Wed 20 Sep 2017
I returned home from L. A. last Wednesday limping badly, so I called and got an appointment at UConn Health this past Monday. They looked at Xrays of my hip and made an official diagnosis of arthritis (my chiropractor had already suggested this) and scheduled me for a cortisone shot in my hip this morning.
I was there for two hours but the procedure itself took less than five minutes. All is well, except that as whatever they used to numb the area is starting to wear off, and my leg is starting to ache, as they said it would. Back to normal activity tomorrow, but I have to keep monitoring how I’m doing and record the results in a diary until my followup visit with the doctor.
Having the injection is a stop-gap procedure often used to delay having a hip replacement done. I agreed that I’d want to postpone that for a while! Having this done means in fact that I can’t have a replacement done for three months, which is fine with me.
So I’m OK, and more than willing to take a day off just to rest. Back to my regular schedule tomorrow!
September 20th, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Sorry to hear about the aches and pains and especially the arthritis. Don’t blame you for putting off the replacement as long as possible.
September 20th, 2017 at 3:43 pm
When I saw the doctor on Monday, she also gave me a prescription for a cane, then asked me if I’d use it.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I don’t want to look like an old man.”
“Steve,” she replied, “you don’t look like an old man.”
Made my day.
September 20th, 2017 at 1:55 pm
Just be glad the arthritis isn’t in your neck, necessitating a Head Replacement.
Seriously, hope you’re feeling better soon.
September 20th, 2017 at 3:46 pm
I’d never heard of arthritis of the neck, so I looked it up on the Google, and lo and behold, there is such a thing.
But you have it wrong, Dan. They don’t do a Head Replacement. You get to keep your head. What they give you is brand new body, preferably one in the 20-something range.
Problem is, there aren’t many willing donors.
September 20th, 2017 at 6:35 pm
Good luck with it. Jackie had a total knee replacement four years ago and the good thing is, they say the hip is a lot easier recovery. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
September 20th, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Good for Jackie. I assume she’s had no problem with her knee since. Yes, hips are easier. Neighbors here in CT have been telling me the same thing. My doctor at UConn even told me that with present day techniques, people have been driving again two weeks after hip surgery. If true for everyone, that’s amazing.
September 20th, 2017 at 8:22 pm
Steve,
Hope the current treatment gives you peace and joy.
September 20th, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the good wishes. But as a backup to the injection, I’ve been practicing with a makeshift cane. I wasn’t sure, but I think maybe that can help too. Canes have been around for a long time, so they’re well beyond beta testing.
September 20th, 2017 at 8:53 pm
I would use my cane more often but it is a hassle to carry around. In Los Angeles it was great, people would see the cane and give me space to get through crowds or a seat on the bus. Here in Louisiana they ignore it and run me down.
Hope you feel better and it doesn’t distract you from your reading.
September 20th, 2017 at 9:23 pm
I know what you mean. Just observing how other people manage to carry them around with them, canes have to be one of the unhandiest handy devices ever invented. As for L.A., both Jon and I have found the city one of the friendliest cities we’ve ever been in. All the lies people tell about L.A. are just that, lies. Well, most of them. No problems with the traffic, even. If you know what areas to avoid at what time of day, there are very few jam ups, and when they do occur, hardly anybody honks. Not so in CT, no sir. I stop at a red light here and I’m apt to be passed by someone swerving around me from behind who doesn’t even slow down. Gives me the creeps, it does.
And yes, I’ve been reading and watching TV all afternoon and evening, things that that been waiting a long time for me, and my leg is a lot less stiff already. Thanks for asking!
September 20th, 2017 at 9:25 pm
Hope you feel better tomorrow. I think it’s wise to put off hip replacement for as long as you can; have it only when it becomes necessary. From experience I can say that canes are handy things to use; they can be used to reach things and to biff people who irritate you, plus help you walk — a winner no matter how you look at it. BTW (again from experience), when someone say you don’t look like an old man, what that usually means is that you look like a really old man.
September 20th, 2017 at 9:28 pm
Uh oh. Never thought of it that way!
September 20th, 2017 at 9:28 pm
PS. I really like the biffing idea.
September 20th, 2017 at 10:22 pm
My understanding is that just a few years ago hip surgery was more of a recovery problem, but that has really been resolved. Don’t put off doing what you need to do. The world of medicine has changed, but the world beyond has gotten, despite the advances, more difficult and dangerous. Best not to be more vulnerable than you need to be. And as far as cortisone is concerned, the shots can help, but they have problems of their own, and over time, diminished efficacy.
September 20th, 2017 at 11:56 pm
Really good advice, Barry, and I wish I could take it. Recovery time for transplants is two weeks in terms of driving again, at least for some, but six weeks is still needed to get on a plane, and that I can’t do right now. I don’t intend to get more than two cortisone shits, though. More than that I won’t do.
September 21st, 2017 at 8:52 am
Best wishes – feel better!
September 21st, 2017 at 9:02 am
Thanks, Bill. I’m getting around much better this morning than I have in several months, which pleases me no end. Life without blogging is boring.
September 21st, 2017 at 9:30 am
Steve,
I’ve been using a cane for the past three months. I was in a pulmonary rehab group and one of the others in the group gave it to me because he noticed how slow I walked. It helps for that and also helps me stand upright.
September 21st, 2017 at 9:45 am
If Medicare pays for it, I’ve decided to get one. If not, it’s something else to put off until later. I’m very good at that!
PS. Good to hear from you again, Randy!!
September 21st, 2017 at 4:53 pm
Parts wear out. I’ve had two knee replacements. I’m pain-free. Friends who have had both knee replacements and hip replacements tell me that the hip replacement operation is easier and the recovery is faster.
September 21st, 2017 at 5:34 pm
I’ll have to do the hip replacement eventually. Neighbors and friends tell me the same thing you do, George.
September 21st, 2017 at 11:24 pm
You just wanted a medical diagnosis you had a pain in the butt.
September 21st, 2017 at 11:43 pm
You might think so, but my butt had nothing to do with it. It’s been my leg all along. Couldn’t barely get my right sock on in the morning. Erggh.