Friday, November 17, 2017

SURPRISE! Your Pelvis is Fractured! What are you doing next? "I'm goin' to Disney World!"

 
so I snapped this photo yesterday before the MRI on my right hip, mostly because three years ago, when I was having an MRI on my left hip, the scrubs were light blue and they've definitely improved to a more Tori-blue-shade since then. They even match my nail polish!

Little did I know, the MRI was NOT going to show any labral tear, but it would discover the reason I've had all this pain these past two weeks.

Lemme back up. 

Two weeks ago this Friday, the day the house was getting painted, a similar shade of blue in fact, I started having pain around my right hip and pelvis. I tried remembering anything out of the ordinary I might have done. 

Went for the same 2 mile walk with Aidan I take every morning, to the dog park, kicked tennis balls for him to chase, because he doesn't like you throwing them in the air. He wants to chase them along the ground like they are bunnies. 

And I did feel a bit of a twinge on one particularly hard kick. 

But we went on a second two mile walk at lunch and it wasn't really bothering me. 

It was later that afternoon, after sitting at work, that I got up and nearly fell to my knees in pain. 

What the heck?

So I spent all weekend resting and icing and popping ibuprofen, and it felt a bit better.

So, stubborn as I am, I got up Monday morning for our walk. It hurt a bit, but it was do-able.

I've been told I have a really high tolerance for pain. So I was ready to power through it.

By Monday night, I had to get Bob to pull my crutches out of storage from the hip surgery in 2015.  I could not put any weight whatsoever on my right leg without excruciating, bring-you-to-your-knees pain.

Tuesday morning Fisher fell and we knew it was time to call Caring Pathways. 

So I'm on crutches in our last photo together. 



My doc saw me Tuesday, earlier in the day, and referred me back to my ortho who did the hip surgery. He was out sick, but his PA could fit me in Wed. 

So last week just seriously sucked, unable to walk, watching my cat die, taking time off of work to fit in appointments and working late to catch up. 

Wed. the PA takes an xray, doesn't spot anything out of the ordinary, but since I am on crutches, orders an MRI. She says it doesn't sound like a labral tear from the area I'm describing, but worth a look since we know it's only a matter of time before the right hip needs surgery. 

The MRI was a week later, yesterday at this writing, on Thursday. 

Another joyful hour inside a round coffin listening to jackhammers blended with fire alarm beeps. 



Today, the results. 

This whole time I am mystified at what in heck I could have done. I google everything, except fractures, because we did an xray and didn't see any breaks. Nothing fit. 

And I could barely shuffle around the house without ending up in excruciating pain by the evening. 

Oh, and, of course, the 2-year-in-the-planning Disney trip is three weeks away. 

I've gotten 6 people's vacation/work/school schedules cleared to get us all in the same place for a week before Christmas and now I can't walk. 

And, if you didn't know, you walk, A LOT, on a Disney trip. Like, an average of 8-10 miles a day. Even in great shape, you're lame by the end of the week. 

So when another PA came in today and said, "Are you aware your pelvis is fractured?"

it absolutely was just the cherry on top of a really crappy two weeks. 

Reading the MRI results raised a whole host of other "findings" that don't sound terribly hopeful. 

The biggest news: "A nondisplaced right inferior ramus fracture is seen with edematous findings"



"sacral iliac joints and symphysis pubis show mild degenerative findings..."

So, Nick, (I was testing him on all this medical verbiage): "The design of the symphysis is similar to the intervertebral discs of the spine, having a central disc of fibrocartilage that cushions against compressive loads, provides shock absorption and contributes to passive stabilisation."

So my shock absorber in my pelvis is wearing out. And I'm unstable. (Well, we KNEW that...)

"there are developing traction osteophytes for age" (those are bone spurs!) PRETTY!!

And on and on it goes. 

Mild grade 2 reticular cartilage signal at the cephalad portion of the acetabular margin is seen without obvious chondral labral delamination . . . synovitis or intra-articular body suspected"

Acetabular labrum shows a small linear rent without complete detachment. Small para labral cysts are evident at the anterior acetabular margin. 

Fibrous edematous changes at the gluteus medius tendon component, insertions onto the trochanters are seen without peelback lesions.  . . . Edematous inflitration of the right adductor compartment muscles is seen related to the inferior ramus nondiplaced fracture."

All of that to say, I got bad hips (and pelvis) with a bunch of spots where the muscles are pulling away, which likely may have caused the fracture on the bone. The right hip will likely have to have the same surgery as the left thanks to these findings. 

But first, the pelvis has to heal. 

As Nick reminded me, at least I'm not Meredith from The Office in her pelvic cast!



So I am researching options for wheelchair rentals while we're at Disney World, as well as how to get my handy dandy crutches to Florida and back, and cursing Disney for not allowing me to make changes to my room reservation requests without having to call them. Because now I need a wheelchair accessible room. 

It wasn't enough to finally have all six of us together for a Disney trip. I needed to make it even MORE special, huh?

Oh well, onward we roll.


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