As I’ve mentioned in previous posts I’ve struggled with pain and hip dysplasia since I was about 14/15 with little to no relief from painkillers, it wasn’t until early last year after a fall that I decided enough was enough. I went to my doctors who sent me for an x -ray as they were concerned that I’d do myself more of an injury due to the fall, thankfully I hadn’t done any further damage but they did find that my hip dysplasia had gotten worse as the bone had worn down more over the years.
After my initial x ray I was given an appointment to see a hip specialist which I was very nervous/apprehensive about, from this appointment I was then offered Cortisone steroid injections which you’ll know from previous posts worked absolute wonders for about 4/6 weeks. I was absolutely gutted that the injections hadn’t worked for a longer period and I was now back to square one but I was hopeful that at my next appointment they may be able to offer me something more long lasting.
Today 3rd February was the day of my follow up appointment and all that comes to mind is wow!! firstly I’ll start by explaining that just over 4 months ago when I last saw my specialist, I was told that surgery wouldn’t be an option they were even prepared to discuss for many years too come due to how much would be needed to rebuild my pelvis/hip. As much as I hate being in pain it was a relief to be told that surgery was such a long way off because as with many people I hate hospitals and even the thought of another surgery brings me out in major panic. So if I’m honest today’s appointment wasn’t something I’d been too worried over as I’d sort of convinced myself I’d just be offered some other forms of pain relief.
I couldn’t of been more wrong about the outcome of today, after waiting to be seen I was told by a nurse that my specialist wanted to know did I want a hip replacement, I was just like ‘wow what?’ It was such shock after not expecting surgery to suddenly be told that surgery was now my only option. If being told that having surgery was my only option wasn’t bad enough it then got worse when they proceeded to tell me that unlike most hip replacements due to my disability and the condition that my hip/pelvis is in that it’ll be a much more complex operation than usual, with a seemingly never ending list of possible complications.
Looking back now the whole appointment seems like a blur and I’ve got 101 worries running through my head and about a million more questions than I even got chance to ask during my short time with the specialist. They’ve given me an eight week period to think about it and then get my name on the waiting list but from what I’ve read in the booklets they gave me, I don’t think I’ll be getting the operation due to the high risks of certain things that could go wrong. I feel so frustrated and sad that after all these years it’s boiled down to either risk things being worse or spend my life learning to live with the pain.
Have any of you guys ever had a hip replacement or been offered one? If not how do you manage your pain? Any suggestions or advice would be amazing!
SeeMeNotCp 