I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and is enjoying this winter cold weather! We had a great Thanksgiving with both sides of our families and could not have eaten any more food. Of course the kids had hotdogs for Thanksgiving and refused to try anything other than their basic foods - I can't wait for the picky-ness to go away FOREVER!! November has been a very interesting month for our little family and I'm going to write this blog a little differently than I usually do. I don't normally like to talk about myself, but I feel this is the right time to fill everyone in on my 22 month struggle. I will get into me later in the blog, first, let's talk about our babies!!
Cameron is still very much enjoying Preschool and cannot wait for Tuesdays and Thursdays to come. He has clearly developed close friendships at school and has said many times that his best friends are Jackson and Ella. They are extra special because Cammie hand picked them all by himself (without parental influence) and goes out of his way to talk to them, play with them and show them how much he likes them. It's downright adorable. Both Jackson and Ella were out of school (sickness and holiday travels) and Cam was very sad they missed school. He is such a sensitive boy and wants to make sure everyone is happy and ok. This month was cut short a little bit because of Thanksgiving but he still learned a lot! He learned all about the letters E and F, the color brown and the shape Square. He also donated a bag of food to his school's food drive and will be picking out a special toy to donate as well. We are really trying to explain to Cam and Nat that we need to GIVE and not expect to receive. There are a lot of children that go to bed hungry, have no coats or warm clothes or toys. Cameron obviously understands it better than Nat, but it's important for both of them to know.
Cam is still very much obsessed with garbage trucks and especially our driver, Al! It is so sweet to see their cute relationship. Cammie never misses Al and is always waiting for him either outside (If it's not too cold) or in the window. Al takes the time to wave to Cam and even gets out of his truck to high five him. This tiny little gesture that takes all of 2 minutes, melts his little boy into a puddle! We love Al!!
Cammie is taking a little break from sports but he will soon resume swim lessons and maybe gymnastics soon. I'm now finding out that he definitely needs an outlet for all of his energy! I can tell he is missing group sports and the time his gets to spend with his friends. I can't wait to see how gymnastics go!
We are all excited for Christmas time, but Cameron CANNOT wait! Not only is he excited for Christmas day, he is excited for the lights, the music, the movies, the food, the decorations, the tree - EVERYTHING! He is definitely a Christmas baby : ) Good thing because his 4th birthday is right after Christmas (December 31st) As a parent, it is so fun to see childhood memories being made and traditions being established. We love you Cam Bam!
Nattie is still rocking speech therapy and is really progressing well. She is now saying several words together and she is becoming easier to understand. The fits are virtually non exsistent now and she is able to say "left out" or "all down sleep" if she is upset. We are so proud of her and cannot believe her progress. Because she isn't fit throwing, her personality is shining!! She is singing now and dancing - her little voice melts me! Her little smile is adorable and always brightens up our lives.
Nat is still obsessed with Toy Story and carries Woody around everywhere. We joke that Woody is our third child! Luckily for us, she now likes a couple more things: Hello Kitty and Peppa Pig! Both are warmly welcomed as Minnie Mouse and Toy Story only go so far!
She is also excited for Christmas, again, doesn't really understand but it is very magical for her. The music is her favorite thing of course! I can't wait to spend a ton of time doing fun things with them this year! We are so blessed to have 2 wonderful kids that are happy and healthy. What more could we ever want!?
Ok, I will try to keep it as short as possible. As some of you know, I have been living with extreme back and hip pain since January of 2014 - yes, you read that right 2014. There was no exact moment or injury that occurred to point to the reason why this horrific pain started. By July of 2014, I was in the Emergency Room because I couldn't stand up with being in severe pain. At the ER, the MD took an Xray and did a physical exam. Everything came back negative and he prescribed me IBprof. I took the IBP religiously like the MD told me, hoping to get some sort of relief. By September, I was back to my General MD complaining of the same severe hip and back pain. The MD did the same physical exam and looked at my ER Xray. She thought I had SI Joint Dysfunction and referred me to Proaliance Orthropedics from a full examination. A week later, I walked into Proaliance (still in severe pain) and was examined by a female PA. She seemed not concerned with my pain and puzzled as to why I was hurting so bad. She looked at my Xray from the ER and referred me over to get a lumbar MRI. After going to get my MRI, I returned to the PA where she informed me that the MRI showed nothing. She recommended that I continue the IBP regiment and come back to see her in a month (For what reason, I have no idea!).
Throughout September, I continued the IBP regiment and returned to the PA at Proaliance. Obviously nothing had changed and my pain level was still severe. She still seemed puzzled and referred me over to Physical Therapy and massage therapy. After 2 months, come back to her for a follow up (Again, for what reason, I have no idea!). I went to PT and massage therapy 3 times a week for 2 months with zero improvement. Like a good patient, I returned to the PA like she requested. She greeted me and seemed to be at a loss. She referred me to get a Nerve Conduction Study done to see if it was a nerve problem. I complied, once again because I needed relief.
I went to the Nerve Conduction Study location in Federal Way. I walk into the tiniest lobby I have ever seen that has several people shoved in. The receptionist has me fill out 10 pages of medical history and begins to make comments as to why I'm there and my history. I asked her to please keep her voice down as everyone in the lobby is listening. She couldn't understand me because she barely spoken English - frustrating. After getting all of my paperwork done, she informs me that they are running an hour late and I had to wait or come back in two weeks. I stayed. After an hour of strangers asking me questions, it was my turn. The specialist was working on another case in the exam room and was openly talking to the assistant and ME about the case before me - SO INAPPROPRIATE! I was immediately uncomfortable and I should have listened to my gut and left right then. The specialist told me to take my pants off and get on the table. She didn't leave, close the door or give me a cover. I asked her to leave and close the door - which she rolled her eyes. After about a minute, the specialist and assistant (both older Indian women) entered the room without my requested cover. They began the test on my cold, exposed body with zero compassion or support. After 2 hours of being poked with needles and having electricity run through them, the torture was over. "Go back to your MD for results." I got into my car and cried.
I returned to my PA and she informs me there was nothing wrong with my nerves. She didn't understand why this pain was still here and determined I have SI Joint Dysfunction (Second time that was diagnosed). She told me to continue to take IBP but this time I disagreed with her as the IBP was destroying my stomach. I now had a stomach bleed because of the IBP and it wasn't giving me any pain relief. The PA said that's all I could do besides a cortisone injection. At this point, I was approaching a year of severe pain. I would do anything to get rid of this pain and the depression that it was causing. I agreed to the injection.
In February, I had my first SI joint cortisone injection done. It was extremely painful (completely awake with very little numbing medication on sight). After the injection, I did have relief!! I was able to stand up straight, bend, play with the kids, have enough energy to do chores and activities and even playdates. I felt like I was back to myself and my depression subsided. Fast forward to May. The pain is back - really back! I called my PA to get another injection (she told me it would only last a couple months and might need to be repeated). Apparently. my PA went on maternity leave and I needed to see someone else. I was irritated that I needed to go to yet another MD and explain my case all over again. I met the new Orthropedist and he agreed that I had SI Joint Dysfunction (really?? I needed to come in again as a new patient?) and recommended another SI Joint Cortisone Injection.
In July, I had my second SI Joint cortisone injection done. Again is was extremely painful and this time, only took my SI joint pain away. My back and hip were in so much pain, I could barely stand up. I went back to the new PA and he said he had no idea why it didn't work and why I'm still in pain. He suggested a IBP regiment and increasing my pilates and yoga routine (Sigh). My depression was insane by now and I thought for sure that this was now my life. I was so upset that I wasn't able to play with Cam and Nat or take them out to play often. It started to effect my relationships and my marriage. I was so miserable.
Between July and October, I saw 3 more MD with absolutely no pain relief, support or recommendations. These MD/PA took a copay every time without helping me and continued to refer me around in circles to one another. I went to over 15 appointment (or more!!). Finally in a last ditch effort to get relief, I decided to visit my friend's Chiropractor. Dr Jay Pearson got me in quickly, warmly greeted me before doing a physical examination. When he told me he would be doing the same exam as the others, I felt irritated and didn't want to comply. After he conducted the same exam, he went over my symptoms for a second time and stopped. He also looked puzzled and said he wanted to do one more test. If this test was positive, I wouldn't like him very much (it would hurt). Jay crossed my leg in an interesting position and pushed down. I screamed "SHIT!" because of the pain (I was SO embarassed!!) and he got a huge grin on his face. He then said these words, I will never forget, "I know what is wrong with you." I felt overwhelmed and hot all of a sudden. This couldn't be happening.... Jay explained to me that he is 99% sure I have a Labral Tear in my left hip. I was confused. I asked him why my lower back hurt so badly and why it was radiating down my leg. Jay said that it was referred pain that was coming from the tear in my hip. I was shocked. I cried. He hugged me and told me that he will help me get fixed.
Jay referred me to get an MRI to confirm before referring me to a surgeon. The MRI confirmed - L LABRAL TEAR IN HIP!!!!!! I called the referred surgeon but couldn't get into a surgical consult until DECEMBER. Jay referred me to another surgeon in Seattle because of the severe pain. I got an appointment! By this time, I was sleeping maybe an hour or so at night. I was nauseous from the pain and could do nothing with the kids. Picking anything up was misery.
The day had come, my surgical consult. The surgeon agreed that I had a tear that would not heal on its own. He recommended getting a cortisone injection in my hip for two reasons: 1 - for instant pain relief and 2 - to support the MRI confirmation of the tear. I was so upset I had yet another hoop to jump through before getting fixed. I had the biggest meltdown I had ever had and could not be consoled. It was one of the darkest moments of my life. The next day I drove back to Seattle and had my injection done - HEAVEN!!!! I had instant relief and cried. For the entire weekend, I had no pain and couldn't believe it. The following Friday, I returned to the surgeon and he confirmed it was the tear causing all my pain and recommended surgery. He told me that my insurance would need to approve it and we could schedule the surgery in a couple days. I was so excited. I know that sounds weird - someone being excited for surgery. But by this time, I was in severe pain for 22 months!!!
A couple days after my consult, I called to see if my insurance approved. I don't want to get into details but things fell apart. I didn't get along with the surgical coordinator and she was rude and pushy with me. I was so overwhelmed and upset. After a week and a half of running around, angry phone calls, lies, extra copays and a lot of tear, my insurance approved the surgery!! The awful coordinator scheduled me for 11-18-15 for my surgery and I couldn't have been happier.
I am now almost two weeks post surgery and I already feel better. The pain in my hip in gone and my lower back pain is gone! I'm not even two weeks out and haven't started PT yet : ) I'm so thankful this awful nightmare is almost over. I still have 4 to 6 months of PT left but I do see the light at the end of this tunnel.
I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me and my family during this horrible time. I had family help watch Cam and Nat, bring us food, flowers, jammies and more. Your support means the world to me and Ryan and we cannot express it enough. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Enough with me, here are this months photos! I hope everyone has an amazing Holiday Season with love, fun and no pain!
HUGS!
