You're too young.........

For the last 3 years, I have been suffering moderate to advanced pain in my right hip, though I have been feeling pain in the whole region for the last 10 years. The pain finally became bad enough that I complained to my doctor about it. He gave me prescriptions for NSAIDS, which didn’t do much for the pain. After a couple of x-rays and finally an MRI, they said I have moderate osteoarthritis. I received a couple of “cortisone” shots in my hip, it helped with the pain, but didn’t last a month. I have been taking Tramadol for the last 2 years, along with over-the-counter arthritis strength acetaminophen, which has controlled the pain a little better, but I’m still not able to do much on my feet for any length of time. The reason I titled this “you’re too young” is because every appointment I have had with different doctors and x-ray techs, etc., that’s the first thing they say to me. I will be 45 years old in April. My hip has never been injured. I am not athletic. I have had mostly desk jobs where I sit. I have been over-weight for the last 15 years, but nothing extreme. How did my hip get like this, I ask the doctor. He says there’s no specific answer. But they all said there’s not a whole lot we can do. You’re too young for a hip replacement. You only want to do that once in your life. I remember crying in the office after the doctor left the room. I couldn’t believe I was going to have to suffer with this for the rest of my life. I have two daughters. My 19 year old is out on her own now. My 15 year old daughter doesn’t need mom to take care of her anymore (well, you know what I mean). I remarried 4 years ago and we’re out doing all the things we love….camping, riding the motorcycle, selling my crafts in shows, traveling, gardening and walking our dogs. My hip has just about put a stop to most of these activities, or at least slowed them down.

 

Then, I started browsing on the internet and came across a procedure that has been around for awhile, but only recently approved in the U.S. I started reading all that I could about it. I came across this website and learned so much more and read the testimonials. Ok, maybe I can do this, too. My orthopedic surgeon recommended a doctor up in Milwaukee, WI. The doctor said, actually, I could go with either procedure, resurfacing or a total hip replacement. But because I’m still active, he stated the resurfacing has less chance of dislocation and eventually, I will probably need the total hip replacement, so resurfacing is the better option for me. Well, after much discussion with my family and my job, I set up my surgery date, which is January 22, 2008! I am nervous as heck and a little scared, too. But I am hoping and praying this will get me back on my feet again so I can continue on doing the things I enjoy. And now that my eldest daughter has blessed me with a new grandson (6 weeks old this week), I have babysitting to add to my list of things I love to do!

 

I have two doctor’s appointments this week, one with my regular doctor and one with the orthopedic surgeon. I plan on asking him many more questions. If I don’t post before my surgery, I will do so as soon as I’m able to.