Bone Spurs

My topic for the day should indicate how hard up I am for stuff to write about. Three months ago I noticed an odd, round protuberance on my left hip bone, sort of like a kid’s marble about the size of a dime. I hadn’t noticed it before, but when by feel I compared my left hip to my right, it was definitely something new, something that hadn’t been there, shouldn’t be there. At first I thought maybe I’d bumped into something and it was a swelling. But it was too solid to be a swelling. Or maybe my hip bone had degenerated and part of the socket of my thigh bone was trying to escape. It didn’t hurt when I walked but it did concern me enough that I mentioned it to my rheumatologist when I saw her. She suggested that I have an x-ray to see what was going on. The x-ray confirmed that it was a bone spur. Okay, so what’s a bone spur? A net search told me this: “A bone spur (osteophyte) is a bony growth formed on normal bone. Most people think of something sharp when they think of a ‘spur,’ but a bone spur is just extra bone. It's usually smooth, but it can cause wear and tear or pain if it presses or rubs on other bones or soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons, or nerves in the body. Common places for bone spurs include the spine, shoulders, hands, hips, knees, and feet.” Nothing to worry about unless it kept growing and became really painful. Other body ailments have people names, like Arthur Itis and Charlie Horse, so I decided to call it Bonnie Spur. Bonnie doesn’t seem to be enlarging and the only time I feel any pain is when I’m sleeping. Typical female. My problem is that for my entire life I’ve slept on my left side. Sleeping on my back isn’t an option since that only leads to ear-shattering snoring and my wife isn’t up for that. Sleeping on my right side is okay, but I simply don’t fall asleep on that side. Only the left will do. You can’t realize how tough it is to lie on your left side without having the left hip bone pressing into the mattress. I try to keep my left leg facing knee down with my upper body sort of straining around to the right (or do I mean the left?). But as soon as I fall asleep I automatically adjust my left leg. And whenever I spend fifteen minutes sleeping with Bonnie pressed down, Bonnie begins to nag and I awaken to readjust my position. Every fifteen minutes. All night long. Doesn’t make for fun nights. I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with Bonnie, learn to sleep on my right side. Or sleep in a recliner in the living room with the three cats wondering what in the world I’m doing out there. But, then, Charlie, Tiger, and Tuffy often wonder what I’m doing. My wife also wonders, but she’s been wondering about me for our entire married lives. Always keep her guessing, that’s my motto.