The Hip is Getting Worse...
Again, I apologize for the delay in posting. The hip situation has gone from bad to worse.
That severe pain I had mentioned in my last post? A few days later I figured out what it was: muscle spasms. Very intense muscle spasms. It seems that they can occur with osteoarthritis. From what I understand, the muscles around the joint are working overtime to stabilize the bad joint. When they get strained or damaged from this you get the spasms.
To be honest, this pain is definitely worse than the joint pain. I have cried a few times over it and have made noises that throw Bear into a panic. The worst part? This is occurring multiple times a day. Namely anytime I walk or stand for too long. Taking a shower? Standing too long so I get spasms. Walking around the house? Spasms. I have basically turned into a couch potato in order to avoid pain.
My rheumatologist was kind enough to give me a prescription for the heavy duty pain meds. It was only five days worth but it was better than nothing. My normal orthopedist told me he would be willing to do a pain contract—something like this which makes me understand why doctors won't do these—with me if I needed the meds longer term.
Guess what? The pills do nothing for me. Yeah, they make me a bit sleepy but do nothing for the pain. No point in getting refills or a pain contract then.
So I called my normal orthopedic. He's a great guy and he always hugs me and gives me a kiss on the cheek when I come in. Can you tell I see him too often? :) Anyways, he confirmed my suspicion of muscle cramps and suggested I go on a muscle relaxer. Good idea. He's about to write the prescription when he stops and goes "what medications are you taking?" After I give him the list, he goes "well, we can't to that one" as it is bad to combine with my antidepressant. That was the top muscle relaxer too. Damn. Instead, he prescribed Skelaxin to take three times a day. I take it twice as I don't need it when I sleep.
How well is the Skelaxin working? Meh. The spasms are not nearly as bad, but I still get them on a regular basis. Fuck!
I did call Dr. Douche just to see how badly he can make me feel about this one. He has no idea why I have spasms and offered no suggestions. Then he goes "how is the weight loss going?" Even my normal ortho agrees this guy is an asshole. A good surgeon but still an asshole.
At this point, I'm stuck. There is nothing I can take to help ease the spasms or the pain. I am even taking more Advil then I should—600mg, which is 200mg over the max I should take—but it is the only thing that even makes me functional and not screaming in agony. I spread it out by taking two pills in the morning with the Skelaxing, again with the Skelaxin around 3pm, and then before I go to bed.
I have also gotten to the point to sit or lie down after doing anything. I even developed a methodology to deal with this that is based on an idea from the site called Unfuck Your Habitat. While that site is devoted to decluttering your home, a big part of it is the 20/10 timer. You clean for 20 minutes and then play for 10. Rinse, repeat. They even have an app with a timer. So now I am using the app but for the opposite: I do what I need to for 10 minutes and then rest for 20. So far, so good.
The bad part? I had to give up my class for the second half of the summer term because I cannot work. I filled out my disability claim and am now waiting for the state. One boon of being a state employee is that I can get disability benefits, though they are quite small. I should hear from them in about six months. And, if I have to wait until September or October for my surgery, then there goes the fall as well.
On the bright side, I have no appetite from the pain and have lost five pounds. *sigh*
And people wonder why I have been so cranky...
That severe pain I had mentioned in my last post? A few days later I figured out what it was: muscle spasms. Very intense muscle spasms. It seems that they can occur with osteoarthritis. From what I understand, the muscles around the joint are working overtime to stabilize the bad joint. When they get strained or damaged from this you get the spasms.
To be honest, this pain is definitely worse than the joint pain. I have cried a few times over it and have made noises that throw Bear into a panic. The worst part? This is occurring multiple times a day. Namely anytime I walk or stand for too long. Taking a shower? Standing too long so I get spasms. Walking around the house? Spasms. I have basically turned into a couch potato in order to avoid pain.
My rheumatologist was kind enough to give me a prescription for the heavy duty pain meds. It was only five days worth but it was better than nothing. My normal orthopedist told me he would be willing to do a pain contract—something like this which makes me understand why doctors won't do these—with me if I needed the meds longer term.
Guess what? The pills do nothing for me. Yeah, they make me a bit sleepy but do nothing for the pain. No point in getting refills or a pain contract then.
So I called my normal orthopedic. He's a great guy and he always hugs me and gives me a kiss on the cheek when I come in. Can you tell I see him too often? :) Anyways, he confirmed my suspicion of muscle cramps and suggested I go on a muscle relaxer. Good idea. He's about to write the prescription when he stops and goes "what medications are you taking?" After I give him the list, he goes "well, we can't to that one" as it is bad to combine with my antidepressant. That was the top muscle relaxer too. Damn. Instead, he prescribed Skelaxin to take three times a day. I take it twice as I don't need it when I sleep.
How well is the Skelaxin working? Meh. The spasms are not nearly as bad, but I still get them on a regular basis. Fuck!
I did call Dr. Douche just to see how badly he can make me feel about this one. He has no idea why I have spasms and offered no suggestions. Then he goes "how is the weight loss going?" Even my normal ortho agrees this guy is an asshole. A good surgeon but still an asshole.
At this point, I'm stuck. There is nothing I can take to help ease the spasms or the pain. I am even taking more Advil then I should—600mg, which is 200mg over the max I should take—but it is the only thing that even makes me functional and not screaming in agony. I spread it out by taking two pills in the morning with the Skelaxing, again with the Skelaxin around 3pm, and then before I go to bed.
I have also gotten to the point to sit or lie down after doing anything. I even developed a methodology to deal with this that is based on an idea from the site called Unfuck Your Habitat. While that site is devoted to decluttering your home, a big part of it is the 20/10 timer. You clean for 20 minutes and then play for 10. Rinse, repeat. They even have an app with a timer. So now I am using the app but for the opposite: I do what I need to for 10 minutes and then rest for 20. So far, so good.
The bad part? I had to give up my class for the second half of the summer term because I cannot work. I filled out my disability claim and am now waiting for the state. One boon of being a state employee is that I can get disability benefits, though they are quite small. I should hear from them in about six months. And, if I have to wait until September or October for my surgery, then there goes the fall as well.
On the bright side, I have no appetite from the pain and have lost five pounds. *sigh*
And people wonder why I have been so cranky...
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