I RECEIVED a call last Tuesday afternoon that put a big smile on my face. My specialists in Birmingham rang to inform me that my hip is NOT, I repeat, NOT infected.
I almost expelled every ounce of air in my lungs when I sighed with relief.
The past eight months have been difficult at times. I wasn’t worried necessarily, I simply wanted to know one way or the other so I could plan ahead.
I have had a busy year so far and it is set to get even busier so I felt it was important to know what potential obstacles were going to plant themselves in my path.
When I received the good news I was genuinely delighted as it meant I could close the book on ‘possible infection’ and move forward with the original plan to fix my hip.
I have had plenty of time over the past eight months to think of various options for surgery and I have decided I am not satisfied with the three options given to me by my surgeon in the UK. Option one is called a rotationplasty.
Naturally I had no idea what this was so I went home and Googled it. Regardless of the fact this option did not appeal to me in any way, I couldn’t help but wonder why it had been suggested in the first place.
I failed to see how this type of procedure would benefit my hip so I quickly scratched that off my very short list.
Option two is a total pelvic reconstruction. This is huge surgery and will involve replacing the entire pelvis. Thankfully I have not had any major issues with the left side of my pelvis bar some general wear and tear. The idea of replacing good bone seems wasteful somehow.
Option three is amputation and the less said about that the better!
As I weighed them up I began to wonder what else could be out there in the big bad world. What if there is a surgeon somewhere right now, sitting at their desk looking out the window, bored of their every day surgery list.
What if they are itching for a challenge! I could be the answer to their boredom!! The question is this; how do I find a way to ensure that my case crosses their desk?
Once these thoughts and musings made themselves comfortable in my mind I didn’t bother to chase them away.
Instead I decided to fuel these ideas with some research. I found someone who specialises in the use of stem cells and I got excited!
I am going to talk with my specialist in Birmingham and suggest that we hold off on surgery for now because I think we have the potential to do something really great here.
I am starting to think that I have been given this opportunity to make a difference and damn it I am going to do everything in my power to make the most of it.
If I can meet with a couple of people and persuade them to look at my case it could have amazing results. I am lucky that I am not afraid of the future. Fear is the most powerful emotion and it has the ability to stop people from moving forward.
As I have had many years to get used to hospitals, surgery and pain I no longer allow myself to let fear stand in the way of results.
I am making a promise to myself and to you, right here and now that I will do everything I physically can to find a solution that will benefit both myself and those coming up behind me with the same problem.
I would urge you to share this story if you know a surgeon outside of Ireland as I will need a lot of help getting my case in front of the right person.
The world works in mysterious ways and you, the reader, could be the person that reads this column and swoops in to save the day!
Please contact me through my website www.nikkibradleyspeaks.com if you think you can help.
Thank you! I promise I will keep you posted on this story.
In Other News
I would like to thank Foróige, Relay for Life and the Irish Blood Transfusion Services who asked me to be their guest speaker at their events last week. I thoroughly enjoyed each talk and have found it quite therapeutic to share my story with different age groups. I would also like to congratulate the 86 blood donors who were awarded for donating blood 50 or more times. It was an honour to be in your company.
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