I was "supposed" to have surgery on my shoulder and knee back in August. I traveled out of town, saw the surgeon and she said "I'm not removing anything because there's noting to be removed". I was angry.. I traveled an hour and a half! I frequently travel to the next city over because that's where my specialist is located.

A month later, I went back and saw the Doctor (specialist). He was upset because he had sent the surgeon the ultrasounds of my knee and shoulder and he said "I'll find someone else that'll do it". And he did. He said I had letters sent to me in the mail. I said "I never got them". So, they called and got the appointment for me. He thinks the lump in my knee is either a lpoma, cyst or a piece of disintegrated fat pad that got lodged. He said that lump can't stay in the knee because it'll cause problems.

I'm glad I called and confirmed the appointment, because the day I was told my appointment was on (Oct 10) IS WRONG.

I'll be sliced and diced this Tuesday.

The specialist found a good surgeon that was willing to remove the mystery lump from my knee (which is painful if I bang it or press against it) and the painful lipoma out of my shoulder.

I guess we'll just have to see when we get there on Tuesday if I'm having things excised. I asked my dad to bring me. I'll be taking Ativan an hour before and that'll sedate me and I won't be able to drive.

The worst thing? IT'S ALL DONE UNDER LOCAL and I have HUGE needle anxiety. fml

Update: [edit] The excision could not be done today.

The radiologist needs to do an ultrasound and insert a wire into the lipoma so the doctor knows where to go when he cuts me open. The doctor also isn’t sure if he can do my knee because it’s an advanced surgery. He thinks the bursa sac broke open and a part got lodged in the knee.

I have to come back for an ultrasound and the insertion of the wire in my shoulder. Then it can be taken out.

I'm sorry there are so many things I don't understand.
With the title do you want a joke or? Then why forums and also 'All done under local' I dont know what that means aswell.

Holy shi people have been just throwing you at the wall. These lumps, do they know what caused them? How long have you had them? Man I do hope it gets fixed on Tuesday so you can be rid of the lumps and rid of this confusing mess of doctors and appointments. You get there and find out the place has been closed for 10 years and that's when you realize you're in the Twilight Zone. Really tho that sounds like a huge headache.

Can't help you with the needles tho, I never fully got that. They are so tiny how can they hurt? I'd be more worried about the actual cutting. Or maybe they can just scope/cut the lumps out then that would be pretty good. Eh just wait, soon all of this will be some bad memory of the pass.

It's done under local, which means, they don't put you under. They just freeze you and cut away.

I'd like some funny jokes, like maybe hospital jokes.

The lumps depend on genetics. I'm full of lipomas. They don't remove lumps unless they hurt. I had my finger done four years ago. I had a cyst in the finger joint. It was hard to use my finger at work, since I work with my hands.

The place wasn't closed. The surgeon turned me away and it was a huge piss off, since I drove 1.5 hours to get there.

Oh, well that's kind of good then if they don't think it's necessary to fully put you under than it's not a major surgery. Couldn't the person that just oppereated on your finger do the other two lumps? Does it bother you having lipomas even if they don't hurt? Is there a medicine you could take to reduce them?

Sorry I forget to ping when talking like this.

Hmm I don't really have any hospital jokes. I don’t find health-related puns funny anymore since I started suffering from an irony deficiency.

i'm sorry to hear that! it really sucks when people on your healthcare team are uncoordinated and in disagreement when you totally move your schedule around to see them. (kinda why i wish universal emrs were a thing!) i wish you an uncomplicated procedure and speedy recovery. if the ativan was prescribed just for the surgery, i think it'll dull your needle anxiety a little bit. it's a pretty strong med even in low doses that people usually feel for about half a day.

I have an iron deficiency as well (hooray for iron pills)!

There's nothing that can reduce them. They're just there, unfortunately. I have lipomas in both feet and ankles and it kind of bothers me, but oh well.

Here's the definition:

Lipoma: a benign tumor of fatty tissue.

General info: A lipoma is a benign tumor made of fat tissue They're usually just under the skin can be moved with gentle pushing. Lipomas do not typically hurt, although some of the subtypes can be painful, such as angiolipoma. It often takes longer to notice lipomas that are in deeper tissue, and these tumors can be quite large when they are actually discovered.

Lipomatosis is believed to be a hereditary condition in which multiple lipomas are present on the body.

My shrink prescribed me the Ativan. I'm supposed to take it twice a day; however, people with sleep apnea cannot take it as they can die. I have severe sleep apnea and I was told by my pharmacist to only take it if I'm experiencing anxiety and to take a half of a half.

The thing that kind of irks me is.. I really don't know if I will have the surgery (it's a day thing. You're in and then out).

It's like.. a game. I take the pill and then find out. But I don't want to be half out of it when they're taking my history. I may just have to wait and take it and tell them to give me 20min.

Ah um it was a pun sorry. iron-irony. It was a joke sorry.

Would it be possible to get them all out in one go or do they grow new ones? Did your parents also have lipomas then?

I honestly have no idea. I know my dad has two very visible lumps. They're either lipomas, or cysts.

Not all of them look like this:

Mine are deep in the tissue on my shoulders and you can feel them when you pass your hand over the area, especially when I'm putting on lotion.

The ones in my feet and ankles look like that. The ones in my ankles are squishy and the ones in my feet are hard (the hard ones mean they've been there for awhile).

Surgeons won't remove them all. They'll do a couple and look at them because there is a chance they'll come back.

They only remove them if they hurt.

oh i see - my bad, i should've asked. your pharmacist is right and i'm glad they counseled you thoroughly. ativan depresses your central nervous system - it reduces the activation, so it physiologically forces you to calm down in a way different from standard antidepressants. when it does this though, it can reduce your breathing, and the effect lasts for awhile. we dispense lowest dose and often split the tablet to give to elderly patients for that reason, because there's potential for them to stop breathing in their sleep with a depressed cns, and the risk is increased with sleep apnea, like you mentioned.

anyway, i totally get it. outpatient can be kinda frustrating like that. you could always call and ask what to expect on your first visit after referral for the lipoma removal, or ask if your dad can come in with you if you're worried about like, consent problems or being fully aware.

I cannot believe the amount of stupid you have to put up with. x_x

I unfortunately have no words of wisdom or anything. I wish I did.

My dad knows nothing about me. It's all about him, so.. I'd rather not ask him.

I'm so glad you explained further. Are you a pharmacy assistant?

I know.

It's been pouring over me for awhile now x.x

You need a bigger umbrella or something, bb.

i'm a pharmacy student and i volunteer and work when i can. i'm still in the didactic phase of my curriculum, but we have rotations interspersed to keep the knowledge fresh. i have a personal interest in psychoactive medication therapy management, so like parkinson's meds like carbidopa/levodopa and depression/anxiety meds like sertraline. and the benzodiazepines like ativan, of course!

wish i could help out with your situation - like i said, it really sucks when only one person (your main specialist) is making the effort to listen but his peers aren't. i know surgeons are busy people, and they'll prefer consultations first before they excise anything - but for a competent surgeon, lipomas unless truly threatening shouldn't require you to make multiple trips imo. like there is an entire youtube channel dedicated to lipoma removal procedures - it's not usually that complicated. on the bright side, maybe you can think of it as "this person wouldn't have done a great job anyway."

So sorry for your health problems. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Thought you guys would want an update:

[edit] The excision could not be done today as the lipoma was deeper than the Doctor anticipated.

The radiologist needs to do an ultrasound and insert a wire into the lipoma on my shoulder so the doctor knows where to go when he cuts me open. The doctor also isn’t sure if he can do my knee because it’s an advanced surgery. He thinks the bursa sac broke open and a part got lodged in the knee.

I have to come back for an ultrasound and the insertion of the wire in my shoulder. Then it can be taken out.

that sounds complicated. i really urge thorough visualizations on the affected knee and wish you all the best.

Sorry you ran into complications. Hope it goes more smoothly from here on...

When do they plan to do this then? Wth tho never heard anyone with have this many problems before surgery. So sorry Bliss you're going through this.

My knee has been swollen since yesterday from all prodding.

They'll call me with the ultrasound appointment. Could be weeks, but I've lived with the lipomas in my shoulders for God knows how long now xD;

I know that the radiologist will be doing the ultrasounds of my shoulder and knee. Then the Doctor will decide if he wants to go forward with my knee based on the information the information from the radiologist. He said he can find me an orthopedic surgeon if this is beyond his level.

How hard is it to walk with your knee swollen like that?
<_< Aight come down here I know a guy in an alley that can remove anything from the human body. It'll be faster this way.