Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Yup, still falling apart.

I finally went to the doctor about my hips and shoulder... i probably was suppose to lose my insurance by now, but i'm sorta delaying the notification of change of income process...... Should have tried to go sooner thats for sure. She did a bit more than I thought she would.

Went in for some labs recently and got a call about needing to take more Vit D and iron supplements (damnit, i thought i was past this anemia thing... its been 4 years since ive had to take them, but my H&H arnt very happy, 10.9 and 32.5....woops!). Vit D is better, but not good enough yet. (least its not 14 anymore...lol). so...getta keep taking that too.. but everything else looks good, and my cholesterol looks really good, so yay!

So when i was on the phone with the lady, i decided to see if they had any apts in the near future...and i got one the next day! sweet!

So i saw her (i really my doc) and keeping in mind she hasnt really ever seen me for a joint problem before except my arthrtic hand. - So i decided to just show her what my shoulder does (its always slid forward, so i just pushed it back into place lol
She did a few more pokes and prods to my shoulder, and to my hips and lower back.. SI joint is a bit tender too apparently but it doesnt actively hurt right now. yay.

She was pretty fascinated with my super lax shoulder, and seemed abit surprised its staying in the socket at all. lol And said I have "Severe bursitis" in my hip. Did some hip x-rays. And referred me to an Ortho doc. Ive never actually seen one before for my EDS stuff, so that should be interesting. IF i can get an apt before my insurance goes away...

She is hoping for a cortisone injection for me in the hip, to help tide me over till i have insurance again and can do something a bit more long term perhaps. Which I'd have to schedule the shot when i'm not working for a few days...cuz im assuming I'll get the lovely "Cortisone Flare" like i got in my foot.... where it gets waayyyy worse for 3 days b4 it gets better... which will, um.. suck but least i only have one step where i live right now... lol

(I knew there was a reason i refused to let my crutches go into storage...i put them in my trunk just in case lol Course crutches should be fun this time with my shoulder bein how it is, and the arthritis in my hand Lol)

And she wrote a script for PT for hip and shoulder, but we dont think i have coverage for that...but worth a shot maybe. And she gave me a brochure thingy for rotator cuff injuries in prep for surgery, but it has some basic PT exercises I can do to help strengthen it a bit perhaps.

And my doc said something about how I should be a contortionist lol.. =) We joke around a bit heh. We also ended up havin a decent serious convo about me and nursing.. And she agreed with me about my "plan" to do floor nursing for as long as i physically can, and then I'll switch to a less physical nursing job.. theres a lot out there. Thats whats so great about nursing.

I did a bit of show and tell, cuz while she knew i had EDS, its never really come up before. She seemed rather surprised im as 'put together" as i am and that things dont actually pop out of place completely, based on how lax it all is.

I knew that damn Transporter gig was too much for me. Aw well. It got me through things financially, and it was fun in a way, when I wasnt in lots of pain. Lol And i did lose another 10lbs that month..Lol

I'm down 30lbs since christmas... I haven't weighed what i do now, since I was in 4th or 5th grade. Weird.. Am 167lbs according to the docs scale. Need this bursitis thing to calm down, so i can handle curves some more... I miss it. Might be able to do a modified version...? hmm.. we'll see.

k.. i gotta goto sleep. im so dang tired.. and oh man how i miss my super soft bed!! House im staying at? eh...bed is *okay* only because i brought my memory foam mattress pad.. but its not nearly as soft as i need it. Aw well, can't win em all.

ouch.. i think im doing the aleve deal, most of my bruises are gone,but i gotta get thru the next couple of days and it hurts dangit. Advil isnt cutting it.

goodnight!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a torn rotator cuff in one shoulder and inflamed AC joints in both. I've also had reconstructive surgery on both hands. If you need crutches, I have only one word - don't. Use a walker with a seat -- sit in it and pull yourself around with your feet :-) It works nicely and saves more damage to hands and shoulders. Good luck with everything!!

because it all matters said...

I'm very new to all this EDS business (have been researching for months in regards to my own body, just got my preliminary diagnosis from the rheumatologist a couple days ago, appointment with the geneticist coming), but when I tripped over your blog about a month ago, it made me so happy. I'm a CNA and trying to get through nursing school (have my prerecs all but done, just need to get into a program). As my body started to wear out on me, and then in the last few months when I suspected EDS, I wasn't sure that would be an option anymore. But the moment I saw you were a nurse, everything turned around. I said to myself "why the hell not?!". There's no point in living if you're not living. Nursing is my passion and it's what I really want to do, and your doc is right, you should do it for as long as you can. I plan to do the same. Nursing is, indeed, very versatile. There's always somewhere for a gimpy nurse to work. I am still uncertain if I'll be able to handle the rough and tough of the ER (my dream nursing position) with joints that don't hold together and knees that don't care to be forced upon for so many hours, but depending on where I'm at at that time, I might just give it a try anyway.
I admire your drive and determination to do what you enjoy doing! You're fabulous! And I hope you have a good long career doing what you love!

Bendy_Clutz said...

Because it all matters,
I personally think that if you get through the rigors of being a CNA, and can get through nursing school without too many things going out of place (I made a deal with my body at the start of school...NO breaking down during school! Only on breaks...and sur enough, almost every single break, I had a joint or two that would seriously start acting up Lol...), nursing is a great profession for someone like us! I love floor nursing, and i have a lot to learn, but there are SOOO many different venues of nursing and types of nurse to be.
Oh and if you haven't found it yet... I follow this blog ( http://mlee-lifeintheer.blogspot.com/ ) - she is an ER Nurse with EDS!! i was super excited to find her blog hehe

I'm glad that my little blog helped you in some way, I think its totally possible! I spent 4 yrs trying to get into a program (finally moved 4 hrs from "home" where i got accepted, 2 yrs ago). But, it was worth it.

Good luck to you! I wish you all the best!!

Bendy_Clutz said...

Sherlock,

Yeah... I trust ya on that. But i dont have a sit-down walker =( I used one periodically we borrowed from my grandpa (lol i was 23 at the time.. just thought of the irony of a 23 yr old borrowing medical equipment from her grandpa )- when i broke my foot and my shoulder suddenly refused to work for a lil while. Still amazed i managed for 6 months on crutches with only one or two incidents of my shoulder acting up.. and no real arthritis hand pain issues either.
Anyway, yeah, those are super handy! should probably acquire one of em someday to add to my collection Lol =)
Thanks for the imput and tips! and thanks!

Anonymous said...

Check yard sales for used walkers and other durable medical equipment. Might take a while but I've seen some really nice barely-used wheel chairs and walkers for less than $10!