I’m Caroline, French girl, phD student in medicinal chemistry, 27th year old and just got my hip resurfaced on 19th may 2020 (right in the middle of the Covid situation …) and I wanted to share my story because it actually helped me a lot to read all your testimony when I needed it.

So my story begin in my youngest year, I started to develop inflammation of the hip around maybe 10 to 12 years old, after a lot of X-ray and analysis my doctors just concluded that I had a transient acute synods and that will pass with the age … So I grew up with episode of synovitis every 4 month I would say …

Then I always felt a little discomfort in my right hip I was “hum ok it’s just another synovitis I should rest it will pass” it was only at my 23 years old that I started to complain more about my hip, I couldn’t do too much sport because i was feeling pain after a while so I went to see my doctor and when we did X-ray we saw that my hip was completely arthrosic… At that time the pain was only there when I was doing much effort but I was already bone to bone so my family doctor just gave me paracetamol and told me to see a podiatrist to do orthopedic insole since my arthritis had dig in my bone and made me lost almost 2 cm in my right hip.

The insole worked for a while I was feeling a little bit better, could move better but the arthritis continued to do its work.  Around 26 years old I was constantly limping, complaining about pain a lot and not being able to handle sport classes anymore. I had a diclci when one of my friend that is a resident in orthopedic service at hospital told me to go see a surgeon because it was definitely not normal that I limp like that and walk like that in pain and that I should do something …

So after new X-ray that showed that my hip was getting worse.I decided that I needed to see a surgeon. Well actually … I had hard time to swallow the pill, The radiologist scared me first with “at your age ? you definitely need a THR there is no other option…”. It took me maybe 2 or 3 week and a lot of tears to mentally accept that I should get a surgery and that it was not normal to have so much pain.

I went to Lille in september 2019 (where I’m originally from) to meet Pr Julien Girard that is known to be specialist for young patient with hip problem. I was sure he was going to propose me a THR because, I was a female, and I had 25mm difference on the X-ray between my both hip side. But He actually told me I was a good candidate for Hip resurfacing because I didn’t had any difference of length in my legs before the arthritis and that on X-ray my pelvis was rotated . He told me that it was my best option to get a normal and really active life.

So I took an appointment to get the surgery done in may 2020 (because I’m a final year phD student and I needed to perform experiment until may originally). I was so afraid my surgery would not happen with the covid situation in France but I got really lucky because the lockdown stopped just 10 days before my surgery. The surgery went well ! I had a little mental breakdown the night before but it’s just because eI was alone in the hospital and no one could visit me with the covid so I got scared and I think it’s pretty normal ^^.

I had a taxi to drive me home 4 days after the surgery. Not going to lie, it was tough at first because I am single and I live alone, but I got really good friend that bring me groceries for the first month and helped me whenever I needed them. I think I was in pain for only one week after the surgery but honestly it was bearable (especially when you suffer since 10 years of your hip ^^) . I stopped all pain medication after 7 days and took back only once in a while .

I could walk without crutch after 25 days, and I was able to bike after 1 month . The first weeks were impressive Iw as doing progress day by day . I’m now 2 month post op and I’m still making progress, It took me 40 days to be able to put my socks on but it’s getting easier week by week (#greatachievement) . The first month I had a lot of muscle pain due because it needed to stretch a readapt to the prothesis but I’m feeling way better now. I’m not limping anymore and a lot of my friends and colleagues noticed that my walking was almost normal .

I still have a long journey in front of me but I’m really happy to have done this surgery , I’m seeing my surgeon tomorrow for a 2 month check up, he will give me the instruction for the next move in my recovery plan so I’m excited.