Saw the orthopedist today. He showed me my hip X-rays and said they showed absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. So it's not a case of joint deterioration or arthritis or anything like that. He's pretty sure I have sciatica, which is an inflammation of the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that runs from the base of the spine down your leg. So now I go on a six day steroid medication regime... 6 pills the first day, 5 the next, 4 the next, etc. Plus I have to go to physical therapy for stretching and other exercises. I see the orthopedist in two weeks for a follow-up. He's pretty confident that between the steroid treatment and the physical therapy, this will be taken care of. Worst case scenario, I don't feel any relief after two weeks... then he wants to do an MRI. But I have my fingers crossed that the steroids and the exercises will do the trick. Man oh man, I hope so. The pain that I have been going through for the past 3-4 months is something I've never experienced before. I can't even describe how painful it is sometimes. But God willing, this will soon be over. Thanks so much to all of you who have given your support and best wishes.