I'm Retro AND Hip!

November 22, 2011:

Longest day of my life (okay not really, but it was pretty dreadful), but sooo thankful to have my Mama with me...she makes everything better!  Post-op appointment with my wonderful orthopedic surgeon Dr. Greg Stocks at Fondren Group, Houston, TX.  Pretty straightforward....removed sutures and went over images from the scope.  He didn't really have any new information that was much different than what Big Daddy told me.  He is sticking by his story that the Hip Dysplasia was much worse than he anticipated and that he cleaned up the torn labrum as best as he could, but stopped there to avoid causing any further damage.  He asked me when I was able to get appointment with the 'new' hip doc and I was happy to report "as a matter of fact, TODAY!"  Think he was a little impressed....  I'll admit, I'm a little sad to be leaving Dr. Stocks and moving onward and upward (something like that).  You see, he and I sort of bonded over insurance madness these past several months...trying to get Tricare-Humana Military to approve my surgery in the first place.  Tricare claims that "Debridement with Labral Repair for the treatment of FAI is not a 'proven procedure'" and therefore wouldn't cover it.  Dr. Stocks' assistant said that Tricare was the ONLY insurance they had ever dealt with that wouldn't approve this procedure...but that their Active Duty patients had no problems getting it approved.  So basically, Tricare will take care of the soldier, 'cause it's magically a PROVEN fix for FAI, in order to get them back out in the field.  Yet, somehow it's NOT a proven fix for their spouses.  Interesting, hmm?  *stepping off soapbox*  So, I went through months of appeals with no budge on the part of Tricare, when Dr. Stocks had a brilliant idea!  Just "fiddle" the codes a bit...we're basically doing the same procedure, just wording it a little differently.  And, you guessed it...it was APPROVED within 24 hours.  Crazy!  I sent Dr. Stocks and his precious assistant a beautiful autumn bouquet of flowers to show my appreciation...but really, I can't possibly express my thanks enough!  Without this surgery we would have never known just how bad my hips are, and would have never been prompted to seek out another hip specialist.  God truly works in incredible ways, doesn't He???

So, a quick lunch and off to the 'new' hip doc *drumroll please* Dr. Scott Rosenfeld at Texas Children's Hospital- Hip Preservation Clinic.  Alright we'll just get this part out of the way...'cause I know what you're thinking.  Ummm, didn't she say she was, errrr THIRTY-FIVE???  What on earth is she doing at a children's hospital???  Very, very good question!  Dr. Rosenfeld is a specialist in Hip Preservation in not only children and adolescents, but young (well, younger than 50) adults as well!  And, yes...I WAS the oldest patient in the waiting room.  But, no...I didn't care!  I had sent a very brief email, with an overview of my recent surgery and why Dr. Stocks was sending me to Dr. Rosenfeld, the week earlier.  I heard back first thing Monday morning with a "how soon can you come in??"  So, either he felt this was somewhat urgent...or he just found the case interesting and wanted to get started right away.  Well, either way, I got my appointment and was scheduled as a "work in"...which means I had to wait.  A very, very, very LONG time.  Barely a week post-op, with extremely painful hips, on less than ideal seating with everyone looking at me like "did she take a wrong turn somewhere, 'cause she doesn't look like a kid to me!"....very, very LONG time.  But, at last...they call my name!  It's time!  *more whispers..."dude, she's old and why is she limping, but hey, cute crutches!"*  The man wants xrays.  Seriously?  MORE xrays?  Can he not pick and choose from the plethora of films already taken?  Nope.  Okeedokee... I change into a hospital gown (do they have my size???) and say cheese for the radiology girls.  Then to an exam room.  We're getting closer!  I feel like a dog at the vet's office...my ears perk up with every sound outside the door, until... THE KNOCK.  Lemme tell y'all non-medical people, that's just a little polite "hey, I'm coming in" announcement that we use with patients.  And it's a good litmus test for y'all...  For instance, say your doctor just bursts into the room without "the knock".  First of all, that's just plain rude, but more importantly do you want to work with this guy (yes, it's a guy, women would never do this!) who has no regard for your personal space or respect for your privacy??  I think not!  On the flip side, say you have a doctor that issues "the knock", but waits for a response from you.... this just feels weird to me.  It's not MY office, why would I "invite" him in?  HE'S (again, a woman would never do this either) the doctor!  And apparently a ridiculously busy one, otherwise why on earth have I been in the waiting room for the past TWO HOURS???  So, don't make me wait even more because you need permission from me to enter a room that doesn't belong to me....get in here, buddy and let's get started!  Perhaps that's why the wait is so long...doctors standing out in hallways, waiting for permission from their patients to enter the exam room.  Hmmm...  Luckily Dr. Rosenfeld is a "knock and bust on in" kind of guy.  I like him already... 

Dr. Rosenfeld is a young, happy and chipper man (Pediatrics is clearly a good fit for him)...pretty funny (which I love!) and kinda cute (this doesn't hurt either).  I think Mom wants to ask him if he's got an older single brother....  Ahem!  Helloooo?  Back to the patient!  So, Doc asks me all the general pertinent questions and I try to squish the past 14 years in a few short statements.  Then he looks at my brand spankin' new xrays and begins to measure this and that, all the while explaining what he's doing and what he's looking for.  I'm still impressed.  Then he says "well, if you DO have Hip Dysplasia (I'm sorry...what???) it's mild"  The tears are starting the burn and my heart is getting all flutter-y (remain calm, Amy...breathe).  *then why the heck am I here, why on earth have I hurt for sooo many years, why didn't Doc Stocks complete his surgery when he had the chance and was in there, don't tell me it's nothing and I'm just nuts and there's nothing you can do and have a nice day...don't you even THINK about doing that!!!!*  Luckily I managed to keep all this on the inside and just issued a "deer in the headlights" look instead.  Then he did some more clicking of the mouse and measuring and such and such... *Dude...what's WRONG with me???  Errr, lemme rephrase that.  What's wrong with my HIPS???*  After what seemed like a never-ending dramatic pause...he says "you know what I think is wrong?"  *I know that you better TELL ME before I come unglued!!!*  "You have Retroverted Acetabulum!"...He seems almost excited about this.  Then he attempts to explain through a rather impressive pantomime of hand (acetabulum) over fist (neck of femur) and I try to keep up.  I'm still getting over the "your Hip Dysplasia is mild" and not yet realizing that he's trying to tell me "your hips are even more screwed up than we thought!"  Soooo, Retrovert---WHAT???

Retro AND Hip...just like me!