Hi my dear friends, I have just come on today as I've been in hospital since Thursday. I rang the Neurosurgeon's office on Thursday morning and said I can't take this pain anymore and that I couldn't wait until the 3rd of Feb which was when the next time I was to see him. The receptionist rang me back after she spoke to the Doc and asked if I would like to be admitted to hospital - I said yes emphatically. So I rang Trevor and he came home (he goes to an old boys BHP luncheon every month on a Thursday) and took me in and we arrived at 4.00. I'm in a private hospital called Lingard in Merewether just around the corner from Amy's place. As we are in the highest hospital cover with our health fund I don't have to pay any excess. Dr came in on Friday and gave the nurses details of pain medication for me. I'm basically being monitored to find out what works and what doesn't. It turns out after all the MRI, needles in bum and spine, ultrasounds etc. that I have Trochanteric Bursitis in my right hip along with Gout. So they gave me a Fentanyl patch to wear for 3 days, which is supposed to be changed this evening, Tramadol, which is what I've been taking but it's not working, I've also taken Nurofen, Panadol again with no relief. So on Friday night they gave me a needle of a synthetic opiate drug which is a powerful painkiller and tranquillizer called Fentanyl. Still no relief! Doc Spitaller who is my neurosurgeon came in with another Doctor who is named Professor Gabriel and said his expertise would be better. I've seen him yesterday and today and he'll be back tomorrow. He has now asked me to have Mobic to see how that is. Well that has given me some relief, but only today so far. Today I woke up crying and gasping into a flannel to keep the noise down at 2.20 and I got a needle in the tummy and Mobic is a powerful drug which can't be taken for too long, especially people with high bloodpressure, high cholesterol and diabetes - of which I've got - except the Diabetes is type 11 diet controlled. Aagh! I've been looking up all the side effects, so know I can only take them for short term. I'll be getting another Mobic tonight Sunday before bed and then Prof said he'll think about an Indocid suppository - I'll just wait and see how the Mobic works first. We are basically looking for something that works for me! He said he'd be back at lunchtime tomorrow which will be Monday 18th January. Apparently diagnosing this sort of thing is very hard and I'm so thankful that my local Doctor's surgery have ordered all the scans etc. as this problem is often misdiagnosed. Prof said he might refer me to a Rheumatologist as well. I feel as if my body had just had enough. Apparently this sort of thing can be caused by a few things, one of them being tugged or twisted and this all happened after I saw the Chirorpractor on the third visit she laid me on my side and pulled my right leg right over onto the table I was lying on and I felt pain. So I went back to see her on the Thursday and told her I'd been in excruciating pain ever since she did that 2 days earlier. She rang me on the Friday and suggested Acupunture and then he said to see my Doctor and it went from there. This has now been going on since late November and I'm so happy to be able to get help. Thank God for our wonderful doctors and nurses, they have been fantastic. Sorry about the long explanation, but I wanted to let you all know that I seem to finally be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Sending to you all lots of love. Love Chris