United States
Hello I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am a 67 year old female in general good health, 5’6”, 145lbs. I walk twice a day with my dog, about 1.5 miles each and do aqua exercises 3x week at the Y.
I was born in 1953 with a congenital hip dislocation (DDH) which was discovered at age 9 months. I was in braces and wore a 3” lift on my R shoe until my childhood surgeries. I had 3 surgeries at the ages of 6, 7 & 8. Unfortunately my parents never described the exact type of surgery I had as a child. Based on my description of the surgeries, my new orthopedist said I most likely had an osteotomy the 1st surgery. The second surgery was to put a “pin” in my R hip for a year then it was removed the 3rd surgery in 1963. The results of these early surgeries are: 1) my R leg is now only about three-quarters inch shorter and 2) my R leg turns in from the hip to the knee.
I have lived my life with limitations and can stay relatively pain free as long as I keep within my limitations: no walking over about 1.5 miles at a time, no physical work or gardening requiring more than a little weight bearing, etc. Also my R foot has been numb for almost 20 years and it gets worse the more I walk. No one has been able to determine why.
In the past year I have noticed more weakness in my right hip and my gait has worsened. Now when I do my “normal limited” routines I find that I can be in quite a bit of pain lasting for several days. Often my right SI joint can be painful for days. Basically the right side of my body from my waist to my foot is a mess.
I have gotten frustrated in the past because a doctor wants to talk about only one part of my body and I know it is all connected because of my deformed R hip. I finally got a referral and went to an orthopedic surgeon who is willing to look at the big picture and wants to come up with a plan. He ordered an electromyogram (EMG) and my nerves are fine. Yesterday I had an MRI of my lumbar and hip. He also ordered an injection in my hip, he wants to see how well an injection can provide relief and if it does, he said he may operate on my knee first then THR. I know I will need a specially made prosthesis.
Has anyone had a similar life? After years of being told I am a great candidate for THR I am finally attempting to wrap my head around going through two surgeries (hip and knee) and long recovery periods. I am concerned because I live alone and have a 50 lb lab mix who is very protective.
I find myself wondering should I just go on with life although I will most likely become more limited & in more pain or plough through with the surgeries? I will have a follow up with my ortho surgeon most likely in January 2021 and he will discuss the results of the tests and his plan.
I was born in 1953 with a congenital hip dislocation (DDH) which was discovered at age 9 months. I was in braces and wore a 3” lift on my R shoe until my childhood surgeries. I had 3 surgeries at the ages of 6, 7 & 8. Unfortunately my parents never described the exact type of surgery I had as a child. Based on my description of the surgeries, my new orthopedist said I most likely had an osteotomy the 1st surgery. The second surgery was to put a “pin” in my R hip for a year then it was removed the 3rd surgery in 1963. The results of these early surgeries are: 1) my R leg is now only about three-quarters inch shorter and 2) my R leg turns in from the hip to the knee.
I have lived my life with limitations and can stay relatively pain free as long as I keep within my limitations: no walking over about 1.5 miles at a time, no physical work or gardening requiring more than a little weight bearing, etc. Also my R foot has been numb for almost 20 years and it gets worse the more I walk. No one has been able to determine why.
In the past year I have noticed more weakness in my right hip and my gait has worsened. Now when I do my “normal limited” routines I find that I can be in quite a bit of pain lasting for several days. Often my right SI joint can be painful for days. Basically the right side of my body from my waist to my foot is a mess.
I have gotten frustrated in the past because a doctor wants to talk about only one part of my body and I know it is all connected because of my deformed R hip. I finally got a referral and went to an orthopedic surgeon who is willing to look at the big picture and wants to come up with a plan. He ordered an electromyogram (EMG) and my nerves are fine. Yesterday I had an MRI of my lumbar and hip. He also ordered an injection in my hip, he wants to see how well an injection can provide relief and if it does, he said he may operate on my knee first then THR. I know I will need a specially made prosthesis.
Has anyone had a similar life? After years of being told I am a great candidate for THR I am finally attempting to wrap my head around going through two surgeries (hip and knee) and long recovery periods. I am concerned because I live alone and have a 50 lb lab mix who is very protective.
I find myself wondering should I just go on with life although I will most likely become more limited & in more pain or plough through with the surgeries? I will have a follow up with my ortho surgeon most likely in January 2021 and he will discuss the results of the tests and his plan.
