Introducing my latest diagnosis: Arthritis of the right hip

You know you’re in trouble when your orthopedist uses words like “sclerosis.”

After several excruciating months of pain, I was exactly where I needed to be: Gillette Lifetime Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota. I’d been dealing with hip and lower back pain since early spring, and though physical therapy seemed to be helping, I was still taking Celebrex (celecoxib) on a daily basis. Everything pointed to a mechanical issue, but my neurologist suggested a visit to orthopedics just to be on the safe side.

I was more than happy to oblige. Sports medicine, while certainly helpful, wasn’t the slam dunk I’d been hoping for. So it was that, on a steamy Monday morning, a few hectic weeks after moving for the first time in my life, my mom and I drove the 40-something minutes to downtown St. Paul.

I was nervous. I always am leading up to an appointment, even if it’s something as mundane as a checkup. But I was also excited. Finally, after months of uncertainty, I was going to get answers. Finally, after months of day-by-day medicating, I was going to put a plan in motion.

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The old rigamarole

Check-in went as expected. No new medications, no new symptoms, no travel outside the U.S. Was I in pain? Why yes, yes I was. A nurse dropped by to take some notes, and together, my mom and I relayed the whole sorry story. Dislocated hip since birth. Suspected sacroiliac (SI) joint pain since 2024. Sciatica, if my physical therapist and neurologist had anything to say about it. Spinal fusion when I was 7 1/2. Yes, I was young, and yes, it traumatized me about as much as you’d expect from a life-threatening surgery.

When the orthopedist arrived, I was immediately at ease. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there’s just something about Gillette. I never feel safer than I do while sitting in those clean, bland rooms. After 29 years of explaining SMA to every medical professional I came in contact with, it’s a relief to sit back and let someone else take the lead; every single one of them knows what they’re doing, and thank God for that.

A quick questionnaire and a few stretches confirmed what I’d suspected for a while: it wasn’t SI joint dysfunction, or if it was, it was more complex than your average Joe’s presentation. The orthopedist drew a Venn diagram and, with no small amount of fanfare, put me smack dab in the middle. Some problems, she said, are very obvious; others are not. In my case, we had to play detective and get to the bottom of what was going on. Fortunately, my mom and I have been bingeing the early-aughts cult classic “Veronica Mars,” so I have never been more eager to solve a mystery.

An X-ray of my right hip was ordered. A short time later, I was back in the office, staring down the imagined barrel of a proverbial gun in the hopes of getting a diagnosis.

Honestly, my memory isn’t the best, especially when it comes to these kinds of appointments. I’m usually so nervous, and so sick with relief by the end of it all, that everything kind of blurs together. I dissociate to a certain extent. I’m so primed for bad news that, when the bad news doesn’t come, I waffle for a while.

This appointment, though, I remember clearly. Specifically, I remember the word “sclerosis,” a term that set off all the alarms in my brain at once. Multiple sclerosis? I had multiple sclerosis?

Aging at the speed of light

Apparently, “sclerosis” can mean multiple things, including arthritis.

That’s right. Arthritis. The thing old people get when they’re, you know, old.

Arthritis of the right hip. The orthopedist also said something about the femoral bone head, but I was so ecstatic about not having cancer that I could’ve wept.

I’ve said on multiple occasions that I can deal with most types of pain so long as I have an explanation. Arthritis is no exception. It isn’t ideal, but it makes sense given my total lack of muscle mass. And it’s treatable! In a few short weeks, I’ll get my first cortisone injection in my right hip joint, with shots to the SI joint on deck if the pain doesn’t subside. In the meantime, there’s always my best friend Celebrex. Who knew aging with SMA was such a pain in the backside?

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Note: SMA News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of SMA News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to spinal muscular atrophy.