Oh dear. It seems as thought I do have some explaining to do. I'll start with a quick recap of how things became stuck in limbo. There are four orthopaedic surgeons in the country who are considered the best doctors for treating femoral anteversion. After Dr. Philippon sent my scans to Dr. Santore in San Diego, I found out that Dr. Santore is a cash only provider. Since I obviously make a very comfortable, mid-range six figure income as a pediatric nurse, this was of no consequence whatsoever. Ha. Right. That was a non starter considering each surgery with him would likely be upwards of $15K in surgeon's fees. So, I had my scans sent to two other doctors who are qualified to perform derotational osteotomies: Dr. Joel Matta in Santa Monica and Dr. Michael Millis at Boston Children's Hospital. I also called the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to request an appointment with Dr. Robert Trousdale. The Mayo Clinic agreed to take me as a patient but only schedules their doctors 3 months out. So, I was placed on a waiting list with them. With several phone calls over the course of three weeks, I was able to get an appointment in mid March thanks to a cancellation. However, this is for a consultation only and Dr. Trousdale is currently scheduling about 8-10 weeks out for surgery. Dr. Matta reviewed my case and spoke with Dr. Philippon last week. He recommended that Dr. Philippon proceed with the labrum repair and felt that I did not need the derotational osteotomies. You can imagine my joy at finding this out! When I called Dr. Philippon's office to inquire about proceeding ahead with the labrum repair, I was told that somehow the nurse wasn't notified that their original consult, Dr. Santore, had evaluated my case and stated that I absolutely needed the derotational osteotomies and that was the opinion they were sticking with. Feeling cut out of the equation a little bit yet? It gets better. Then there is Boston. Dr. Michael Millis heads the Adolescent and Young Adult Hip Clinic at the Boston Children's Hospital. A tenured Harvard medical school professor, he established the clinic to meet what he felt was a growing need for a clinic that specialized in treating serious hip conditions often not discovered until adolescence or young adulthood. After sending off my scans, I was told that Dr. Millis would accept me as a patient and they simply needed to work out the scheduling. He could do the evaluation and surgery all in one visit. Fast forward three weeks later of me calling every other day before I finally was given a date. Apparently there was some miscommunication and Dr. Millis feels that my case is rare enough it warrants a consultation with a multidisciplinary team. This would include Dr. Millis, a second surgeon who would do the labrum repair (as Dr. Millis would only do the derotational osteotomies), radiologist, physical therapist, and I'm sure some other medical professionals. I have requested that a doctor in the sports medicine department who specializes in treating figure skaters be brought into the group at least for consultation as she can better speak to what I will need to physically be able to skate afterwards. She will also 'speak skater' and will understand that not being able to jump again is non negotiable. (It may be worth noting that in my limited understanding of orthopaedics as a nurse, fracture sites are actually stronger than the rest of the bone once they have healed. Therefore, I can't imagine them saying I wouldn't be able to jump again once everything has healed.) Although it has been quite the headache getting scheduled for this consultation in Boston and I should probably send Dr. Millis's assistant some cookies as an apology for my constant badgering, I do like the idea of sitting down with a multidisciplinary team who can work out a comprehensive plan of action. Additionally, Dr. Millis's assistant has said that they can most likely schedule the first surgery within a week or two of the consultation, should of course, that work with my mom's and my schedules.
So I now have both consultations scheduled, and ironically, they're in the same week. I'll spend March 16-17 in Minnesota, return home for a day (literally) to work a shift and a half, and then jet off to Boston March 19-20. At this point, the Mayo Clinic does not anticipate needing any further testing or imaging and has me scheduled for my consultation with Dr. Trousdale first thing in the morning. I have scheduled my return flight for the evening so that they have the rest of the day to work with just in case. Dr. Millis at BCH will see me on Wednesday March 19 in his office before being evaluated by the multidisciplinary team that he has put together for me on March 20. It'll be a bit of a crazy week and while I initially thought that I wouldn't go to both consultations, I've decided that I want the opinions of the two remaining top four doctors in the country who treat femoral anteversion. Since one of these two will get selected to perform the surgeries, I want to hear what both of them have to say, what their game plan would be, etc. I'll feel better going into this whole ordeal knowing that I have had multiple opinions given on the matter and a full understanding of what I'm signing up for. In a month, I should have a lot more answers, information, and probably most importantly, a surgery date. My left hip is pretty unhappy at this point and I'm very close to going into my kitchen with a knife, nail drill, tweezers and a suture kit and fixing the torn labrum myself. Kidding...sort of.
I need to give a few thank you shout outs before I sign off. First of all, to my Mom who has dealt with me crying on the phone once a week for the last few weeks: thank you for being there and for promising that you'll be with me for the first surgery. I know I'm asking a lot for you to come with me between your work and the kids and having that assurance has been the singe most reassuring and calming thing in the last month for me. Secondly, to my skating pal and her mom who have been staying with me while they shop for a Colorado house: you have been so kind and supportive, particularly on the days where I've been ready to scream at the doctors' offices. Finally, to my coworkers who are working extra or strange hours to cover the shifts I'll miss while traveling to the consultations: I really appreciate it and I appreciate your assurances that you'll rearrange your schedules for the weeks that I'll miss during the first surgery so that the patients are all cared for!
And now all I can do is sit back and wait...updates from Minnesota and Boston as soon I have them!
So I now have both consultations scheduled, and ironically, they're in the same week. I'll spend March 16-17 in Minnesota, return home for a day (literally) to work a shift and a half, and then jet off to Boston March 19-20. At this point, the Mayo Clinic does not anticipate needing any further testing or imaging and has me scheduled for my consultation with Dr. Trousdale first thing in the morning. I have scheduled my return flight for the evening so that they have the rest of the day to work with just in case. Dr. Millis at BCH will see me on Wednesday March 19 in his office before being evaluated by the multidisciplinary team that he has put together for me on March 20. It'll be a bit of a crazy week and while I initially thought that I wouldn't go to both consultations, I've decided that I want the opinions of the two remaining top four doctors in the country who treat femoral anteversion. Since one of these two will get selected to perform the surgeries, I want to hear what both of them have to say, what their game plan would be, etc. I'll feel better going into this whole ordeal knowing that I have had multiple opinions given on the matter and a full understanding of what I'm signing up for. In a month, I should have a lot more answers, information, and probably most importantly, a surgery date. My left hip is pretty unhappy at this point and I'm very close to going into my kitchen with a knife, nail drill, tweezers and a suture kit and fixing the torn labrum myself. Kidding...sort of.
I need to give a few thank you shout outs before I sign off. First of all, to my Mom who has dealt with me crying on the phone once a week for the last few weeks: thank you for being there and for promising that you'll be with me for the first surgery. I know I'm asking a lot for you to come with me between your work and the kids and having that assurance has been the singe most reassuring and calming thing in the last month for me. Secondly, to my skating pal and her mom who have been staying with me while they shop for a Colorado house: you have been so kind and supportive, particularly on the days where I've been ready to scream at the doctors' offices. Finally, to my coworkers who are working extra or strange hours to cover the shifts I'll miss while traveling to the consultations: I really appreciate it and I appreciate your assurances that you'll rearrange your schedules for the weeks that I'll miss during the first surgery so that the patients are all cared for!
And now all I can do is sit back and wait...updates from Minnesota and Boston as soon I have them!
