Not sure how to start this off so I will just cut right to the chase. My worst nightmare has come to be a reality! I need to have surgery again...
As you know my left hip has been going nuts since my last appointment in January. After discussing it with my doctor and after getting new x-rays my doctor feels the only way I can become pain free is to have surgery on the left side. Its called a Periacetabular Osteotomy.
Basically, the doctor cuts out my hip socket and repositions it in order to make it larger so that my femur can fit inside the new socket. Right now my hip sockets are very shallow and narrow so my femur head does not fit inside my socket. It can no longer handle the load and is causing me a great deal of pain and becoming arthritic. If it continues it will wear down all the cartilage in my hip and I will need a hip replacement. Since my cartilage is still good, I don't have advanced arthritis and I am so young; he feels the only option is to do this procedure. Once I recover I will be able to go back to normal activities.
He is going to start with my left hip since it is in the worst condition. After it heals, we will evaluate weather or not my right hip is needed to be done.
Sounds fun doesn't it!! The recover process is as follows: 4 weeks on my back after the surgery, 6 weeks on crutches then additional weeks on and off crutches combined with hard core physical therapy.
Sounds like a very long time and a crap load of work!!! But, it could be worse (I think)
I will post more detail regarding the procedure once I find them. I am not sure when I will do this but based on everything I have been through and the amount of money I have spent or are still spending on myself, I have no clue!!!
Good Night!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Sorry to hear that. Are you going to ask for a 2nd opinion first or just stick with the same dr? If you haven't joined yet, although you are a guy the yahoo "hip women" group (linked on my blog) is all about those with/have had/going to have PAO's.
SHC
SHC-
What is the down side of waiting? Can it get worse? I am looking for a way to manage the pain without Vicodin. Any suggestions....
Greg G
Well, from my experience as a patient, I know they did some injections along the way. I was in so much pain I was in tears and couldn't walk. The trochanteric bursal injection helped for the greater trochanter pain I had (my kids could finally hug me without me being in cringing pain). There may be an anterior bursa they also could inject, but those I had done post-PAO when I had recurrent issues. I don't know if they'd do those in advance.
I had some other injections done also, like SI joint and spinal blocks, but those were more along the way to diagnosis.
I was told to use a cane, but it didn't do ANYTHING for me. I wanted to use crutches, but didn't want to go from one problem to another...and have decreased bone density or increased atrophy from non-weight bearing. So, I hobbled around in pain...and watched my life slip away. (or so it felt like)
What I could recommend is talking with your doctor about maybe using mobility devices intermittently. For example, on a trip to Disney with our kids a couple months ago, even though I couldn't walk I used a wheelchair while there. I went back to hobbling around our timeshare when we were 'home'. Trying to mix it up that way gave me more life, more freedom, a little controlled pain, and allowed me to not totally give up on my goal of not making things worse.
I do NOT do medicine, unless I absolutely have to. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain (we won't go into why here right now...). So, although pre-PAO I was given some pain meds, I rarely used them...to me, the rewards of a post-PAO pain free existence were that much sweeter. BUT, hindsight is 20/20 and perhaps if I HAD allowed myself to use them every now and then, LIFE wouldn't have felt like it was slipping out of my clutches quite so much.
That make sense?
It's a fine line to walk. But, when you have family and friends and a good support network, it may also make things easier. We didn't/don't have that. Just the 4 amigos here!
Hope this helps...
PS...
The down sides (which you should discuss with your DR) besides pain are:
1) more possible labral tears;
2) possible cartilage tears;
3) possible earlier onset to arthritis;
4) possible secondary issues developing, such as bursitis;
5) possible "missing the window of opportunity"...but that is usually if you haven't been diagnosed and aren't with a doctor already.
Please make sure you speak with your doctor about the effects of the new, re-positioned acetabulum on the joint cartilage and labrum.
Also, make sure he discusses with you the potential complications of this surgery, as it IS major surgery. Even if they are small, make sure he goes over ALL possibilities.
(not to scare you, but if you want me to give you a list of the complications/secondary issues/etc. that I have had I will be more than glad to...just about everything but a MRSA infection! lucky gal, eh?!)
SCH-
MANY MANY THANKS!!! Who knows were this will go but I am hoping for the best sooner rather than later.
Post a Comment