I've Been Bad

So, My life has been so crazy lately that I haven't been posting. Here goes... I'll keep updating until I get it all down.

I had my second MRI on June 6th. It was very amusing. I got in and realized everyone had heard about my hip and me. The failed procedure had become infamous. This time a Dr. Hayes tried to get the needle into my hip capsule (the whole time joking it would take ages before it would work). She numbed me up then jabbed me. It hurt for a second (but nothing like the pervious procedure). I looked at the monitor and could see the dye swirling around my hip joint. That was it!! Less than a minute and she was in! I LOVE HER!

They filled up my capsule with contrast and some heavy-duty pain meds. They had me slowly sit and stand up. I was told that my hip would feel full and boy did it. I just ate a quarter-pounder with double cheese. I was able to walk around with no pain but I had a funny gait.

Next I was taken to the waiting room where Megan kept me company. Nothing like being in a hospital gown watching the Disney channel while talking about things kids shouldn't hear about. Don't worry we had the room to ourselves!

After waiting a long time, I was taken to the MRI. The tech was not having a good day. He walked very fast so I struggled to keep up because of my bum hip. Then when we got to the room he said lay down. That was it. No instructions. Finally I asked about my underwire and earrings. I guess their magnet was only .7 or 1.5 Tesla and wouldn't pull my earrings out of my ears. Another tech came in and asked if I would like to watch a movie during my MRI, but Mr. Meany said no. =P 45 minutes later I was bored and there was a hair dangling from the Velcro above my head (not mine). Gross.

That night I took some Ibuprofen when the local anesthetic wore off. The next day wasn't bad either. All in all this was a much better experience.

(Next update will be my results!)

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

Can You Say SCARY??

Tomorrow is the MRI with contrast injection. I've been talking to people who have had this done. The consensus is pain and doctors not getting the needle into the hip socket the first time. I hope my radiologist is better, but they work with kids and typically not adults. I am a bit bigger than a kid. Hey I am taller than most people. sigh. Fun times ahead.

But this whole hip thing has re-affirmed what awesome friends I have. People are so willing to help me out, however they can. Friends have offered to drive me to my appointments and others have offered to help out or let me stay at their place if I have surgery. They say good friends are hard to come by. I must have lucked out. I have some of the best friends around!

Pilates

Dr. Sink suggested that I try pilates to strengthen my core. It's possible that this exercise will stop my pain. Hopefully.... I had my first class today. It was with Susan at The Pilates Center. My first class was so much fun! It's like playing with a bunch of random contraptions. The hardest thing was focusing on the correct motions and which muscles to contract. Hopefully this works out.

While at work I got a phone call from a man asking to speak to my Mom or Dad. I was so confused until he realized I was the patent and I was an adult. We got a good laugh out of that. The joys of going to a Children's Hospital while being 24. Dr. Sink has asked me to get an MRI to see if my cartilage has been damaged. I'll be going Tuesday afternoon. I'm scared though. They will be injecting a contrast agent directly into my hip joint to improve the image quality. I have a call into the doctor to see how much pain I will be in afterwards. I hope I can drive home because the bus ride would be 3 transfers and take 2 hrs and 20 minutes. Yuck.

It is crazy that one week ago I was running or exercising everyday. I even was taking tennis lessons. Now I have so much on my mind of what this means. It's great to know what is wrong with my hip, but it is still scary. I know there are treatment options, but being the person I am, I have read way too much on this topic. I have been learning the good, the bad, and the ugliest of results. I just need to remind myself that nothing has changed from this week and last. My annoying hip hasn't changed... now I have a name for the annoyance.