that morning instead of taking hard stuff, I decided on nice my nice friend ibuprofen. Which has worked out just fine since then!! I cannot believe how little pain I am in! It really makes it hard because I feel like I am able to do what I want...even though I really can't!

Wednesday is my post op appointment with Lazzarini. So I get to ask him about the permanent device in my hip and also why one of the sutures sucked. It was ugly. They sutured too tightly. Oh well.

And tonight, I was cleaning my incisions and there was this clear, white stringy thing in one of them. It didn't come out when I pulled on it. So I think it's a dissolvable suture. We'll see. I'm not too concerned about it at the moment. I'll bring it up at my appointment Wednesday.

So my biggest annoyances are that I can hardly do anything for myself, and that bandage adhesive is giving me some serious contact dermatitis! I have to switch off using a huge gauze and tape with regular band aids. It SUCKS!! My incisions already itch enough as it is! I don't need the surrounding areas to itch as well!! UGH!! Oh well. I'll put up a ton of pics after my appointment Wednesday when I get all the pictures at my post op!!

The Surgery

So we arrived at the hospital right on time at 9 am. It was a breeze because I had already filled out the paperwork earlier. So we went up to Pre-Op and I got in my hot hospital gown and the nurse came over to start my IV. She was a student nurse and I wanted her to put it in my hand, but I don't think she had ever done a hand IV before!? They had to work really hard to put it in, but it was a good learning experience for her and she obviously needed someone nice to work on.

Then they scrubbed down my entire leg for TEN minutes with betadine. It was so yucky!! I was fine and joking with the nurses until they wheeled me away. Wifey jinxed me. She told me how she gets emotional when they start to put her out and what did I do?! Get emotional when they started to put me out. They pushed some drugs into my IV and it burned and then they wheeled me away from my mom and I started to cry. Then we talked about Disneyland. The last thing I remember was telling them that I had an annual pass and my anesthesiologist asked if it were the one with blackout dates or not and I said, "No, I have premium. That's the only way to roll." and BAM I was OUT.

So they woke me up in recovery, and asked how my pain was. I told them it was about a 2, just mild discomfort. They were all amazed. I could not open my eyes for like five minutes! I could talk and move my arms and legs, just not open my eyes!! When I finally did, I couldn't focus on ANYTHING. I had such bad double vision!! They finally let my mom come into the room and my BP was pretty low. I am usually low to begin with, but it was way low. Around 85/57 I think was the lowest it got. Then I started to feel sick. But they gave me anti-nausea meds and those are seriously wonderful!!

Lazzarini told me that my surgery went flawlessly. Only an hour and thirty-seven minutes. He said he wished all his patients were as easy as me. So here I go, 4 weeks on crutches. I'm seriously counting down the days. I think we're at 25 days? I'm already resenting people who can walk normally! I hate being so slow!! I'll put up pictures later :)

Cut. Me. Open.

I am so ready for this surgery. It would be a lot easier if they had a pain killer on my list that I could actually take. Unfortunately they want me to suffer. :( I'm so over it.

Three and a half days more...

Imma Cut Chyoo!

So I had all my pre-op appointments yesterday. That was interesting. Besides being late, and waiting for an HOUR, it was pretty good. We had a few laughs and got my questions answered. Good stuff.

So my first appointment was with Lazzarini, my surgeon. I was about 15 min late. Their office was SO busy! You had to take a number and they would call you up to register you! They had 4 girls at the front, and one off to the side to make appointments. I don't think I've ever been in an office so busy! And needless to say, it's nothing like my office!

After they took me back I sat in the room for a bit and saw Lazzarini walk by a couple times. Then he stole one of the pillows off the exam table in my room. He told me I could have one but not both! It was actually pretty funny...waited a little bit longer...

Finally he came in and we talked a little bit. Told me about my scripts he was giving me, and how I should probably stop taking my Aleve now, and Friday at the latest. Went over other basic things. Then he was like, "So basically I'm going to get you where ever and however I see fit. Usually a woman your size will take 3-5 tiny incisions." ....Ok well that cleared that up. hahaha Just the way he said it was funny. He said I would leak pink fluid from my wounds for about 12 hrs and not to wear my fav stuff etc. because it would be ruined.

After that I went home and had to go back out to Walnut Creek for another Pre-op appointment at the hospital. Which apparently I didn't need to go to? She checked me in, and that office was MUCH quieter than the ortho office. More like mine. hahaha So she goes over the basic stuff, but she didn't have my paperwork from Lazzarini?! So that was one reason, and I wasn't staying over night. So she was a little perplexed as to why I had come in there, but we had some laughs and I went over to sign all the paperwork about how I would pay etc. etc.

So I'm good to be cut! Part of me wishes it were sooner, while the other doesn't! So as usual, I'll take it one day at a time...which is all anyone can handle!

Insurance companies...SUCK

So we've been dealing a lot with the insurance companies. Since I'm not a full time student anymore, I don't get to be on my parents' insurance...dang it! So I had to start buying COBRA. So we got all the paperwork and filed it etc.

And we were supposed to be getting a packet but we never got it...and we're closing in on my surgery date, and my surgery scheduler is flipping out. They didn't want to see me for my pre-op if I wasn't covered eventhough it would be retroactive! UGH! So of course all of her flipping out on me, makes me flip out to mom...not directed at her, but sharing my frustration with her!

So Mom called our insurance lady who emailed her the paperwork and we faxed it in. But my surgery scheduler is STILL flipping out. So I continue to be all stressed out with Mom about it. So she takes action, this is why I love my mom...lol She calls up Blue Shield, pretending to be me (which I have given her permission to NUMEROUS times re ins companies) and talks to some chick and tells her what's going on and she told Mom to send a letter saying why it needs to be expedited etc. Of course this is perfect for Mom in all her letter writing awesomeness...so she did, and faxed it over. This was Friday.

Today, Mom got a call saying they had my subscriber number! YAY! SO I called up my surgery scheduler and was like what now!? hahaha So everything is still on THANK GOD! I knew that one way or another God would take care of me. I was just glad that His perfect timing matched mine...lol

So tomorrow I get to be x-rayed some more, go over the labs that I got done Friday and talk about what exactly is going to be done, recovery time, drugs (hopefully good ones lol), and yeah. I'm pretty excited!

Scope Confirmed!

So it's confirmed. I'm going in on the 25th of this month for my surgery. I have my pre-op on the 15th, so I'll know more about what exactly he's going to do. He said that he needs to do a couple more x-rays to be sure that I don't have the other type of impingement as well. That would suck if I did!

So that means only a couple more weeks of freedom for me! I have all of my appointments ready to go as far as pre-op and post-op goes. My surgery scheduler said she'd get the authorization so I'll check back on that to see if she got it or not. Because quite honestly I don't trust doctor's offices. I work at one and things slip through the cracks on accident all the time! AND I have to deal with the anesthisiologist not being covered, so this will be fun...

Talk About a Good Birthday Gift...

My surgery scheduler called me back today, FINALLY! I was going to call her tomorrow if she hadn't called me today, but she did :) . She told me the soonest date was April 25th. I was a little bummed I must say. That's my dad's birthday! Oops, sorry Dad...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She's supposed to call me tomorrow morning to confirm the date and time and schedule pre/post op appointments...So here we go!

8 hours in the car...

So yeah. 7 hours pretty much non-stop and then another hour after that is no fun :( But my vacation, which was much needed was very fun! The 6ish hours on the way down to So Cal wasn't too bad, surprisingly enough!

Wifey and I were crazy (or stupid pick your own adjective) to leave at about 2 am. Which wasn't too bad. We stopped off at Starbucks and listened to music and talked. Once we got into Beverly Hills, we found a nearby Target to grab some stuff that we needed. We cruised the streets a little bit since we got in at around 7 am, which was far too early to check into our hotel. We scouted out where we wanted to shop and stuff. And we just kinda cruised the hills and we went to Rob and Big's house.... YEAH. THAT Rob and Big...hahahaha! That was fun!

We headed to the NBC studios after that so that we could see what we needed to do to check into our Jay Leno tickets. We were on"the list" which I must say pretty much ROCKED. We opted to take the studio tour which was pretty fun. We saw where they filmed Days of Our Lives and Jay Leno and stuff. Learned some of the history. But April and I saw Phillip on Day's and stopped paying attention...

After that we totally slept in the car for an hour...we were SO tired! Then we freshened up and headed on over to the show. We were amazed at how many people showed up and seemed to be on the list! However, we had this tiny yellow slip that pretty much rocked because it put us on the floor to shake Leno's hand. He actually shook mine...and passed over Ape....awww.. lol

After the show we finally headed into our hotel and had dinner reservations made by our concierge and honestly. It was some of THE BEST food I've ever eaten...and we made fun of the trophy wives at the next table over who were pretty sloshed. After that we headed back to the hotel and I passed OUT.

We awoke the next day to bagels and cream cheese and pretty much took our time getting ready and everything. We didn't have really anything to do. We just went shopping down Robertson Blvd in Kitson etc. and then went over to the mall and walked around. I have to admit by this point, I was hurting pretty badly, but I hate admitting it all the time. I feel like a whiney baby. We ate lunch then headed for one more looksy at Rob and Big's house and headed off to Disneyland!!

Disney was fun as always! We didn't ride much. Pirates a couple times and Splash Mtn once. We watched the fireworks of course, which was good because the next night it was cancelled! We did the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour and that was fun! Saw most of the electric parade. And just walked around and shopped.

After lunch with the hot bread boy at the Blue Bayou and watching if we could see the riders being evacuated off of Pirate's we sadly headed home...To a bunch of traffic! But what's So Cal without traffic, right?! Except for the fact that sitting in cars makes me hurt :( But my surgery scheduler called me today and I told her ASAP! So she's supposed to get back to me pretty soon... Very soon! But for now, just one step...or limp as the case may be lol...at a time!

Factors!

SO. I called Dr. Lazzarini's office to see what the heck was taking so long for the surgery scheduler to call! The office gave me the lady's number and transferred me to her voice mail. So I left my little polite message telling her who I was and asking her to give me a call back.

To my surprise, she actually did so fairly quickly. I wasn't sure if she would be in or not. A lot of times medical offices take ANY holiday as an excuse to not show up for work! She explained that they were looking for a place to actually do the procedure. I'm thinking...What?! How hard is it to find a place to do it?!

Apparently they don't do them at the surgical pavilion anymore? Not sure why, she didn't say. But then I'm like, well there's only a couple of hospitals to choose from. John Muir Walnut Creek, John Muir Concord, or Sutter Delta. And last time I checked, he didn't have privileges at Sutter! So is it really THAT hard to find a place to do it?! In my opinion: NO!

So, we'll give them a couple more days. I'm HOPING that this pushes them to finally pick somewhere. I mean seriously. You have patients, in pain, who want to be operated on...JUST DO IT!

When I get bored...

So when I get bored...it's always interesting. So this is what I did today...You can count on one thing...SELF PORTRAIT!



That's my bored face.

So, I woke up this morning, around 9 am (yes, I was lazy and I'm a heathen today...no church)...and I decided that today I was going to count how many times my hips popped. I knew I didn't have much else to do... So I got out of bed...that was an easy two!

I went about my daily business making a mental note of each time they popped. 9/10 times it's on their own, there are a few times when I get up like off the couch that they feel they need to pop, so I stretch a little extra and POP. I noticed they mainly pop if I have to get up out of a chair or off the couch...Usually if I'm laying down they don't pop. Which is nice.

SO...the grand total is as of 8:15 pm .......... 63 times today. Give or take a few. Still waiting on the surgery scheduler. They should call sometime early this week. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. But I just remember to take it...one day at a time.

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself!

I've found, it always helps to write things down so you don't forget them. Such as appointment times. So, that's why a couple years ago I got a Palm Pilot, and it helps A LOT! ...When I use it... I thought my appointment was at 9:00 and they wanted me there about 20 minutes early...WRONG! For some nagging reason, my head kept telling me to call my doctor's office to see what time my appointment was. So I did. Yeah, not 9:00 am....9:45 am. UGH. So Julie and I drove home and she did a little bit of school work and we made our way back.

After going through registraion...again...I sat and waited anxiously for the MA to call me back. She finally did and pulled out some sexy blue shorts for me to wear incase he wanted to examine my hips again...

...Who's excited to wear the blue shorts again?!...


Close up of the shorts...tell me these aren't sexy!?


So then we (Julia and I) waited for Dr. Lazzarini...and waited a little more. So he walked in and looked puzzled at Julia. And I said, "This is my sister, Julia." He lightly chuckled and said, "Ok, I thought you were a little young to have a daughter so old!" So he sat down and said, "You wanna do the scope?" and I said yes. He told me to point to where it hurts blah blah blah. And we talked a little bit about the pain and I told him that it really gets to me when I'm sitting for long periods of time, like after a 2 hour car ride and then a few 2 hour classes. And it just...and he interrupts "And it hurts like hell!" ....Couldn't have said it better myself!

So his surgery scheduler is supposed to call me about dates, but he made it seem like it was going to happen soon, which is good! So until then, I'll just take it one day at a time!

Socks?!

UGH! So, I was putting on my socks this moring, and I am NOT a morning person by any means so I'm not really paying attention when I do things in the morning...

So, I was standing up putting on my socks and I don't remember how I moved my leg, but I moved it funny and when I put it down, another stabbing pain in my hip!

SERIOUSLY!? What's up with that!? Oh well. I see Dr. Lazzarini tomorrow to figure out about surgery and all that fun stuff. I'm ready for it too! I've got a list of questions and hopefully he has the answers!

MRI

So my MRI was an adventure all in itself... My appointment was at 12:30PM, so I worked in the morning for a couple hours before hand. Then it was off to the surgical center!



I went in and got this snazzy bracelet. But I first had to sign away my life pretty much. No suing, and I might get an infection and DIE. And I had to sign that I would pay a stupidly ridiculous amount of money to get it done...



Who's excited to get their vitals taken!? Ok, I wasn't really excited. But they took my blood pressure, which was about 15 points higher than it normally is...nervous much!? hahaha So then I got into my hospital gown and waited for the nurse to come back in...



Then they marked me to make sure they got the correct hip. At least it wasn't like an amputation where it would have been devastating if they got the wrong leg...



OK. THIS is where it gets "exciting". So they wheeled me into a sterile room with a large, cold table. I got up and layed down and they started to get me set up. They exposed my hip and cleaned it off with some iodine. They chatted me up to make sure I wasn't too nervous...but I knew the drill. Then he marks me and kinda numbs up the skin a bit. That was nice, because then he pulled out a freakin SIX INCH needle. Yeah. So he stabs me with it and is trying to find the right place to inject the dye which isn't TOO bad...until he JABS me in the bone! Honestly, I jumped an inch or so off the table. It hurt so bad! I was tense the rest of the time. He kept remarking on how my hips looked normal to him...I'm like "great!" So he finally injects the contrast dye into my joint so the MRI will pick it and pulls the needle out.

Then they wheel me down to the MRI. And I saw my old neighbors there! I was like great...I looked like CRAP but it was nice to see them! :) So when I get there, he hands me a list of music and I looked at it and decided on Maroon 5. They didn't have much of a selection, so I decided that I would pick some music I could rock out to a bit.

They load me up on the MRI and strap me in. I wasn't too nervous about being in there. Thankfully it was only my hip so I didn't have to go all the way inside the machine. So they put on the headphones and he laughs and tells me not to dance and I laugh and say that I won't. He tells me that I should still hear the machine spinning and clanking even with the music on, and that if he asks me a question while in there, that they have a mic and not to yell..haha

So in I go and he puts on the music and it's getting into the first song. Yeah. Anyone out there have the "Songs About Jane" album by Maroon 5?! Well, in case you don't, the VERY FIRST SONG has a lyric that goes, "is there anyone out there 'cause it's gettin' harder and harder to breathe." Um, that seriously made me have breathing issues! I had to tune out the lyrics and just focus on my breathing!

So I'm just waiting for it to be over with and every once in a while they stop and move the table and start it back up again. This went on for 7.5 songs. Yeah, I began counting the songs instead of listening to the words. I get nervous just thinking about it...haha



Oh gosh I was so happy for it to be over! They wheeled me into the dressing room where I could put back on real clothes, but thought I would take a pic in my hot hospital gown first...hahaha



There was the finished product. I had to wait almost two weeks to find out the results! Even then my doctor disagreed with what the radiologist said! Big surprise. The radiologist said there was no abnormalities while my orthopaedic surgeon said there was some tiny fraying in the lining of my hip socket. He then told me that since there are no significant tears at this time, surgery is at my discretion and that I shouldn't wait long to get it done for the risk of osteoarthritis. He told me that if it becomes too painful to sit through, say, a movie that would be a good indication that I should have the surgery.

So...that point has come. I can't concentrate in class and my grades are suffering :( ... I go in this upcoming week to talk to him about scheduling the surgery...so this should be fun...

History

Ok. So. Before my hip journey goes any further, I suppose I should go back to how it alllll started....

So, when I was around 15, I jumped off the horse I was riding because I'd rather not have been decapitated by a barn, and landed funny in the yucky, manure, clay mud. I had a sharp pain radiate from my hips out. I didn't think much of it. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain...

From time to time I would have pain in my hips but I wouldn't think much of it. That is, until it got really bad in the late spring of 2007. I FINALLY decided to go see a doctor about it. Every one told me to go, and when asked why I haven't gone yet I'd simply reply, "I work at a doctor's office. I KNOW what they DO to people!"

My first visit was quite fun...I got to wear these hot (ok not really) blue shorts and have my picture taken! (ok just x-rays) So there I'm sitting in my exam room waiting for my doctor to come in and he finally does. My first thought: "Wow...he reminds me a of a stalker...and Data from Star Trek!" So he introduces himself and I get on the table, because apparently that's how he likes it...hahaha... And he examines my range of motion and asks me questions and I answer them. He's very quiet, but reassuring. He leaves to go get the x-rays.

While he's gone, I keep thinking..."This is going to be just like my shoulder when I hurt it, and nothing is going to be wrong and he's going to look at me like I'm on crack..." So he walks back in and sticks them on the little light board and is looking at them intently. Then he goes for a pen in his pocket...

"Oh crap!" I'm thinking. Pens on x-rays usually are never good. He says they look pretty normal BUT...(but is never good in this sense...) He draws on the x-ray in this little figure-8 on my hips. And explains that I have femoroacetabular hip impingement of the pincer kind....say what?! Basically, my hip sockets cover too much of my femur and they scrape together some. Fun huh?

So he tells me that it can be fixed with surgery, and since my right hip bothers me more we'll do a contrast MRI to see if there's any labral tears...tears in the lining of my hip socket. Honestly, my heart sank. Couldn't it have been something a little more simple wrong!? I teared up when he left the room...surgery?! He was so nonchalant about it too. Typical surgeon. So I left as well and set up my MRI.