Hip New Doctor

Or.... New Hip Doctor.





So as you all know I have my hip problems. At last year's appointment my doctor pretty much told me to go on with life until I needed a hip replacement. It wasn't very helpful. I was so disappointed. He also told me to get my right knee checked out as he was pretty sure that was what was causing my continued hip pain. Well, after my knee is all said and done the hip has still been bothering me.





I have recently resigned to the fact that I will always limp and I will always be handicapped. That was a big step for me. It is hard for someone to admit that they will never lead a "normal" life. For me it was watching my sister's wedding video. It was so hard to watch. After that I just lost it!!! I sobbed uncontrollably for probably 20 minutes. Poor Josh didn't quite know what to do. However, at that point I accepted that I have to live with the body that I have got and there really isn't anything that we can do about it.





So this summer the left side of my lower half has started to bother me. So after talking to my wonderful therapist Marc we decided that it would be a good call to have Dr. Graf check out my knee and to visit the doctor that my hip surgeon referred me to keep an eye on the hips. As all doctor's in the UW system it takes about 2 months to get in when you are a new patient. So my wait was finally up last week.





I went to my appointment with Dr Illgen not quite knowing what to expect. In all honesty I was expecting the same brush off that I got from my surgeon. I was just going to be happy with someone looking at my left side and telling me not to worry or see you in a year. I was surprisingly mistaken. I LOVE DR ILLGEN!!!! If I weren't happily married I would marry him! The whole demeanor of my appointment was relaxed and studious. There was no abrupt decisions or shock factor. The Dr spent most of the time studying every x-ray that I have had taken over the past 2 years and watching the evolution of my hip joint. He didn't neglect my feelings. He was straight but gentle with me about my hip. He told me that within the next several years that I would need a hip replacement. My right hip has degraded so much even in the last year. He wants to watch my hip very carefully and make smart moves. Because I am so young I have a lot of time ahead of me (so I hope) so the plan has to be laid carefully. We talked about how to include a family in this and different steps depending on how things go. I walked out of that appointment feeling better than I have in a long time.





The first time I walked out of Dr. Mann's office I cried! This time I cried too but, for joy! For finding someone that I loved so much that can help me along this crazy path that I have been on. Someone to validate what I was feeling. I never knew that I needed that validation until last Friday. Until Dr Illgen told me that "If he had to live with a hip like mine he would cry everyday." What kind of Dr tells you that? A compassionate one. One who wants to help. One that you can truly believe in.

My $100,000 Leg

I have been meaning to write for a couple weeks now. I looked at the date and cannot believe that it has been a month since I posted. I guess that is because time has flown.

I have been trying to start this exercise regimen. Well actually, I am successful at half of it I guess. My WONDERFUL therapist Marc has an exercise regimen set up for me. I am to ride my bike one day, walk the next and take the following day off. Rinse and Repeat. My goal is 5 miles biking and 3 miles walking. Well I am 1.5 miles away from the biking goal and think that I will reach that. However, the walking thing just isn't going well. I just don't think that I like walking. It is too slow and boring for me. I am only up to 1.2 miles and cannot seem to get past that. I have been Nordic Walking. It is really great for cardio and it works your tummy and your legs so that is a bonus. It is just too hot for me to do this. I get hot and "melt" as my mom calls it and I just feel like I am going to die. I am not, but I feel like it.

The thing is I need this success to move on with my life. I love Marc dearly! I am so happy that I found him as a therapist but, I need to move on. I need to get past this chapter of my life and move onto the next. A year ago I was more than ready to get onto bigger and better things and then my knee started bothering me. This year, I keep living in fear of the next pain, the next problem. This is such a fear I think that I am having a hard time moving past it. I have started to notice little twinges and small pains in my left hip and knee. I panic because I am just waiting for the floor to drop out from under me. Waiting to hear that I need surgery on that side too. I feel like I have been limited for so long. That I am always going to be that way, like I will never be able to lead a normal life. I want to be able to not worry about my body. I want to be able to do things normal people do.

Marc is really starting to prepare me for life without him in it. He is advising me on my future. The fact that I can NEVER stop exercising. I have to keep moving, whether it is biking, walking, swimming or all of the above. I think that I can do that but then not doing it is so easy. I have to remember to push myself. To say "OK, it is exercising time. Lets get out there." It is a hard change to make. I don't know why I keep fighting it!

A+ in Therapy

One of my major concerns, and reason for withdrawal these past couple months, has been my knee. I had intended to write while I was off recovering from my surgery. However, my body had different plans for me. The day or two after surgery my leg started popping. Popping like it did before surgery. As you can imagine this hit me really hard. Here I was going through this painful experience and then to feel my knee pop just like I had never had surgery, was very hard to deal with. I knew that it was making me an unpleasant person to be around. I just ignored that and pressed on. It wasn't until three weeks ago at therapy that I lost it. I am glad I lost it there instead of my doctor's office the next day. However, losing your composure is something you really don't want to do.

My therapist Marc is WONDERFUL! I am so glad that we have found each other. He has been fantastic in helping me recover from my hip surgery and guiding me through my knee surgery. That day he went through and showed me how my knee was recovering. He pointed out the problems but showed me the promising things and told me to keep working and things would be getting better. That day I made a promise to myself to really try hard and work hard in the pool and do my exercises at home. I have kept that promise to myself and worked on things at home and pushed myself hard at the pool. I have seen a difference in my strength in fact I climbed 2 flights of stairs this weekend on my own. That is something that I haven't done in over 2 months.

I haven't seen Marc in a couple weeks because we have been alternating between him and his assistant and then he went out of town. Now I have to great guys looking out for me. In fact I was walking in the therapy room today and his assistant was watching me too. Marc told me that I have made the most progress since my surgery in the past three weeks. He was very happy with what I was able to do. He still notices some limp and snapping back of my knee but overall much better. I am so happy that I have been able to accomplish this. I really hope to keep it up and to not have anything else go wrong!

Temporarily Speechless

I am taking a break.... We have been busy around the house. Work has been insane. I am enjoying the silence.

I will be off for knee surgery Feb 8th-16th. Maybe I will be up to talking by then. So many things in my head I just don't have the energy to type them up.

See you soon!

Finally an Answer!

Well today's Dr's appointment was a complete 180 from last weeks. The MRI went well. I didn't have to go into the machine as far so I wasn't so claustrophobic. I got in to see my doctor with little waiting even though I was almost 2 hrs early. When I scheduled my appointment the receptionist told me to come straight over and check in and I would be seen. So I read only 1 magazine this time. I had an athletic trainer see me instead of tweedle dee and tweedle dum that I saw last week. She even let me know where I was in the line up after I had been sitting there for a little while.

First of all the fact that my knee cap is multipartite is right. BUT it is MUCHO multipartite. The top corner of my knee cap is in a bunch of little pieces held together by cartilage. The doc said that my knee looked solid and that he wasn't sure where the popping was coming from. He felt that scoping my knee would be a waste of time because he would probably get in there and see nothing. He did however prescribe a fancy knee brace for me to wear. The brace isn't all that cumbersome, but it is sweaty. I see my therapist tomorrow and he should be able to give me some further guidelines about when and how long to wear this contraption. So know we can go house hunting without worry of me being off work again for my knee.

Let's see what Dr Mann says about my other hip in November. Let's hope that he has messed with me enough for now. I know that I initially wanted to have the other hip done right away. I am however very nervous about having both sides of my body weakened. I have enough trouble lifting my right leg up I don't want to be unable to do that with both legs. Not right now. I can live with the other hip for now.

Incompetence at it's finest

As you know my knee has been bothering me for a little while now. So I was looking forward to seeing my knee doctor. Well I went to the Dr.’s office yesterday and it was a nightmare. I had to wait in the waiting room for a little while as usual. Then I went into the exam room and spoke with the nurse. The nurse took my medical history and left me for the residents. The residents came in 15-20 minutes later. They asked me all the questions and jerked my knee around every which way and back. They left talking of x-rays and talking to my Dr. Then I sat, I read 2 magazines. I was getting pretty frustrated and was getting ready to poke my head out of the door when the residents and my doctor came in. My Dr. asked if I just came back from x-ray and I said “No. I was never sent to x-ray.” Then the Dr left the room for a bit to determine what to do and yell at the residents. So he came back in and said that he wouldn’t waste anymore of my time and asked about my problems. He popped me up on the table and jerked my knee around some more. He told me that he wanted an MRI done on my knee. When I had my MRI, I was to have the x-rays that weren’t performed during that visit. I was sent on my way. Or so I thought. I got out to the front desk and the receptionist informed me that I didn’t have the proper paper work and they stuck me back in my little room to fill it out. I could then go on my way. From what the receptionist was saying I determined that the residents had just rotated from the spine clinic. So they were new and had little knowledge of how the sports med clinic worked. I did not get my x-rays due to confusion of who was supposed to send me to x-ray.

So after an hour and a half at the Dr.’s office I have no answers. I do however have an MRI and x-rays scheduled for next Wednesday the 13th!

My Fashionable New Accessory

Today I went to visit my physical therapist. It was a much anticipated visit because my knee has been giving me problems for a while and it seems in the last month that it has gotten worse. I don't know if that is because I have been using it more this month or if it was because my alignment is all off. I have been tempted to just call my knee doctor and tell him what was going on. I didn't want to do that without talking to some sort of medical professional because if this could be fixed by therapy that would be wonderful. I think that I really threw my therapist for a loop because of the amount of pain that I have been experiencing with my knee. I told my therapist that I really feel that is where my weakness in my right leg is rather than in my hip. My therapist really screwed around with my knee today and I am VERY sore! I found out that I have a multipartite patella. That means that the knee cap is in more than 2 pieces. I now have a new, VERY fashionable taped up knee to make sure that my knee cap stays in the right spot. I have to tape it up daily and remove and night. I am sure that I will have to ice it too. This makes me feel really stupid. What I really have to say about the situation is it is SUMMER for crying out load! I wear shorts and skorts a lot! I am going to look like a big DORK walking around with tape on my knee. I will try to wear capris at work so that I don't have a big loser arrow pointing at me. I guess I will look like a dork until further notice.

I will see my therapist in a week to see if the taping is helping, then I will see my knee guy, Dr Graf on the 6th of September. I wish that I could be normal. I really do!!

Nap Time

I am so tired I don't know what to do with myself. Since I have been back to work I have been wiped out everyday. Being at the pool 3 times a week tends to wear me out. This is my pool workout:
15 minutes water walking
10 minutes skipping
8-10 minutes side lunges with wings (walking sideways, not crossing legs, wings are to provide resistance)
3 reps of 20 step-downs/leg
2 reps of 20 hip side to sides (in and outs)
5 reps/leg of balancing on one leg for 30 seconds

Then the other 4 days a week I do these at home:
2 reps of 15 bridges with squeezing ball between my knees.
5 reps of balancing on L leg for 20 sec
3 reps of 10 side steps with resistance band around ankles
2 reps of 10/leg skaters touch (touch backs) with resistance band around ankles
3 reps of 8 side leg lifts with resistance band around knees
10 reps of tummy suckers holding 10 secs/lift. These suckers are hard if not damn near impossible.

I have piles of books to read no wonder I can't get to them huh? Things are getting easier, but I am definitely keeping busy with it all. The bonus is that between all the pool stuff and not snacking so much at work I am starting to lose weight again. I pretty much maintained my weight (within 5lbs) while I was off. Which I am proud of, but now I am at the low end of what I was right after surgery.

Frustration

Today I had my 3rd therapy appointment with my new therapist, who I will only have for one more appointment. She is leaving the beginning of March, she is an intern and that is when her internship ends. Then I will have to switch to the guy who helped to evaluate me. He seems very kind and easy spoken. I don't need someone who is harsh.

My frustration has nothing to do with my therapist, I have found at the therapists I have had wonderful and supportive. I don't think that I could have asked for anyone better. The problem is my body. Since I have developed as I have and walk the way I have for so long I am getting frustrated at it. I have problems with my toes pointing out all the time. Now my hips aren't aligned straight. I have REALLY had to work on my stomach muscles!!! Talk about HARD! I think that I am going to have a 6 pack by the time I am done with this.

I am beginning to be frustrated at my lack of progress. I have progressed pretty regularly. My therapists have always been pleased with my progress. I was able to show them weekly how much better I have become. Now I don't make enough progress in a week, I have to go every other week. I know that I should see it as look how far I have come. It just means that we are getting to the fine tuning. Which is great! As many of you know the fine tuning is often the hardest part because you have to tinker and prod and poke and try and figure out what to do to make it all run as it originally did. You tinkerers know the frustration I feel it is only worse because it isn't an engine or car, it is your body, you use it for everything. If it doesn't run right you know.

Another Day of Therapy

Today I had therapy. I have been looking forward to today's session because we were visiting the lap pool. My therapist asked during my initial consultation if I was interested in pool therapy. I whole-heartedly said "yes". Even though I almost drown at a young age I love the water. I can swim, I just don't do well on my front. Partially due to a fear of not being able to breath.

I made the appointment weeks ago and looked forward to it since. The therapy wasn't anything too exciting. I was just happy to be in the pool. My therapist wants me to work out in the water 1-2 times weekly for 30-45mins per visit. I was actually surprised that I wasn't all that tired after swimming a few laps. I was however pretty worn out by the time that I put on my clothes to leave. For the first time in days I felt like I needed my walker.

My therapist said that I looked good using my cane and that I was walking better. She also said that if I practice walking in the pool without "waddling" my limp should go away faster. So I continue to be encouraged at therapy. Each week I gain strength and walking stamina. Soon I will be among the walking again.

D-day

Today is the day. The day that I have been waiting for and dreading with every cell of my being. I am sitting here in my towel starving. I know that I wouldn't usually be hungry at 4am, but just knowing that I cannot eat makes it all worse! I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous, but I know that this is all for the best. No pain, no gain right? Keep me in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple weeks. I will be home on Sunday. I hope that I can write a post soon after I get home!

See you on the flip side!

The Idiot with the Harpoon

I had to give 2 pints of blood prior to my surgery. I gave on the 3rd. I gave myself a break and gave the other pint today. I am a pretty regular blood donor so I give blood as often as I can. We aren't rich people so helping out by giving blood is a small thing that I can do to help! So I eagerly agreed to donate blood for my surgery. I would rather get blood from myself instead of someone else.

A co-worker of mine is also having surgery next month and is self donating. We went on the same day the first time that we donated. So we had the same nurse draw our blood. We both agreed that this woman wasn't quite right. She donated earlier this week and had a different nurse. I went yesterday and had the same dimwit!

I had blood drawn earlier this week for my work up at the hospital so my right arm was bruised. She thought that we should use the left arm instead. I thought "Ok, I have had problems in the past maybe this will be different!" She put the needle into my arm. The blood wasn't freely flowing. She proceeded to move the needle around in my arm. She pushed it in further and pulled it out. The thought of it now makes me gag. I almost passed out from her moving it around so much. On top of it they may not be able to use that pint of blood because it took so long to collect!!!! So I was pretty frustrated.

The Waiting Game

Are you as sick of hearing about my surgery as I am talking about it? I am sick of talking about it but I get questions daily from people about how my hip is feeling and asking details of the surgery. The thing is right now. I don't think that there is a day I am not in pain. I wake up in pain every morning. It doesn't really matter how I sleep. It happens. It is especially bad if I wake up on my right side. Which happens more often than I would like. I cannot control the rolling over that I do at night.

What a difference a year makes! A year ago I was worrying about the wedding. I was droning on about the wedding blahs.... believe me I checked! I was complaining about my messy house and all that I do is wedding stuff. One year later same story different event! Except my house is messy because it is difficult for me to clean it. I can do some things but I pay for it later. So sometimes I feel like why even do it? I called and checked on the couch. Slumberland said that it should be arriving there around the middle of the month. Which is in a week or so. Hopefully they keep up their end of the bargain.

Anyway. Have a good weekend. We are attending game night at a co-worker's house tomorrow and not really doing much on Sunday. We shall see. The Slackers play at noon. Maybe we will watch it! Maybe.....

A Little Light Reading

Since Josh worked last night I did some reading up on my upcoming surgery. I also think that it is important to be well informed about what people are doing to your body. So, I did what any scientist would do and did some research. I found several papers. I found a handout from a Dr in California that is an expert in the field. The handout was written VERY well. It explained the surgery, the recovery. It confirmed that yes I would have a catheter (something I have dreaded since being a CNA. Thank God I am not a man!!). I also found out that after surgery they leave a epidural catheter in your back to help with the pain management for 1-2 days post-op. Sometimes they put you into ICU post-op to watch you in those delicate hours after surgery. The pamphlet says that the 3rd day you should be up and walking. This really comforted me. I thought WOW! 3 days I really won't need the help at home I will be fine. Yeah!

Well this morning I decided to complete my search while wasting some time at work. I am having a slow week! I found a website that scared the shit out of me! It is a forum for people who have and will have Ganz Osteotomies or Periacetabular Osteotomies as they are called. The people on there are real. They aren't some doctor trying to sooth you. They feel that you should know the truth to prepare yourself for this surgery. There was one woman who has a horror story to tell and she told anyone who would listen. You tell yourself that she is the exception not the rule. She had an awful doctor to begin with. All I know is that everyone says the first week is the worst pain that you can imagine. You are unable to lift your leg into bed on your own accord. That a toilet seat is a must. We are getting the handheld shower head and chair. They were all 8 weeks not weight bearing. Some drove in 3 weeks. I am hoping for the best! I am not sitting here crying about it. I feel as though the knowledge that I have gained is a weapon. I am aware of it and can prepare myself for it as best as I can!

Ganz Osteotomy

That is the procedure that I am having done. To read about it check here and here. This will be done on November 1st! I haven't quite gotten a hold of this concept yet. I am really not looking forward to surgery. But it NEEDS to be done and I will be better in the long run. Hopefully hip replacements are a lot less cumbersome in the future. I will have to have one!!!

Sorry I forgot!

Here is what I found out at the dr appointment.

As you know I have been having problems with my right hip this summer. I found out that I have congenital hip dysplasia. The best way do describe it is by the pictures below. The picture on the left is of a normal hip. The picture on the right is of a hip with dysplasia. I do not have to deal with the bone spurs as shown in the pictures. I do however have a tear in the labrum (the cartilage that lines the hip socket). The tear may partially be due to the shallow acetabulum. The area that is torn is where the acetabulum is now (pic on right). The Dr feels that the tear may be due to the pressure on the hip in this area because the acetabulum does not cover the whole hip joint.

I am scheduled for surgery on November 2nd. At this time it will only be an arthroscopic surgery. Therefore it is less invasive than regular surgery. This may change however. On the 12th of this month I have to meet with a pediatric orthopedic doctor. The reason I have to meet with a pediatrician is because this disorder is more common in young children. My doctor is concerned that the pressure on my hip that caused this tear may cause another one in the future. The tear may occur again because the pressure on my hip is in a location where it shouldn't be. In a normal hip the pressure is on the bone not the cartilage. Therefore labral tears happen due to injury not due to change in pressure on the joint. The doctor on the 12th will determine if a lengthening of the acetabulum is necessary. If so the surgery will definitely be more invasive with a longer recovery time. The doctor does not think that this will be the case but he wants to check everything out first as he doesn't want to have me return in 6 months with the same complaint.
I know that this is 2 more months in pain. At this point I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I see that there is going to be an end to the pain. I have an idea of when and I have something to look forward too. The doctor said that surgery may be moved up. This is good or bad in my mind. As you may or may not know I am headed to Seattle for a conference at the end of October. I do not want to do anything to jeopardize that trip. However if I can be cleared to travel I may be able to do it earlier. At this point I am not counting on this as I don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

So this is what I am dealing with at the moment. I ask you to think of us over the next 2 months. I have been in a LOT of pain and it is making me hard to live with. If we get together be patient with me. It takes me twice as long to walk places as it used to. If I am snappy I don't mean to be. It is only me dealing with the pain that I am in. I am trying to keep a sunny disposition, but that doesn't always work!

D-day

Today is D-day!!!! Doctor day!!! I am very excited at the fact that in a little over 7 hours I will be in the Dr's office. I know that sounds crazy just happy to be in a Dr's office! All the guys at work have been on my butt about being an old lady. Especially since I am looking forward to a Dr's appt. I will be back later this afternoon to tell you all about it!!!! Think happy thoughts at 2:30 this afternoon. Cross your fingers and toes for me!!!

Where did this week go?

I have been crazy busy this week. Each day at work I think "Oh I will have 10 minutes to type something up." End of the day, where did the time go? I get home eat my sugar-free Jell-O and start supper. Let me tell you this dieting thing takes up a crazy amount of time. In the time it takes to measure all of the ingredients, cook it, clean up, do the dishes and get tomorrow's lunches ready two warring factions could fight the war and negotiate a peace treaty. I honestly spend 3 hours a day now in the kitchen. The time has paid off 7lbs down. Too many more to go. But that is a start. I can already tell that my clothes are fitting better. Enough about that!

A week from yesterday I go see Dr. K. I am more than excited about this. I am starting to feel like a kid in anticipation of going to the first day of school. I will be bouncing around on the 1st and ppl will think, wow she is as giddy as a school girl. I think that I have cried all the tears and am ready to move on. Although there are momentary collapses, they are less frequent. Josh has learned that there is nothing that he can do but hold me and love me. Which he is really getting good at. I have tried staying off the drugs. I know it is crazy sounding. But I have learned to tolerate the day to day pain. So I only take them when the pain is more than I can take. I can hobble around. I don't need to screw up my liver by taking all of those painkillers. I am saving that for the alcohol!! ;)

We are off to Mitch-ah-palooza this weekend in South Wayne. We are hoping for minimal rain and nice weather. The forecast is highs on 80 and 62 at night. That will be really nice sleeping weather. We have all of our camping stuff in the spare. I hope Josh's car has enough room for it all!!! Have a great weekend!!!!

Oh Good to See you Again

I feel like I am always apologizing for not writing. It has been a very tough week. I have been in a LOT of pain. I have been living on painkillers. I have only taken one Vicodin and that was Tuesday night and I was snowed the first half of Wednesday. I pretty much walked around in a daze until I ate at 11:30. I cannot do that to myself unless it is really worth it. And I had swept, mopped and vacuumed that night so I was in really rough shape. When Josh got home I made him hold me and I cried into his shoulder. A good cry being held by the one that you love can make everything all better. At least that it would seem that way.

There is only so much pain that someone can suffer without losing it. I have been on the edge all week. All I have to say is poor Josh. I am cranky more than I am happy. Sometimes I think that I should just go straight to bed when I go home. But then I know that Josh would starve or gain 20 pounds from going out to eat all the time because I wasn't cooking.

On a different note. I went and saw baby Olivia this weekend. She is adorable. When I get my camera back from my mom I will post pictures of her on here (with her mother's permission of course). She is adorable!!! She had beautiful big blue eyes!! She is darling. I always feel uncomfortable when I hold a baby for the first time. It takes me a little while to figure out what they like, what soothes them, how to get them to stop crying. All of that stuff. So at the beginning of the day I want to give the baby back. But by the end I am ready to bounce and sway and play. Still not ready for my own because I was glad to hand her back when I left. I know that motherhood is beautiful and rewarding. I am just to ready for my life to change that much.

Finally, we took Ben to the airport on Sunday so he could fly back to Ft. Drumm. It was sad to see him go. We found out on Sunday that he is leaving for Iraq sometime next week. I haven't agreed with this war since the beginning. I never understood why "W" thought that this was necessary. I just think that he wanted to finish what his daddy had started. Which is the absolute worst excuse ever. Reports have shown there weren't any WMD's, our excuse to be there. I see absolutely no justification for the US to be there. NONE! How can George Bush sleep at night knowing he has killed so many innocent people. Not only Iraqis, but US soldiers and civilians. I guess it hits closer to home when a family member goes. Josh's family whole-heartedly supports this. How can they? Josh argues that they are "pro-soldier" not pro-war. I guess that I don't see it that way. Something that the father of one of the soldiers killed said really rings true.

"Two weeks ago, Augie had called home from Iraq after spending 26 days in the field. They had not heard from him for five weeks, and their son's voice seemed to reflect a change in his convictions about the war.

"When he first arrived in Iraq in March, he was full of optimism about what his good intentions could accomplish," Paul said.

But Augie's enthusiasm eroded over time, and his father said he will never forget what his son told him.

"The closer we are to departure, the less 'worth it' this has become," Augie said.
In a way, Paul was heartened by his son's words.

"When you first get there, you think everything's hunky-dory," he said. "But after four operations, the insurgents were still there. He didn't think they were having any effect. I heard him and thought, 'Well, the bloom is off the rose.' I was opposed to this war before it even started, and my son is a sharp kid."

He caught himself.

"Was," he said, as he started to sob. "My son was a sharp kid. ""

Movin' on Up

I received a phone call today. By the way having a last name like honer makes in hard to type phone. It always comes out phoner. The call I got was from the nurse at Dr. B's office. She said that she noticed a cancellation in the Dr. K's schedule for the 1st of September. Which if you remember is almost 2 weeks sooner than my original appointment. She also told me that she will keep an eye open for any further cancellations. I am so excited. Too excited for words!!!!!!