Surgeries
I finally got around to seeing my orthopedist yesterday and I finally have a game plan for what he is going to do to fix me up and what exactly is wrong with me. It was a long wait in the doctor’s office. I saw a woman in her late 70’s at least with this wire thing attached to her hand that looked like something out of a horror movie and it scared me. I waited for about a half an hour before I went in to the actual patient room, where I didn’t get to see the doctor, instead I saw an assistant who asked me what I was there for.
I explained to the assistant that I had just fallen the day before, my ankle had given out on me again and I fell getting out of my car. This is about the 20th time that my ankle has just given out on me and caused me to fall down in some way. I also told her that the doctor at the pain management center found bone spurs on my shoulders and I think that is what has been causing me so much pain for the last few years there. Then I talked to her about my knees and all the trouble that I have had with them and that I can barely walk through the grocery store without them hurting and having to sit down.
I had brought with me my MRI that was done of my shoulders and the x-rays that I had of my ankle that was done last year. She basically told me that doctors don’t actually look at that stuff, they want the x-ray reports. So, she was going to call and get those but I would have to wait. In the meantime, though she was going to have me get some x-rays done there. Lucky for me they have their own x-ray office just across the waiting room.
So, there I sat again, looking at the woman who should be in a horror movie for another 15-20 minutes before they called me in to have the x-rays done. I got my shoulders; knees and left ankle x-rayed this time. Then I went back into the waiting room and sat for about 30 minutes before they called me back again.
Finally, I got to talk to the doctor. When He came in I had a whole list of questions for him already typed up so that I wouldn’t forget anything and I would make sure that I didn’t have to come back again because I forgot something.
Lets start with my ankle, when my rheumatologist said that I had this hyper-lexia thing (can bend my fingers back further then most people) it also meant that I had weak tendons and ligaments. So, it’s not just some cool trick at parties. This means that my ankle is weak, and that is why I keep falling and keep injuring the same ankle because it is already weak and more injury is making it worse and harder to heal. The solution to this problem may be to put pins in the joint and then reinforce the tendons (magically, because I didn’t understand a word he said).
Hopefully, this can be fix at least in the left side because I have always had trouble with my left ankle. I love clogs, big thick, high, clogs but I haven’t been able to wear them for the last couple of years because I always seem to fall down in them. My ankle just falls over; there is no other way to explain it. I would be overjoyed to be able to wear my favorite shoes again.
Then there are my shoulders, I will try to explain this the best that I can. I was told by the Pain Management Center that I had bone spurs back in February I think it was. However, when Dr. House looked at the x-rays yesterday he said that what I have is actually a birth defect, hooks of some kind coming out of the shoulder bones. It looks kind of creature like on the x-ray.
The “hooks” are causing me to have recurring bursitis and tearing of the rotator cuff. He says that he can go in and remove the hooks and that should make the pain go away, most of it anyway but there has been a lot of muscle damage done already and there is inflammation around all of my joints as well. It will take a few months of physical therapy to recuperate from the surgery but I think afterwards I will be better off. Then hopefully I will have no more pain in my shoulders and I won’t have trouble carrying my purse anymore.
Finally, my knees, they are a big problem that I have been dealing with since I was about 14 (that’s the first doctors record that I have). There is a tendon on the side of each knee that is pulling them outward, which means that the knee cap is being rubbed down to nothing from being in the wrong position and it hurts like hell to walk too long or go up and down stairs.
The way to fix this is to cut the tendon that is pulling the kneecap out of place and then wear knee braces for awhile until the kneecap goes back into it’s natural position. This also will take some physical therapy and months of it. I am not worried about that though because I just want to get it done.
The problem right now is that we have to wait to see what the rheumatologist is going to do. Dr. House says that she might prescribe something that makes my shoulders or knees hurt less and it would be easier to figure out where to start if we get rid of some of the inflammation first. Only thing is Dr. Ziminski isn’t a doctor who likes to give “labels” she said. So, I don’t know what she plans to do. I have asked them both to send faxes to each other in the hopes that it might make things go faster and that in 6 weeks when I go back to see Dr. House I can start scheduling surgeries.
It is also important though that Dr. Ziminski is able to diagnose and treat what she thinks is wrong with me too. However, maybe with some of the bone and muscle stuff out of the way, it might be an easier task then it is now.
I really don’t know what the best thing to do is, but I do want off the pain pills as soon as possible and the only way to do that is to have the surgeries done as soon as possible. Sometimes you leave this stuff up to the doctors and sometimes you have to try to make a choice that you think is a best for you. Dr. House was willing to schedule surgery yesterday but after he mentioned the possible changes with medication from the Rheumatologist, I agreed that I should see her one more time before making my final decision. I also wanted to talk to my husband first.
So, right now it looks like in at least 6 weeks I will be finally making the plans for my surgeries. It took long enough. I just didn’t know that the pain management center wasn’t going to be doing that and I stayed there waiting for them to do something. I could have already been through this but I guess it’s better late then never, right?
I will fill you all in later when we figure out which body part we are going to start with. I am going to suggest my knee and my shoulder on the right side at the same time. That way it won’t take me as long to get through it all and recover. This also means that we will have to put our house hunting plans on hold for at least another year. Sierra will be happy about that I am sure, she will get to stay near her friends this year for sure.
I have also realized that it is time to sit down with everyone in the house, including Sierra and Jared (if he will listen) and explain to them what will happen over the next few months, maybe year. I want to make sure that everyone is okay with me having these surgeries and is willing to deal with all of the extra responsibilities that come along with it. I know what this is going to mean to my family and what I have already put them through because of all of this. I will owe them so much when this is all over.