The Hip Saga Continues

 On Wednesday I visited Dr. Skeehan again, this time for a gel injection.  Once again, he was very kind and solicitous about trying to make me comfortable and tolerating the pain.  It was not bad at all.  I told him I was tough and had three babies without much medication and he replied, “Say no more!” Sadly, these gel injections are not covered by insurance for hips, just for knees, so Jim had to go to the front desk with our credit card before anyone could proceed.  

The strange thing is that even though there is gel inserted into the joint, there may be no relief for two weeks!  When we got home, I wondered how this could be true so of course, I googled “Why is there a delay in relief with gel injections for hips?” And yes, this is what happens.  Apparently, it needs to work with one’s own body’s mechanisms.  So I will have to be patient and wait for better mobility and less discomfort.  The best results could be at two months and one can have another injection after six months. 

What gave me some peace of mind is that one cannot even consider hip replacement surgery for three months due to the danger of infection, I guess.  So I don’t have to wonder if I should be thinking of that step.  I just have to be a patient patient!  

Today I asked Jim if we could drive down to the entrance to the canal near Eno Terra and I could walk just a bit there.  We did—and I managed at least to get across the parking lot and see the water.  It was lovely but that was far enough for today.  It’s a beautiful Labor Day and we have spent a lot of it watching the Mets win and now watching the Phillies.