Meghann
new member
Hello All,
I just came across your site and it has been really helpful as I weigh whether I am ready for hip replacement or not. Here's my story - I'd love for your thoughts on my situation and whether you think that having the surgery now is what I should do.
I'm a 30 year old Mom to a 1 year old, my husband and I would like to have one more baby but would like to wait a few years. I've had pretty severe left hip dysplasia since about a week after I was born. During birth a staph infection caused osteomeylitis which affected most of my joints, the left hip being the worst affected area. I've had multiple surgeries to help with the many problems this infection caused but I will focus on my hip because that is the area of concern for me right now.
By the time I was 4 years old I had multiple surgeries to restructure the joint and socket. I have little range of motion in the hip, my left leg is about 1/2" shorter than the right and I have dealt with mild pain and a limp my whole life. After having my daughter a year ago the pain has increased and I am now having a lot of locking. When I get up from sitting I often struggle getting up because of the locking and at that point the pain is really severe, but only lasts for a few minutes as I slowly stretch the leg out and begin to walk. That locking has me scared that I may not be able to get to my daughter quickly if ever needed.
I've been told my whole life that hip replacement was inevitable and would probably be needed by the time I was 50. But with the decline in the hip this past year the Dr. thinks that I will need it in the next 10 years definitely and would be open to doing it now if it's what I wanted. I'm really worried about the time that rehabilitation takes and whether or not I will be even more limited in activities after the hip replacement.
I've seen many Dr.'s say to completely avoid going farther than the 90 degrees because of the possibility of hip dislocation, and I am concerned about having that to worry about at such a young age. I'm also worried about how long the rehabilitation will take and how that will affect how I can interact with my daughter during that time. But if I wait a few more years than I might have 2 kids to take care of and the timing might never be perfect.
For now, the Dr. has me starting on Mobic to see if that helps with the pain but he has been clear that it's just a temporary fix. I eventually have to decide when the time is right for hip replacement, but I am so torn on how I will know for sure when the time is right. I wish I knew for sure that the hip replacement would make a world of difference from what I'm going through right now. I'm wondering how all of you made the final decision to go through with this. Were any of you in similar situations, being pretty young and still planning on adding to your family after going through with the replacement. Thank you so much for listening and I look forward to hearing your stories.
I just came across your site and it has been really helpful as I weigh whether I am ready for hip replacement or not. Here's my story - I'd love for your thoughts on my situation and whether you think that having the surgery now is what I should do.
I'm a 30 year old Mom to a 1 year old, my husband and I would like to have one more baby but would like to wait a few years. I've had pretty severe left hip dysplasia since about a week after I was born. During birth a staph infection caused osteomeylitis which affected most of my joints, the left hip being the worst affected area. I've had multiple surgeries to help with the many problems this infection caused but I will focus on my hip because that is the area of concern for me right now.
By the time I was 4 years old I had multiple surgeries to restructure the joint and socket. I have little range of motion in the hip, my left leg is about 1/2" shorter than the right and I have dealt with mild pain and a limp my whole life. After having my daughter a year ago the pain has increased and I am now having a lot of locking. When I get up from sitting I often struggle getting up because of the locking and at that point the pain is really severe, but only lasts for a few minutes as I slowly stretch the leg out and begin to walk. That locking has me scared that I may not be able to get to my daughter quickly if ever needed.
I've been told my whole life that hip replacement was inevitable and would probably be needed by the time I was 50. But with the decline in the hip this past year the Dr. thinks that I will need it in the next 10 years definitely and would be open to doing it now if it's what I wanted. I'm really worried about the time that rehabilitation takes and whether or not I will be even more limited in activities after the hip replacement.
I've seen many Dr.'s say to completely avoid going farther than the 90 degrees because of the possibility of hip dislocation, and I am concerned about having that to worry about at such a young age. I'm also worried about how long the rehabilitation will take and how that will affect how I can interact with my daughter during that time. But if I wait a few more years than I might have 2 kids to take care of and the timing might never be perfect.
For now, the Dr. has me starting on Mobic to see if that helps with the pain but he has been clear that it's just a temporary fix. I eventually have to decide when the time is right for hip replacement, but I am so torn on how I will know for sure when the time is right. I wish I knew for sure that the hip replacement would make a world of difference from what I'm going through right now. I'm wondering how all of you made the final decision to go through with this. Were any of you in similar situations, being pretty young and still planning on adding to your family after going through with the replacement. Thank you so much for listening and I look forward to hearing your stories.