Sunday, October 25, 2009

I Will Survive


I am letting people know about what has happened to me with the hope that it saves anyone who reads this blog or there friends from going through my horrible experience. I am not looking for sympathy and am not doing it because of the poor me's but I just hope it saves someone from having to go through the misery I am going through.
To give you a bit of history I am a 48 year old male who has a severe case of osteoporosis. 8 weeks a go I was helping my partner lift a ladder and when we where done I had a sharp pain in my hip. The next day the pain was worse so I saw my doctor and she referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who x rayed my back and hip and then did a MRI. His conclusion was that there was no breaks and just a slightly herniated disc that should calm down and I would be fine. Over the next 8 weeks I returned to see the doctor 3 times and was in excruciating pain. I was only able to walk a couple steps using two canes, without stopping because of the pain. The most sleep I got in a night during the 8 weeks was 2 hours a night. Finally on my third visit to the doctors I stressed that I could not go on with the pain I was in and she told me there was no reason for the pain it was just in my head. I did not leave the appointment and insisted on how serious it was and that she has 5 days to find out why I was in so much pain. She finally agreed to send me for a nuclear bone density scan of my body. Last Thursday I had my scan and they found that my hip is indeed broken. I see the surgeon today to find out what they are going to do about it. I called my osteoporosis specialist and told him what had happened and he told me that he has had a few cases in his practice where this has happened. I cannot begin to explain the hell I have gone through in the past 8 weeks with pain. It is something I want to try and save anyone I know from.
My reason for telling you this is if you have osteoporosis and you think you have broken something because of the pain, if they do an x ray and a catscan or MRI and do not come up with a satisfactory answer insist on a nuclear bone scan as it will find things the other tests can miss. This also goes for other health problems if you do not get a satisfactory answer insist on more tests or second opinions until you get the proper answer. Remember it is you we are talking about here and you are worth it.
Update:
The top of my femur bone is not getting enough blood to grow. I go for a MRI on Saturday October 31 and then see my surgeon on November 5 to decide which surgery I need. If it is a small area of the bone they will try drilling holes in the bone to increase blood flow but the surgeon feels that what is going to happen is a full hip replacement. This is complicated by my severe osteoporosis. I will update next Thursday.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Rock and Gem Show




A hobby that Gregg and I have is collecting rocks, semi-precious stones and fossils. We went to a show a couple of weekends a go and found a vendor with very reasonable prices and where able to add some interesting pieces to our collection. I was very happy to be able to purchase this large piece of Desert Rose that measures about 12" long x 8" deep x 7" high. It is so nice to have a rock specimen large enough to use as a table centre piece and conversation piece. Below is a short slide presentation of some other pieces that we purchased to add to our collection.


I hope you enjoyed the show and keep and eye on this blog for future shows of our Rock, Gem and Fossil collections. Happy tatting everyone and be sure to mention this blog to your friends.



Sunday, October 11, 2009

I Believe

Well after reading about it on many tatters blogs and hearing what a big difference it made in being able to be able to see there tatting more easily. I did a lot of research and and tried the ott-lite in the store and read a lot off the user reviews on the Internet



I made the big move and bought an Ott Lite. All I can say is I am a believer and why did I not buy this years a go. This light is everything and more that people say it is. It is amazing how much better you can see the thread with this light. All I can say is go ahead treat yourself, you deserve it and you will be so happy you did. The reason I choose this model is because it took the highest watt bulb and stood over my shoulder out of the way.