Dr. called. Will call back in 10. Please come down.
BR wasn't sure which doctor had called. When the phone rang, it was the Which doctor. The MRI showed a sacral insufficiency fracture (SIF), which would explain the new hip pain. These fractures usually occur in older women with osteoporosis. <Insert "BR gets all the lady problems" joke here.>
The doctor offered a couple options: bed rest or sacroplasty. The latter is a new procedure, and he is only one of two doctors that perform it here in town. He did warn us that the insurance company will likely consider the procedure experimental, and hinted at finance options should we decide to proceed without insurance approval.
From our insurance company:
Percutaneous sacroplasty is considered investigational and not medically necessary for all indications.The Which doctor says that even after the fracture heals, the pain may persist, requiring sacroplasty anyway. Other sources say that 90% of patients get better with bed rest and limited weight-bearing activities.
[...]
Standard treatment for SIF includes bed rest, limited weight-bearing activities, oral analgesics, and sacral corsets. Improvement of symptoms may take as long as 12 months.
For now, I think we'll go the bed rest route, and look into treating BR's osteopenia, which was diagnosed a few years back, even before the MS. If the pain doesn't improve over the next few weeks, sacroplasty can still be performed.
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3 comments:
Hi Steve,
A good result hope the insurance company cooperates and BR gets relief from his pain.
Hope today is a good day for you both.
Love,
Herrad
Steve - had missed your last 3 or 4 posts being in my own funk and not checking anyone's blogs (including my own). I hope BR gets good rest and avoids sores under Jordan's care. And, that your trip is both useful for work and for your respite.
I hate this f*cking disease.
Hi Herrad - BR reports that his pain level has gone down with just a couple days of bed rest. He's now as restless as a willow in a windstorm.
Hi Cranky - It's gotta be the worst thing to want to help, yet know there is nothing more to be done to improve the situation. To be the target of so much love and so much vented frustration. Fuck you, MS!
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