My Hips Don't Lie

So... Diagnosis from my specialist in Charlotte today is Hip Dysplasia. Kind of more common in older puppy dogs, but I had to go and be special. I was born with this condition and I just didn't know it.  Glad to finally have an explanation for the weirdness I have felt my whole life. Pretty much, my leg bone is not fully in the socket and that's why I've developed painful bone spurs. It's a treatable condition with a couple of very serious surgeries. but it's treatable. Imagine a normal hip socket as a tiny cup with a ping pong ball sitting inside. My hip joint is more like a ping pong ball sliding around on a saucer. 

That's me^

The angles are totally off, if you know anything about hips... Which I didn't until today.

I think the most depressing part, other than not being in any shows,  is that my tattoos will be totally ruined by some wicked scars. They'll have to cut right where my art work lives :-/ but it's gotta be done or I'm looking at a double hip replacement in my 40s-50s. This guy was a second opinion, and I'm going to get a third, but this fella was top notch. He does 15-20 of these surgeries a year and is the only doctor in North Carolina that does them. 

Essentially, they will have to break my hip and put it back together. They will fracture the pelvis above and below the hip joint and then shave off the bone spurs and reset the joints at the correct angle with 4-5 screws per hip.  Each hip must be operated on seperatly. 3-4 days in the Charlotte hospital, 6-8 weeks in a chair/jazzy/crutches, and 6 months on pain meds, anti inflammatory meds, and physic therapy. PER HIP. It's a little devastating. 

Google ganz osteotomy. That's the technical name...

My acting career will obviously be coming to a halt soon to deal with this. I am starring as April in Company at HART in August,  because I've dreamed of being in that show my whole life.  and then we are getting married in November... then I'll star and co-produce in one more dream role in January with my dear friends. And then... I will be tackling this beast... Probably starting in February next year.

Our wedding has now become a 100% DIY, donation based, byob, you-betta-eat-before-you-come event. It's saddening a little, but we've already faced the fact that it was gonna be tight. Now calling all friends with any kind of heart for donating their services. It's about our love and us... And we're more worried about me walking like a normal person. We will take a honeymoon later, when I'll have screws in each side of me and I'm pissing off every metal detector on the way to our vacay. It's totally on the back burner because this is going to be astronomical, even with insurance. And we haven't even paid off my last hospital visit... Whoops. 

I've been sick my whole life almost... And it's never stopped me. But this is the first time I've been forced to take a break. And such a long one too. I'll be in a new character age bracket by the time I've recovered... Lol. Guess it's time to start working on my album.