Oops!

I woke up yesterday in serious pain.  I had fallen asleep Friday night watching TV and my hubby decided to let me sleep instead of waking me up to go to bed.  He thought he was doing me a favor, but I ended up not taking my meds before bedtime.  When I woke up yesterday, I immediately went to take my morning meds and realized I didn't take my Friday morning pills. Explains the pain!

I guess I was so excited that Friday was our last day of school before Winter Break, taking my meds completely slipped my mind.  I just wanted to get to work and get the day over with as quickly as possible.  Boy am I paying for that now!  I spent all day yesterday hoping the meds would start working, but no such luck.  Today is a little better than yesterday.  I'm hoping by tomorrow the pain will be back into the manageable range.

On the brighter side of things, I have all my Christmas shopping finished.  I did it all online this year. I usually end up waiting until the last minute which causes severe stress and major flares.  This year I finally got smart and realized I could get everything I needed online.  Now I'm just waiting for the last of the packages to arrive.  They are all supposed to be delivered by Tuesday, so I'm not going to stress until Wednesday if they haven't been delivered yet.

Think I'll take a nap now and see if I can get rid of my headache!

Gentle Hugs to All!
Bonnie

Here I Go Again!

I had a major scare Saturday night while watching my youngest son play soccer.  He was playing in a tournament and the game started at 8:30 p.m.  Around 9:30 I got the worst pain in my head that I have ever gotten.  I'm used to headaches and migraines, but this was different.  It felt like someone had stuck a knife in the top front left side of my brain and decided to twist it and leave it there.

As you all know, getting strange pains is a normal part of our lives.  This pain was different! The lights and noise were unbearable, meanwhile I'm trying to keep my happy face on for my son who is still playing.  Finally around 9:45 the game was over and we got in the car for the 30 minute drive home.  I didn't want to scare my hubby or my 10 year old, so I just closed my eyes and pushed my head into the headrest to try and ease the pain.

Once we arrived home I decided to check my blood pressure and it was 167/111.  I finally let my hubby know what was happening and told him it was time for the ER.  I called my parents and asked them to meet us there so they could take Shane to their house.  My mom stayed with us, while my dad took Shane home.

We were at the ER from 11:00 to 3:30 the next morning.  They started me off on IV Toradol and something to help with the nausea I had developed.  After a couple of hours, my blood pressure had gone down just a tad, but the pain was still pretty bad.  They then added morphine and codeine to my IV and took me for a CT scan.  Finally the pain started to subside, and my blood pressure went back to semi-normal.  The CT came back fine (of course, because they always do), and they gave me a prescription for the Toradol and Tylenol with codeine and sent me on my merry way.  

The pain was back by 7:00 and the blood pressure was up again (though only 149/100).  I spent all of Sunday in bed under the blanket in praying that the meds would start working.  Finally on Monday my blood pressure was back to normal (110/76) and the pain was finally heading to being a regular every day type of headache.

While in the ER waiting for my parents, I could see how scared my little guy was, and all I could do was think about what would happen to him if I stroked out or had a heart attack.  So I made a decision that I was going to lose all the weight I have gained over the last few years, because I can't imagine leaving my husband, children and family.  I can't do that to them, and I can't do that to me.

So I've started a new weight loss program, and have already lost 5 pounds this week (mostly water weight).  I will be down to a healthier weight by the summer and I will get out there and play soccer with my son.  I want to be able to walk, run, and go places with my family.  Hopefully the weight loss will help with the Fibro pain (people are always telling me if I lose weight things will get better), but regardless of the Fibro I want to live a healthier life for my family (pain be damned)!

Gentle Hugs,

Bonnie

The Blahs!

When I started writing this post about 3 hours ago, it was a whiny whoa is me post.  I started complaining about work and state testing and being tired all the time! Wah, wah, wah!

Then I stopped writing, shut down the computer and watched a movie with my hubby. While watching the movie I started thinking of my post again and realized that life is what I make of it, and being a big whiny baby isn't going to help me get out of my blahs!

I've decided that I'm going to join the gym Monday (which my school district is paying for), and start eating healthy again.  I came to the realization that I've become a slug on the weekends because I have no energy left after a week of work.  It doesn't help that I've gained about 30 pounds since school started (on top of the 80 pounds I was already over weight).  I need to get out of my slump and start living again. 

I let my fibro take control, and it's time I take back that control.  It's time to quit feeling sorry for myself, and making excuses because I have fibro.  I need to push myself to my limits instead of just giving up without even trying.  It's time to put the WAR back into Fibro Warrior!

So no more blahs, and more yays!  Life will be good again!

By the way, my mommy helped me get out of my blahs by telling me she has bought tickets for me and Spencer to go see Britney Spears in Vegas this September! Big Yay! 

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

15 Days of Rest!

I am finally off for our winter break.  I don't have to go back to work until January 6th! Going to spend the next 2 weeks enjoying time with my boys and my hubby. I will not stress over the holidays like I did for Thanksgiving and end up in a major flare.

My hubby and my youngest went out and bought a monster tree for Christmas (13ft. Noble Fir).  It's finally up and the tree and house are decorated.  My hubby decorated the house yesterday during his day off so I wouldn't have to do it.  We all decorated the tree Thursday night.

I've decided that we will go to Christmas Eve service and then to my cousin's house for her annual Christmas Eve party.  Christmas Day will be spent at home with my guys.  I've invited my parents to come over and join us for breakfast and the opening of the gifts.  My mom is upset with me because I don't want to have a bigger family gathering and has said she will not be coming over.  She tried to give me guilt by saying "it's time to start your own family traditions."

I refused to be guilted into doing something I don't feel up to doing and told her the invitation was still on the table for her and my dad.  I also told my dad.  Whether they show up or not is entirely up to them.

 I'm going to enjoy my Christmas Break and rest up for the second half of the school year.  The second half is always the craziest because of statewide testing.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

I SURVIVED! Sort of!

I SURVIVED!

After a horrible weekend due to the cold front, I felt really good on Monday.  I decided to take my little man Shane to the movies, then I had to go to a church council meeting, and finally I decided to go shopping.  I got home around 9:00 p.m. and was exhausted.

Tuesday I got up and cooked 2 turkeys, and made a double batch of my broccoli, rice and cheese casserole for our big family Thanksgiving/Family Reunion on Thursday.  I also did about 7 loads of laundry.  I still felt good, but my shoulders were a little sore.

Wednesday morning I went and picked up my mom around 8:15 so that we could go see the spine doctor (we both had appointments).  Doctor wants me to get an MRI and said I could go back to the chiropractor for now (yay me).  After our appointments my mom wanted to go to the mall to return some boots she had bought the day before.  We ended up getting makeovers (I got some makeup courtesy of my mom) and going to a late lunch.  After I dropped her off I headed to my nail appointment.  While I was there, my hubby called me and asked me to stop at the store and pick up some things we still needed for Thanksgiving.  I ended up getting home around 7:00 p.m. I was exhausted, a little more sore, but still moving.

Thursday 36 people (including my family) were crowded into my house for our first ever family reunion.  We hadn't all been together in over 13 years (see pictures on left sidebar).  My mom (the oldest sibling) called her other 3 siblings and told them that they needed to get all of their children and grandchildren to come down for Thanksgiving.  She didn't ask, she demanded!  My 89 year old grandfather was recently diagnosed with stage 4 skin cancer, and has decided he isn't going to get any treatments for it.  So my mom let everyone know that we may not have many more holidays with him.  So all 32 family members joined the 4 of us at my house for a wonderful day of love, laughter, and lots of memories.  I'm glad my body was still cooperating!

Friday and today I AM IN PAIN!!! My feet burn, my back is killing me, my shoulders feel like someone is stabbing me, and I have a monster headache!  The pain is worth the week I had.  I'm using the weekend to recuperate so that I'm work ready on Monday!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I know I did!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Think Pink! Better Late than Never!

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.zazzle.com/

I went today to get an ultrasound of my ovaries since I've been having pains.  My doctor also decided that it was time for me to get another mammogram since my last one was in 2009 and I am now 46 years old. 

I feel bad because I know I'm supposed to get a mammogram at least every 2 years since I turned 40, and I haven't kept up with this.  Every October I pay my $5 to wear jeans at school in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but I've never really sat down and thought about how this horrible disease affects so many women and men.  Yes men can get breast cancer also.  My hubby had to have a mammogram a couple of years ago for a lump he found on his chest.  Luckily it turned out to be a cyst, but it was scary.  I found this website that gives all sorts of Breast Cancer Facts, Statistics, and Myths. 

If you're over 40 or have had a parent, grandparent, sibling, or any other close family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer I strongly urge you go get your mammogram.  Although the month is over, it's never too late to get checked over. 

On the fibro side of things, the mammogram was a little more painful than the last time, but it wasn't as bad as having a flare up. 

Remember, Think Pink!
Bonnie

Get the Fire Extinguisher!

photo courtesy of http://www.hallmark.com/online/maxine/crabby-road/

I need to make an appointment to see my ob/gyn.  I haven't seen him in 8 years (but I do have an annual exam with my GP every year so I'm not neglecting my body) since he performed my partial hysterectomy after Shane was born.  I've been getting hot flashes for about a year now, but they are happening more frequently.   This morning I woke up with severe pain in my right ovary.  I'm afraid it may be time to remove the ovaries and start the hormones (my poor guys). 

I live in a house full of men who don't seem to understand why I would possibly want the air conditioning going when they are freezing.  The 9 year old doesn't protest too much, he's very hot blooded, so it really doesn't bother him, but the 18 year old and my hubby act like I've set the temperature to North Pole Settings!

I had a hot flash yesterday morning at work that actually had my colleagues concerned.  I started sweating profusely and apparently my face became really red.  One of my colleagues did the mommy touch to see if I had a fever, but she said I was cool and clammy (ewwww).  It lasted about an hour, and then it left just as quickly as it arrived.  I had a couple more episodes throughout the day, but they only lasted 10 to 15 minutes. 

I'm in the middle of a serious hot flash as I type this, and wish the air would kick on again.  I'd get up and mess with the thermostat, but it hurts when I walk (darn ovary). Oh wait, it just kicked on again (yay me).   So for now my men must freeze.  I told them it was easier for them to layer, than for me to strip down (wouldn't want to traumatize my boys).  Thank goodness they all love me very much!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

P.S. Darn air conditioning turned off again! :-(

Spondo What?

Photo courtesy of the Mayo Clinic

I finally got the x-ray results for my back, and the chiropractor tells me I have spondylosis.  I know I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child, but had no clue what spondylosis was and I wasn't sure I wanted to know.  So the doctor shows me the x-ray and starts to explain what is happening with my back.

Needless to say I was a little freaked out by all his doctor talk, so I asked him to explain it to me in normal person talk.  He laughed at me and basically said my vertebrae are degenerating and I have bone spurs on the ends of them, my tail bone is at a funky angle, and my left hip is higher than my right hip.   I also have arthritis of the spine! Yay me!  So he wants to see me 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks to work on my back (more snap! crackle! and pop!).  He says they should be able to get me walking with minimal pain in no time.

I went to my rheumy yesterday and told him about the diagnoses, and he wants me to be careful with the chiropractor because he's afraid they're going to mess me up even more.  He then proceeded to give me 2 cortisone shots (one in each hip) to help with my myofascial pain.  My hubby was with me and I could see the look on his face.  I had seen the needle (about 5 inches in length) and asked hubby if the doctor had pushed the whole needle in my hip (the doctor gives a numbing shot first so I couldn't feel the big needle), and my hubby could only nod his head up and down.  The shots have actually helped with the tenderness in my legs.  Hopefully it lasts a while before wearing off.

So tomorrow I go back to the chiropractor and tell him about my rheumy's concerns. My rheumy also gave me a note for the chiropractor explaining what he would like accomplished during physical therapy.  He said to let him know if the chiropractor couldn't accommodate me and he would send me to a new physical therapist.

I just want the pain to go away!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Snap! Crackle! Pop!

No, I'm not talking about the cereal! 

What a day! First hubby and I went to my family doctor (who I absolutely love and wouldn't trade in for the world because he believes me when I tell him I'm hurting) who gave me a shot of something, a pain pill, a prescription for some pain patches, and a prescription for a muscle relaxer. Then he called his brother the chiropractor and told him he needed to see me today. 

So off we went to the chiropractor who said my back was really jacked up (though he used his doctor words) and worked out a temporary plan of treatment. First a massage (I was thinking awesome until they went all deep tissue on me and pissed off my fibro and made me seriously light headed), then some stretches (painful but manageable), time with the industrial strength tens unit , and finally I was back with the doctor. 

 He stretched me out (ouch), and then told me he was going to do an adjustment (oh-oh). I have never been to a chiropractor before, but I relaxed and let him do his thing. He popped every bone in my back (quick relief, then "Dude, I'm going to hurt you if you do that again" pain). Monday I have to get some x-rays and lab work done, and he wants to see me again. Apparently it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Right now I feel like I've been beaten with a bat, plus my back is still killing me. I did take a long nap today due to the work out my body got plus the meds they gave me. So for now I'm supposed to keep resting, and then we'll see what Monday brings. So looking forward to it!

A little humor courtesy of http://www.digitalham.co.uk/misc/chiropractor/

Gentle hugs,
Bonnie

Trying Not To Stress, but...

it's hard not to do when you know you're hubby might not get paid for awhile.  My Babe unfortunately is a federal employee who has to go to work each day while knowing he is not going to get a paycheck until government decides to get their act together and come to some kind of understanding.  This whole thing is a mess.  Right now the republicans are on my last nerve (which are shooting me some serious pain).  I think Jon Stewart sums up my feelings best:

It's bad enough that the shutdown is affecting my personal life, but it has also crept into my teaching life.  I have been teaching Point of View and was going to show my kids the classic story of the 3 little pigs from the Library of Congress.  I press the bookmark I had saved and this was the message I received:

A Note to loc.gov Users
Due to the temporary shutdown of the federal government, the Library websites, except the legislative information sites THOMAS.gov and beta.congress.gov, are currently unavailable!

WTF! I was so mad! Luckily I found a different website that had a version of the story (though not the one I wanted) to teach my lesson. I guess the Library of Congress finally realized how silly they were being and have restored the website (The Library has restored access to all sites in addition to our legislative information sites. Other legislative branch agencies, and many executive branch agencies with information functions similar to the Library, are granting public access as well.)  Too bad my lesson is over!

So my flare up is continuing into it's 4th week now.  I really need some kind of relief soon.  Have my rheumy appointment next week.  Hope he can help with this flare.  For now I will try not to stress over how we are going to pay our bills and feed our family.  Luckily our mortgage company is working with us for now.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My Get Up and Go has Got Up and Went!

This is definitely me!

My body has been in flare up mode ever since the rainy week we had.  It's been almost 3 weeks and the pain seems to be getting worse not better.  I feel bad because I'm conserving what energy I have to make it to work everyday.  Anyone who teaches can tell you that it is not a sit around and relax kind of job.  I get home so exhausted and in so much pain that I just change into my jammies and climb into bed.

Luckily for me I have the best hubby in the world.  He knows I'm hurting and he takes care of me and the boys.  I know it hard for him sometimes having to be the one that takes care of everything, and I feel guilty that I have to rely on him so much. 

The problem is, that I don't have the energy to do anything with him or the boys on weekends.  My feet, back, shoulders, and head hurt so much that I just want to sleep my weekends away.  My parents don't understand what I'm feeling.  My mother is constantly at me to just get up and deal with the pain.  My dad thinks the solution is to just get on the treadmill and everything will be alright! I know my boys wish I could do more with them, but they know how much I hurt.

I have an appointment to see my rheumatologist in 2 weeks, and I'm going to ask him to refer me to a local physical therapy place that deals with fibro.  They have aqua therapy, massage therapy, plus exercises and yoga.  I'm hoping that they will help with some of my pain issues.  It might also be time to adjust or change my medications.  I have hydrocodone for when the pain gets to the unbearable stage, but I try not to use it that often.  I have an addictive personality, and the last thing I need is to become addicted to pain killers.

So for now I will rest and recover and ignore my parents (I know they love me and mean well).  I will continue to lean on my best friend and hope that I don't end up pushing him to his breaking point.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Grown Up Time!

I'm feeling good this weekend, only have a few aches and pains, and the hubby and I are going out tonight!  It's my aunts birthday this week, and we are celebrating by going out to dinner and then to the local comedy club with her and her hubby and my parents.  It's so nice having an 18 year old who can take care of his 9 year old brother so we can have a night out.  This is one good reason for having children so far apart in age. 

I'm going to spend the day relaxing and resting.  I don't want to do anything that is going to prevent me from going out tonight.  I have been looking forward to this all week.  I know my aunt is going to be resting also since she is a fellow fibro warrior.  I know she's been hurting a lot lately because of our crazy weather.

On a totally different note, I developed a new symptom yesterday.  We were having professional development in the gym (which is really hot and humid because of the swamp coolers), and my principal decided to be nice by bringing in fans to cool us down.  Well he set up one of the fans right behind me which felt great at first.  About 30 minutes later, my shoulder really started to ache.  Thirty minutes after that it really started to hurt.  I've never had pain due to temperature changes.  I hope this isn't something that is going to start affecting me all the time.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Hurting!

I thought I was doing okay yesterday after setting up my classroom, and was going to get away with just a headache.  As the night progressed though, other parts of my body started hurting.  By bedtime I could hardly walk because my feet were very tender.  It feels like I'm walking on shards of hot glass!  My arms and legs are sensitive to touch, actually I will throw something at you if you even come close to my arms and legs! My pain scale number has definitely gone up from the 5 I was at yesterday.  I would say today I'm at about a 9.  Needless to say I didn't get much sleep last night and look like something from "The Walking Dead!"

I can handle the pain in my arms and legs (remember don't come to close to my throwing arm), but the feet are another thing!  Just the thought of getting up to go to the restroom gives me nightmares! So today is going to be a lazy, stay in bed kind of day. Thank goodness my hubby is off today and taking good care of me. 

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My Husband

The man in my life is a very complicated person.  He was never the type of person who showed his emotions often.  He always kept everything in, and wouldn't share what he was feeling.  My father-in-law passed away 7 years ago from unnatural causes (can't get into it here, but it wasn't good).  My husband and his dad were really close when he was younger, but fell out of regular communication as he got older (living 2,000 miles apart didn't help).  When my father-in-law's wife (not my mother-in-law) called to give my husband the news, she was very callous about it.  She actually waited an entire day before she let anyone in the family know.  Anyway, as usual my husband kept his emotions inside, but it changed him.  He became a quieter, angry person.  It got to the point where I considered taking the kids and leaving if he didn't get some help. 

Getting help for him wasn't easy at first because he didn't want to accept that he needed it.  When he finally hit rock bottom (again not something I can share here), he realized for himself that he had to get help.  Once he got in touch with his anger, it was like a whole new person emerged.  He still tries to keep his emotions in check, but it's not always easy for him.

During his recovery period, I really began to feel the effects of the fibro.  At this point I didn't know I had fibro, but I knew something was wrong with me.  I have to say that even through his darkest period, my husband always put my needs first.  I knew it was hard dealing with my issues while trying to deal with his own issues, but he managed to do both without slipping back into that dark, angry person.  He kept me going when the depression set in, and helped me through it.

This past year was rough on him as I dealt with my latest health crisis, and his emotions actually got the best of him during this time.  It frustrated him that they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, and I think the thought of something possibly being wrong with my heart or lungs really freaked him out.  But once again he was my rock when I needed him the most. 

Anyway, my husband is no longer that person who can control his emotions so easily anymore.  Case in point, I made him a new profile picture for his facebook account last night.  I thought it would be nice to make a picture that included his grandfather (he passed away right before my oldest was born), his dad, him, and our two boys.  He became really emotional when he saw it, but it was a good emotional.  It's nice to know that he can see a picture of his dad now without going into his dark place.  Here's the picture I made him:

Grandpa Claude at top, Gene (FIL top left), Brian (top right), Spencer (bottom left) and Shane (bottom right)

Great Weekend/Big Pains!

My cousin and her 4 kids decided to come into town for a quick weekend visit on Friday.  I haven't seen her in over a year so I was happy she decided to come down.  Unfortunately, it had been raining for 2 days before her visit and continued to rain into yesterday.  I was hurting pretty bad, but didn't want that to ruin our visit so I "sucked it up" so to speak. 

It was a very loud couple of days (did I mention she has 4 kids and I have my 2).  The 5 youngest kids had a blast running around playing and screaming (her 2 youngest are 3 and 4).  I didn't mind the fact that they were having fun, and it did my heart good to see them connecting. It made my head throb, but I dealt with it.

We left the kids with Spencer last night to babysit and went to a birthday party for my friend's daughter.  After the party, we decided to drop Brian off at the house and headed out for a late night movie.  It seemed like everyone in the city was at the movies, so we had to park a little further than I would of liked.  Lugging my oxygen tank is always a pain, but I'm glad I had it because we also had to wait in line for about 30 minutes, and then we had to sit close to the top in order to find 2 seats together. 

They have gone home now, and I'm really hurting today, but it was worth the pain to see my cousin and her family!

Shaney and Bubba

 Spencer and Ammie

 Stasi and Theeny

 Me with my favorite cousin Christy!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Migraine!

I was having a good fibro week until Wednesday when I got a migraine! I  stayed home Thursday to rest up, and that seemed to help with the migraine portion of the headache.  I still have a headache and my neck hurts, but at least it's manageable pain and not "leave me alone" pain! Anyhow, I feel better and am up and moving around.

Going to a movie today with my babe, and a spaghetti dinner my church is hosting with my family! Tomorrow I'm going to a comedy club with the Parental Units and my aunt and uncle.

Hope everyone has a great week! Until next time!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

He'll Be Dancing Soon Enough!

Brian had his left hip replaced last Tuesday morning and has been recovering quite quickly.  He stayed in the hospital 3 nights (I stayed with him on the most uncomfortable roll away bed ever made), and has been at the rehab facility since Friday (their pull out bed was a little more comfortable). 

I stayed with him until yesterday morning, then we decided it was time for me to come home.  I made sure that he could get in and out of bed by himself, take a shower and get dressed by himself, and walk to physical therapy without any support. 

I hated leaving him, but my boys were anxious to come home.  They love staying with my Parental Units, but they were missing the comforts of home.  Shaney especially missed his XBox. Plus I was really missing my boys.  They will going on vacation with the Units and my nieces for 2 weeks beginning July 8th (my birthday) to California and Las Vegas, so I needed to get my fix of them before they leave.

Anyway, Brian is doing so well at therapy they are letting him come home tomorrow.  They had him practice going up and down a set of stairs (don't know what we were thinking when we decided to buy a 2-story house with all the bedrooms upstairs), and he said it was a "piece of cake." 

So tomorrow Spencer and I are going shopping for a shower seat.  The facility is going to give him a walker (well they're going to charge the insurance for it anyway) and a raised toilet seat.  They have given him some other cool gadgets to help him get in and out of bed and put his socks and pants on without rotating his hip.  Apparently if he rotates his hip, it could dislocate and we would have to do this all over again!

What a Day!

 After waiting for a little over an hour, they finally come and get me for my arthogram (or so I thought). The radiology tech tells me I'm not getting an arthogram, but an injection in the hip bone that will numb the pain, then after that I'm getting an MRA. I ask what an MRA is, and she says it's to study the arteries and blood vessels. I ask her if she is sure, because I could have sworn my doctor said arthogram plus MRI. She goes to call the doctor, and whoever she talked to agreed with her. She then preps me for the doctor, who also questions the orders, and she replies that she has called the doctor's office and has verified the orders. He then proceeds to give me the shot into the hip bone (not as painful as it sounds, but not a walk in the park in either).

Next she puts me in a wheelchair and rolls me to the MRA lab. The technician looks at the orders and tells Brian and I she will be right back. We sit there waiting for about 1/2 an hour while she walks back and forth telling us she'll be right with us. Finally she sits down with us (never a good sign) and proceeds to tell us that they did the wrong procedure. They were supposed to do the (wait for it) arthogram and an MRI!!! 

Apparently the first person they talked to didn't bother to check my file, only went off what was in the computer. The second time they called, they pulled my file and realized their mistake.
The tech at the hospital was very apologetic, but said they would not be able to do the test today since I was already injected with the other medication. Now I have to go back on Saturday (they were very accommodating with the new date), and get another shot into my hip bone plus my MRI! Really looking forward to doing this again! To make matters worse, the numbing medication hasn't done a thing for the pain in my hip! :(

My Poor Hubby!

My hubby has been having a lot of trouble with hip lately.  He went to the doctor who took an x-ray and said he couldn't see anything.  He then sent him to my rheumatologist who said it he thought it my be his gout moving to his hip.  He gave him a shot of cortisone, upped his gout medication, and sent him on his way.

After 2 weeks without relief, he went back to the doctor.  What he forgot to mention the first time he went to the doctor was that when he walked the pain went away, but would come back after sitting for awhile (not gout symptoms).  So the doctor sent him to get an MRI.

Well the MRI showed that he has AVN (avascular necrosis) of the hips (yes plural).  Both of his hip bone joints are literally dying.  He is going to have to get a hip replacement for his left hip and bone graft for the right hip.  The specialist said we could probably wait until June (when I'm off for the summer) for the surgery, but he will need to x-ray his hip again in a month to make sure it isn't getting worse.

We are in for a long, fun summer!

My Talented Son!

I'm so proud of my oldest son Spencer. He has become quite the wonderful singer.  Last week his show choir group performed at a local festival promoting the arts.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend because I was right in the middle of a horrible flare up (stupid fibro), but my hubby was nice enough to record the performance for me.  So here is my son singing the late Amy Winehouse's song "Valerie."