Bone Vs Muscle

I always ask that of fellow Tattooed people. What hurts more? Getting them on muscle or bone?

I'm a loss for words when I try to describe to a new medical professional involved in my case about the type and degree of pain I'm feeling right at that moment and how it compares to other times. They always ask you what the pain is like at the worst time, and where the pain is located. 

I'm Hip FAI post-op so I've be in physio pretty much fortnightly since that day. I've read that some people recover really well and stop physio within a couple of weeks after surgery. It's been almost 2 years since my op. I have other muscular issues as well so don't think that this is normal if you're here to read about the FAI. Trust me, stick to the exercises and stretches they give you afterwards and you'll build up that core strength to aid in the healing process for your hip. It needs stability. 

What I'm stuck with is them giving me a program that centre's around pain management. However, when I describe my pain they immediately fire off with solutions and trials that are based on the pain coming from my muscles.

I have bone pain.

It's totally a thing believe me. Bones can cause you pain by simply not being in the correct position. I think people who suffer shin splints will get what I'm talking about, you can feel your bones splitting when walking or putting weight on them.

Like so.

Depending on the physical activity and how long I do it for (hur hur insert sex joke) my hip joint can lock up and that's it. I'm having trouble now just typing it down what exactly happens but it's not my muscles. My hip joint doesn't sit on the top of my femur properly, so when I over work it, it kinda slips off its base a bit and catches, hence the impingement in the first place. Still happens even after the op so now I get just that shock of pain rather than a prolonged throbbing pain that extended to the muscles from them compensating being in the wrong place.


Folks pre-op will know what I'm talking about too. It's all connected and your body is trying to set you right by pulling everything towards the side that has been impinged. That will get better over time, provided you stick to your program. Oh and if the Doctor tells you to walk on your crutches with your heel off the floor and the physio tells you to leave your heel on the ground, go with the physio! Your thigh muscle will heal shorter and you'll spend ages trying to stretch that bugger back out. Which I'm still trying to do. 

Solutions and programs for bone pain? 

When I know, you'll know.      

Daily Snippet: Spoons well spent

Today I've spent tackling the garden. It's got 10 yrs worth of overgrowth and has been doing whatever the hell it likes for a long time now. I made a promise I would sort it out and I've been cutting, clearing and replanting for over a year now. 

2013

2014
Planted some potatoes along the side. Found a chair!

Today: Before!

Today: After!

It had only recently occurred to me to take Before and After pics. But I can honestly say that was Spoons well spent.

Viennetta in the Bath you say? Cor Decadence! 

(apologies if this shows up twice I tried to post using the app but it's crapp!)

"Use Health Potion?"

If only real life was that easy. Drink a red health potion to restore all your HP or simply sleep in a bed or a magical fountain to save your game. No such luck for me. Buggerpoo.

As I said in my last post, I need this operation. For over 12 months now I have been suffering from Chronic pain in my left hip, swelling and pain in my lower back. This has affected my ability to walk, support my weight and caused me to fall on occasion. I have seen many doctors and physiotherapists who all thought it was muscular until the pain meds and intense physio just wasn't sorting out the problem. All I did everyday was stretch and exercise but it seemed to make my pains worse and on some days completely immobilise me.

"It'll get worse before it gets better" sick of bloody hearing that phrase. It wasn't getting better. Changed doctors for a fresh perspective. Had phsyio for 7 months before Dr Newguy said if it was my muscles they would have healed by now. So Newguy and Specialist Musculoskeletal, I'm gonna call Mr Pix for my blog, sent me off for a few scans. They found i have actually two problems going on. One was obviously my hip and the other was my lower spine. The phsyio for my back was putting pressure on my hip and not helping and reflections for my hip were killing my back. No wonder i had made no progress for nearly 9 months by the time they sent me for the scans.

Femoroacetabular Impingement.

Or FAI you can read about here : http://www.hipfai.com/

Basically I have a "bump" or Cam on my hip joint that was locking and preventing normal movement and function of my hip joint. I couldn't cross my legs or sit properly and every now and then completely randomly it would lock up completely and my legs would give way. TIMBBEEERR! I don't have a slipped disc but I have 2 discs which are kind squished out of place and have been worn down these past 12 months due to me moving around and all the exercising etc. So these two squished discs are out of order and the discs around them are doing twice as much than they're supposed to causing me great pain. On top of that the cam has been rubbing and wearing down my cartilage on the other side causing osteoarthritis in my hip too. I could feel that happening every time i took a step. Slow grind and pop, slow grind and pop. When it completely locks up it feels like it's poking out of the joint and dislocated. You can only imagine the pain that causes. I had been prescribed strong anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medication, which included Oramorph, which is morphine. And that did foook aal. Well it dulled the pain from my back but the pain from the grinding sensation was still there when I moved around. Bones, not muscular.

Some days I'm okay and other days I feel like shite. 

"You look fine today"
"How come you went to that gig last week and you can't go shopping today?" 
"More exercise will do you some good"
"You're not fun any more"
"How bored must you be?"
"There's nothing wrong with you"
"You don't know what pain is"
"She's faking it, there's nothing wrong with her"
"You're not very reliable any more"
"I don't want to deal with this"

These are just a few things that family, close friends and friends who don't see me all the time have said to me. Some are understandable, since they don't live with me. Some are very hurtful. Some are heartbreaking. 

I have often found it very difficult to explain to people the nature of my condition. I have listed the mechanics of what is physically wrong with me and the knock on affect that has on me on a daily basis. I can't work, I can't look after myself sometimes, i can't sit for long periods of time and i can't stand for long periods of time, I can't lift any heavy objects, or push or pull. No swimming, no riding my bike, which I love to do. Cant walk my mother's dog. Can't pick up my God-daughter, can't help my disabled friend who has Hypermobility syndrome, to look after my God-daughter. Can't travel long distances to visit my family or friends. I could go on, which is depressing. oh and lonely, painful, emotionally. Some friends I don't see any more because they don't want to be around "this" like it's contagious and happening directly to them. 

One of my friends, who also has Hypermobility Syndrome, started up a blog and introduced me to the spoons theory as a way of explaining to healthy people what its like living with an invisible illness. A lady by the name of Christine Miserandino who has Lupus wrote an article on Butyoudontlooksick.com and came up with this theory, while trying to illustrate to her healthy friend what it's like living with Lupus.

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/ 

We all have spoons we use up every day in every thing that we do. Most of you have unlimited spoons. But for people with disabilities we have a limited amount and we don't have a choice of how many we start off with each day and how many we might not have tomorrow because we chose to go out to that gig the night before or stood for 2 hours to make a romantic meal instead of ordering take away.

I like to think of my spoons as Lives. I have only about 10 Lives or less a day and sometimes no matter how hard I try i can't collect enough XP to get another one to make sure I have enough for the next day.

That's enough reading for you guys today. I'll get on telling you about my op. Which I've had two days ago and I'm busy re-cooperating. Gathering my thoughts.

Savour Your Spoons!
http://savouryourspoons.blogspot.co.uk

Day Zero

"Preparation"

There's nothing like being prepared for anything. Sometimes you pack things you might not need or think not to bother because what ridiculous scenario will come up where i will need a pair of wire cutters, duct tape and a small can of WD40 when I'm going into hospital? I have learned, from my wonderful partner, that those ridiculous situations always crop up when you forget to pack those very essential items. And no, I haven't packed those things because I know He will have them on him anyway.

So for about 5 days prior to my surgery I've had to bathe in an anti-microbial wash provided by the Nurse to prevent the spread of MRSA. I even got a nify diagram to show my how to use it and wash myself with it. Smarts. It doesn't smell of anything and it's great from cleansing all those blackheads and oily skin. Might keep some saved for those damn stress spots I'm prone to when Insomnia kicks in after taking Tramadol all day. 

As well as packing some essentials for an overnight stay and maybe the weekend, part of my preparation has been, well, consoling my friends. I really appreciate them worrying about me it's nice to know that people care about me. But, shouldn't they be consoling me? I'm actually really okay about getting the surgery. It's been on the cards for about 7 months now, I've had time to come to terms with it, since it's happening to ME. But for some people, I love and care about deeply, it has had a funny affect on them. I don't feel the need to react in such a way to worry myself or cry myself to sleep.

I didn't choose for this to happen to me.

If I don't do this my condition will get worse and I will end up with the hips of a 70 year old woman before I'm 30. What am I waiting for exactly if I post-pone this? My life can't pick itself back up again until this is done. At the moment my recovery is in limbo, except it won't get any better without this surgery and yes there is a small chance it won't do anything at all. I am willing to take that chance and kick it in the balls. I want my life back. And if this is the only way to do it then fine, lets do it!

Still busy packing at the moment. I'm taking my own teabags dammit!

I have to leave a parting note to say Thank You to all my friends who have sent lovely messages to me over this past week and honestly, I am truly grateful. Love you guys. 

See you later, Keep Smiling.