Traumatic or Drama Queen?

This morning I had the other MRI Arthrogram on my other hip.  When I scheduled it, they told me that they could give me something to calm my nerves if I had a driver.  I found a driver.  They refused to give me anything. 

This guy comes in that called himself "Dr. Goldstein" and told me he could not give out any drugs, he had no authorization to do that and if I was nervous I should just "reschedule and come back a different day."  Cuz that was going to make a difference???  Be nervous today or let it rot in your stomach and come back again??? So I explain to him that they confirmed something would be given as long and I had a driver.  I also say to him that I don't understand how he is not "authorized" to medicate when he is a "doctor" and doing the procedure?  At which point he gets an attitude and tells me he is the RADIOLOGIST!!!  Did I strike a blow to his ego?  Puh-lease, he is far from God.  Strike number one.

Needless to say, the procedure DID NOT go smoothly.  He could not get the needle into the joint and down to the bone.  So he ended up sticking needle after needle (6 total) in and out of my hip joint until he decided it was where it needed to be.  He tells me then during the procedure, "You know, this is not my fault, it's all how your anatomy is.  It's not right."  Blame the patient.  It's MY fault because he can't do his job?  Strike number two.

Finally after 6 tries, tears streaming down my face, him suggesting yet again that he just stop and I come back since I "can't take it" and me shaking like my body temperature is 0 degrees he "thinks" he has it in the right spot and tries injecting the dye.  I ask him if he had it and he goes, "I don't know, I have to look at the screen and see if it's going in the right spot."  Strike three, I was ready to kill him!!!!!!

I swear to God, if ever something goes wrong with my hips again, I will be dragging my leg behind me with both arms carrying it before I EVER go through this again.

I would NEVER EVER recommend this place to anyone.  I have had the worst experiences and the most hassles with them.  The nursing staff is rude, the radiologist is obviously incompetent and you can never get to talk to the doctor.  You get about 5-10 minutes in a room with him because his attitude is, "I'm the surgeon, I don't "do" anything else."  (Thank goodness I chose a different doctor and organization to have my knees looked at next Tuesday.  I may just bring my Hip MRI and ask him for his opinion while I'm there.)

Results will come back next Thursday.  Surgery can be done in December - if needed.

Here Goes...

I started Chemotherapy medication for Lupus tonight.  It's gotten progressively worse in a short amount of time.  Wondering what's going to happen next?  That is, aside from being nauseous like no one would believe.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

The other night (cuz I forgot to blog this story!) the kid was running around the house naked after her shower...what else is new?  So I of course, pinch her cute little butt.  She turned around to me and says, "Ow mom!  I have either a splinter or a papercut on that butt cheek!" 

How in the world do you get a papercut on your butt?????

Freeeeeedommmmm!

I got okay'd to drive for the first time in 4 weeks today.  Naturally, I went to pick the kid up at school - considering I haven't been to school once yet this year.  She was so surprised to see me.  She says to me, "Mom, why are you soooo fancy today?"  WTF?  I was wearing sweats, but I had make-up on and straightened my hair with the flat iron today.  I guess she got used to seeing me in pajamas 24/7.  I never knew sweats could be fancy!

Growing Up with Boys

Yesterday the kid comes home from school, walks through the front door, drops her bag on the ground, heads to the fridge and says non-chalantly to me, "Yeah mom, I gave Jack my phone number today."  Big sigh.

Me:  "You what?" 

Her:  "Yeah, I gave Jack my phone number.  I asked him for his (she wants to invite this kid to her birthday party) but he told me that I should give him mine and he would call me."

Me:  "Oh, ok."  (Being the optomist I am (ha ha) thinking she just got the blow off and the kid really isn't into her.)

Wellllll.....the phone rings around 6 o'clock and I answer. 

Jack:  "Um, yes, hello.  Is there a person named Maddie that lives at this number?"

Me:  (Trying really super hard not to die cracking up.)  "Yes, who is this?"  (I thought it was a girl!  You know, 2nd grade boys still sound like girls!)

Jack:  "This is Jack."

And they talked for about 20 minutes.  I gathered he was asking her what her "plans" were for the weekend!  Thank goodness the kid's not "into" boys yet (she still looks at them as someone to play with so she doesn't have to play by herself), but it seems like the boys are already more advanced right now in regard to talking to girls.  She's got two boy friends like this now!!!

I just think the whole conversation was totally hilarious and how my kid was trying really hard to act like it was no big deal.

I Punished My Child

I caught the kid lying last week.  And I was pissed.  If that's one thing that gets under my skin it is lying.  Well, she's 7, so there isn't too much to take away from a kid at this age...toys?  TV?  Playdates (is it worth the risk of insanity?) 

Anyway, this is the second time in a year (I KNOW, count my blessings) that I've caught her lying.  (NOTE I SAID CAUGHT!!!)  This time I was really mad though because she told me her teacher said something and then I confronted the teacher.  Even though I was very nice and tiptoeing around the issue (I paid for a calculator she has to have and she hasn't received it.  So instead of telling me she didn't get it she told me the teacher said she never got the money that MY DAD gave directly to the when he took her to school.)  Needless to say, I felt like a fool.. Why would the kid lie about something so stupid?  It wasn't like she was responsible for giving the teacher money.  (And I did ask her why she would lie and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know.")

Well, I decided her punishment would be one FULL week without TV.  I know, I'm a bitch, right?  When you really consider it though, in our house it's not much of a punishment.  We watch MAYBE 2 shows a week and we don't have cable...rough life, I know.  My child is deprived.  Call Social Services.  Report me.

I really did not even think it would turn into so much drama, but it did!  The kid LOVES Wipe-Out.  Anyway, I sent her to bed last night and came out and turned on the TV.  Being the only mindless thing on TV I sat to watch it.  Duh, duh, duh, dummmm...she comes out of bed for a glass of water and FLIPS when she sees me watching Wipe Out.  I'm talking full on sobs, hysterics, feet stomping 3 year old temper tantrum.  (I'd love to know what my not-so-friendly neighbors think considering they were outside and our windows were wide open.  They probably thought I was beating her or something with the way she was carrying on.)

So I tell her to get her butt back in bed and the hysterics continue for another 1/2 hour.  "Moooom, please can't you at least watch something else on TV?  ANYTHING but WIPE OUT!!!!????!!!"  Sob, sob, scream, jump on the bed, stomp the feet on the floor, etc.  I'm the absolute WORST mom in the whole wide world!!!

Finally 1/2 hour later after ignoring her she comes out and tells me she needs cough medicine because she is so sick.  Me being the ultimate bitch tells her, "Go back to bed, you feel the way you do because you were crying and carrying on like a 3 year old.  No go back in that bed and do not get up again."

Mission accomplished.  She stayed in bed and fell asleep within 10 minutes.

Now....I wonder, when is the next time she is going to lie again?  And will she think twice about it???

(And I can't help but feel a slight victory that I stuck to my guns, I think she learned a lesson.  For once I didn't feel guilty about being "tough."  Maybe her hysterics and drama helped dissapate the guilt factor)

If my hip were better I'd take a victory lap....

Pearls Of Wisdom

I graduated to crutches and asked the kid to take my walker down to the basement.  I didn't want to see it anymore...there is no love lost between me and the walker.

Well, anyway, someone came over to help out around the house last night and brought their 5 year old girl with them.  Of course, my kid being nearly 8 took on the "motherly, older sister" type behavior.  She had to show off my walker.  I hear them in the basement, supposedly looking for a game.  All of a sudden I hear the walker "thump-thump" across the basement floor and I hear my kid say, "See?  This is my mom's walker.  Wanna try it?  Then you'll know what it's like to be like an old lady!"

My kid thinks I'm ancient!!! OMG!!!  But it's so funny!!!!

Oh The Drama!

Okay, so I haven't really felt like writing, but today I got just enough of a boost to do so.  I went from not walking, to having a walker to finally being on crutches today!!!!  Bit by bit my freedom is coming back.  I just can't wait to actually be able to drive myself and run around and do what I need to do!

So surgery was supposed to take 1.5 hours, but took 4 instead.  Turns out the MRI did not show everything that needed to be fixed.  The doctor found that my femoral head is cracked and damaged.  Bad news is that there is no technology or anything he could do to fix it.  So super glue, obviously is not a fix all (nice thought though, huh?).  Don't know how long that will last, he says only time will tell.  Ultimately, I might be looking at hip replacement sometime in the next 20 years - oh joy.  I wish I could have had that done now but he wouldn't because of my age.  WTF, I'm not getting any younger?  So next he found a huge chunk of bone (don't know where that was broken off from) floating in the hip socket.  The hunk of bone was damaging my other bones there by floating around and having a ball.  It was also part of the cause of 3/4 of the cartiledge being torn.  That didn't show on the MRI either.  So surprise doc!  I like to keep things interesting, what can I say?

Anyway, after surgery was over I got sooooo sick from the anesthesia.  They even had to kick my dad out of the room.  That was pleasant...and get this, they still had the balls to send me home THAT SAME NIGHT at 11:30 pm!!!!  Needless to say, I woke up two days later with a 103 degree fever and ended back up at the hip doc.  No infection in the hip, but I had a nice doozy in my lungs. 

Well, now it's 3 weeks later, lots of physical therapy appointments with a cute therapist (yay!).  I get my butt pinched, my crotch massaged (okay, the groin muscle, but hey?  I'll take what I can get) and it's all good.  (So glad I have a male therapist!)  I do have to say though the first time the therapist grabbed my butt I was totally not expecting it and nearly flew off the table.  My face was sooooo red.  He turned away to try to calm my embarrassment.  Therapy is going well though.  Today I got off the walker (thank God!) and onto crutches.  I also did a mile and a half on the bike - no resistance, but just biking at level 1.  I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it is a lot of progress in 3 weeks when I think about not having been able to walk. 

Two more weeks and I get to mosey my way back into the office.  At the risk of sounding like I'm 5, I don't wannnnnaaaaa go!!!!!!!!!!!!  I like, no I love working from home.  Oh well, I guess I can't have everything.  I am just grateful that I've gotten to work from home and still get my paycheck - woo hoo!

So what's next?  Well, the pleasant big old needle stick on my left hip and an MRI.  I am dreading it.  I wonder if I could take some left over pain pills to get me through that one?  LOL.  I also have an appointment with a knee doc in two weeks because I am pretty sure I have a torn miniscus in both my knees.  Can you imagine?  Two hips and two knees?  Just call me the bionic woman.  Ha, ha, I know, soooo not funny!  But while I seem to be on a roll I might as well get fixed up.  I mean I hate to give up my guy magnet walker...it's just sooo sexy!