Mummified

Just a little update. My attempted MRA hurt for a day, but nothing a little Tylenol every 6 hours couldn't solve. Wednesday night I was able to do a few climbs with Ty and Alina. During my last climb both of my hips twinged, so I played it safe and stopped climbing for the night. I was so wonderful to be back on the wall!! I've lost so much strength but with a little hard work I should get it back.

The next morning I had my second private Pilates class. I did a lot of stretches that opened up my hip joints. It felt great to stretch this area in a controlled manner. Pilates are amazing. It doesn't feel like I'm working out but the next day my muscles are sore.

This weekend I went camping with Ty and Silvia up at Kelly-Dahl Campground near Nederland. The first night was sooooooooooo cold! Even with my +10F mummy bag I was chilly. Sleeping was somewhat tough. I had a sleeping pad beneath me, but whenever I turned to my side the ground was too hard to my hip. Other than that no pain this weekend. I was even able to hike on a slight decline without needing to slow down. =D

Angry Hip

Today I went into Children's for angiography and MRI. The hospital is super cute, colorful, and lots of fun sounds. This is where the fun ended.

I went back to radiology where the radiologist explained the procedure. They would be using digital x-rays to locate my hip capsule. The capsule contains liquid around the hip. The radiologist first numbed me with lidocaine (27 gauge needle). Then he used a 10 centimeter (22 gauge) needle to access my hip capsule. Once he got in the "right" area they would inject contrast (iodine) to make sure they were in the right area. If they got in the correct area they would inject Gadolinium, which is the contrast of the MRI. The Gadolinium would expand my capsule allowing the MRI to capture any cracks in my cartilage. Sounds easy huh?

The first try didn't work. The needle wouldn't enter my capsule or they couldn't find it. After another try I needed some more lidocaine. Actually after the hour plus of trying they went through more than a syringe of lidocaine. They hit my bone twice... owwww. They also hit a nerve causing my whole leg to jerk. That was not fun. At first it didn't hurt but it was bad at the end. Reasons why they can't get into the capsule include inflammation and scar tissue. This radiologist is one of two in the hospital that preform this procedure. The other doctor gets to try next Wednesday. I can't wait. =P