Hip pain caused by scoliosis...????

[Pooka1]

Jess, did it take 2 months last time for your cortisol to crash? Maybe this is something else.

So sorry. :-(

[mabeckoff]

Welcome back

Melissa

[jrnyc]

i do not remember exactly how long it took last time......
but back then, i had SO much steroid from injections, i think it happened a little sooner...maybe one month...
also, i tried to ignore the exhaustion last time..
stupid me...now i know not to do that...

the good news is i am not as exhausted today as yesterday...
am still tired, but not the "i can't breathe i am so tired" feeling...
i am very relieved about that, but am calling GP tomorrow to request
orders to check cortisol and adrenals...i will see PA if doctor has
no time, just to get orders....am supposed to get all things checked
in 4 more weeks, as i mentioned....but i want to check this now...

thanks for the concern, Sharon, and thanks for the
greeting, Melissa.
jess....and Sparky

[rohrer01]

I'm glad things have improved a little. Hopefully, it will just be a case of a minor "bug" since your immune system is probably compromised from being sick for so long. It's still a good idea to have it checked.

I had a hunch about my potassium, so I asked the doctor to check it. Sure enough it was below normal range. That affects my arrhythmia BIG time. I'm on otc supplements right now, but it's not enough. I'm seeing a new cardiologist next month. I don't know why I'm hypokalemic. It is usually caused by chronic diarrhea or starvation. It's very hard to not get enough potassium. I did have chronic diarrhea for three years after my gallbladder was removed. But I had some pretty severe hypokalemia BEFORE that. I was on Rx strength supplements. Then, I don't know what happened. My Rx ran out and my PCP didn't refill it. Maybe I forgot to bring it up or he wasn't worried about it, I don't remember.

[JenniferG]

Just read this Jess. Fingers crossed it's nothing serious, not Cortisol, and you feel better without treatment. Sorry you've had this scare. Let us know what you find out.

[jrnyc]

thanks, rohr and Jen G...i am not feeling as badly today
either, but i did call my GP and her phones werent working right,
so have to try again Tuesday...but am not as scared as i was Saturday....thank goodness....
am going in to Manhattan Wednesday to see pain doc for
prescriptions for usual pain meds...the 3 hour total trip each way always leaves me exhausted...
thanks for the concern, guys...much appreciated, really.

rohr...sorry you have had so many health problems and scares
to deal with lately...hope the right meds can be worked out so
everything stabilizes.

woofs from me and Spark

[jrnyc]

picked up blood work orders from my GP...
gonna go to lab early this week....Monday probably...she checked
off cortisol, ACTH, thyroid, B12 and a few other things...
i am really most interested in cortisol level...hoping little 20 mg
steroid shot in left hip did not cause level to drop.

rainy and still cold in northeast...miss southern CA, despite
another earthquake out there....

have a good wkend everybody.

jess...and Sparky

[Pooka1]

How are you feeling lately? Are you still very tired?

[jrnyc]

OH OH OH
left hip just started burning again this afternoon...

UGH....why get my cortisol checked this Monday if i will need the
rest of that steroid shot....?
doctor gave me 20 mg shot instead of full shot of 40 mg...
sooooo...i am thinking i could go in April and get the other 20 mg...
gotta call pain doc Monday...i just saw the PA for oral medications
last Wednesday...she asked me about my hip and i said it was
starting to hurt a little bit, but no burning..
uh....i went and tempted the fates!

BUT....why get my cortisol checked now if i am just gonna go
get more steroid...????

Sharon...yes, still tired...just not the worst tired of the
"i cannot breathe i am so tired" variety...just more tired than
usual....my GP thinks it is from taking oral pain meds...

i HATE this bursitis hip thing....the burning is the worst...and the
weather is not nice enough for walking Sparky....once that starts.,
i will NEED another shot!

jess

[rohrer01]

OH OH OH
left hip just started burning again this afternoon...

UGH....why get my cortisol checked this Monday if i will need the
rest of that steroid shot....?
doctor gave me 20 mg shot instead of full shot of 40 mg...
sooooo...i am thinking i could go in April and get the other 20 mg...
gotta call pain doc Monday...i just saw the PA for oral medications
last Wednesday...she asked me about my hip and i said it was
starting to hurt a little bit, but no burning..
uh....i went and tempted the fates!

BUT....why get my cortisol checked now if i am just gonna go
get more steroid...????

Sharon...yes, still tired...just not the worst tired of the
"i cannot breathe i am so tired" variety...just more tired than
usual....my GP thinks it is from taking oral pain meds...

i HATE this bursitis hip thing....the burning is the worst...and the
weather is not nice enough for walking Sparky....once that starts.,
i will NEED another shot!

jess

Silly! So you can be assured that your cortisol is FINE and you'll be able to get another 20mg in the hip when you can't stand the pain anymore.

I've been super exhausted lately, too. I was worried about MY cortisol, but found out last night after an ambulance ride to the ER (sent you a PM) and they did blood work. My hemoglobin went from 11.8 two weeks ago to 10.6 last night!! The doctor thought my GI tract had a bleed because it's so painful to eat (this has been going on for a LONG time and already had endoscopy). There was no occult blood in the stool (gross, right?). So I'm either bleeding somewhere else or something bad is going on. He wanted me to get it checked out ASAP. That's a lot of blood loss in two weeks and I haven't had my cycle during that time. At least I know why I feel like I'm going to drop dead.

The oral pain meds can make you tired, even if you are used to them. However, you've been on them for a very long time. Is this tiredness more than when you first "got used" to the pain meds? Please say no! We worry about you.

Could the Lyme's be coming back? If they didn't kill ALL of those bacteria and just one was dormant and started to multiply,... you know the rest of that story. It seems to me that this is one of the battles that they have with Lyme's Disease. But you would know more about that than me. I'm just guessing.

I hope you feel better!

Hugs and woofs!

[jrnyc]

thanks so much, rohr, for the kind concern...
i think tiredness is part personal stress at home and part oral meds and part ...i don't know what...but you are right...
i will get the blood work done Monday morning, then call pain doc and try to schedule an appointment as soon as i can in April...i
already have scheduled GP appt anyway, originally set for check up and blood work....now i guess i'll keep it, but RE-DO the cortisol again later, AFTER i get another steroid shot...
don't know how fast i can get into pain doc in Manhattan...he
is always so booked....there is one other doc in his office he
lets do steroid shots, and she did mine last time...maybe i can
see her sooner.

i know you have been having health problems of late and i am so
sorry...and worried for you about that blood issue...
i think you have alot of stress in your life and that always adds
to problems...or creates new ones....
sending you private message...

hugs and woofs...
jess...and Sparky

[rohrer01]

Don't you just feel like a living pin cushion sometimes? I literally have track marks from all of the blood draws I've had over the years. I had two complicated pregnancies where they were constantly sticking me. Now that I'm "older" I'm always getting blood work done. But, actually my "older" years pain started at about age 29. I had a few great years in there, but had to be helped along with pain meds off and on. I felt strong, though. I feel weak and almost feeble now. :-(

[jrnyc]

pin cushion...?! heck yeah...
i do not have "good" veins...and because i had to be on IV antibiotics for Lyme tx,
i had to get heparin locks in my wrists, and then i had to get catheter in chest...after they pulled...or cut...that catheter out of me, they put a longline in...
it got infected and i ended up with septesemia (splg?) which almost killed me...had 2 hours of oxygen left in my blood by the time they rushed me to ICU at midnite...
kinda miracle i came out of ICU alive, according to doctor.

rohr...you may feel weak...but i would never think of you as "feeble."
i hope the doctors figure out what is going on with those blood work numbers dropping...and they can then help you.

NOTE.....
just found out that 5.1 quake and latest 4.1 aftershock in southern CA were centered in LaHabra, where my aunt lived....
and i could have sworn i saw aunt's next door neighbor being interviewed on TV station out there....

jess

[loves to skate]

Hi Jess,
I am so sorry for your health problems. I have been away from the forum for months. I don't spend too much time on the computer lately because I have been unusually busy. Take care of yourself and I hope your adrenals are OK.
Sally

[jrnyc]

thanks so much for the good wishes, Sally
i hope you are feeling well and that all the things you
are busy with are happy ones...

and i hope you have not been hit with the snow we see in the south
on TV....spring has to come to NC soon.

jess...and Sparky