Thursday, February 24, 2011

What's Been Going On

It's been a long time since I have posted anything.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here.  I've been working on a custom quilt that I have to have done by mid March.  It's a king size Celtic quilt.  I'm having trouble sewing, not because I can't sew but because of the pain I have in my hip.  You see, I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia back in 1997.  I was able to deal with the pain for years because it wasn't a constant pain.  The last 3 years have been different.  I have gone to so many doctors, had 4 MRI's, an ungodly amount of x-rays I should be glowing, had arthroscopic surgery in the summer of 2009 to repair multiple tears in the ligaments, with no relief.  I have dealt with this hip "going out" on me and falling all the time.  Last June I started going back to my orthopedic surgeon (the last one moved to Colorado but he told me I would have to have a hip replacement within two years).  The doctor that replaced the one I had, started me all over with all the tests and injections.  I caught him in two lies, which I'm not going to go into because I don't want to call him what I want to call him.  The first of the year I changed insurances and I changed all of my doctors to my new insurance.  I went to my new surgeon the first of this month and he told me what I already knew - that the two main doctors I had didn't know what they were talking about.  Ok, I guess I will have to tell you some of what the old "surgeon" told me.  He said that the pain wasn't coming from my hip, it was coming from my lower back.  Now back to the new surgeon.  He told me that the excruciating pain that I have been in is definitely coming from my hip, NOT my lower back.  He did say that in the last MRI I had (the week before this appointment) showed that I have an unknown mass on the left side lower back next to my spine.  He said he will worry about that a little later.  Anyway, when I left this doctor's office, I felt relieved because someone listened to what I was saying and all of my medical history.  I am now scheduled for a full hip replacement in April.  I'm scared but I am finally relieved knowing that this pain will hopefully be gone and I can have a somewhat normal life.  Now this won't take care of all of my other health issues and pain but I can manage with those most of the time.  So now I'm in a crunch trying to get this quilt done.  I've been sewing and crying at the same time because of the pain.  I won't be able to sew for at least 2 months after surgery so I have been getting my beads together in one place so that my hubby can bring me my projects to work on.  I am going to start making my ornaments again with the Delica beads and I also have started making a hat band on my loom.  So I'm changing gears a little bit for awhile.

That's what has been going on with me here lately but I will get back to featuring an Artisan a week when I'm stuck in my recliner.  So keep checking back.  You never know when you will be featured.