Patient Stories

Diana


I have a condition called hip dysplasia. I have hip dysplasia in both of my hips. At 46 years old I was able to get a hip replacement on the left side. I did not know that I had hip dysplasia until I was thirty years old. It was a long time coming finding out what the actual problem was because as a baby my mom was concerned that there was a problem. She voiced her concerns to the doctors at the time of my birth. However it was never addressed it was never treated.  At 2 months old we Flew Over The Ocean to America. When we arrived here my mother also try to figure out what was wrong with my hips. Needless to say nothing had been diagnosed and nothing had been treated.As I Grew Older I was involved in sports and I was also wanting to be in ballet gymnastics and eventually I did do figure skating. In figure skating I was able to do most of the things that one does. But I was never able to advance and become a better figure skater because I was unable to move my hips certain directions. After that I went off to college and realize that that I was going to have a limp and a wattle probably for the rest of my life. The pain had not really came until I was roughly 22 years old. I did have a child at 19. And for some reason I had to have a cesarean section. The doctors were not aware of why they just decided that it was best to have a cesarean section. Slowly my knees and my ankle and my hip started to hurt but I muscle through it and kept doing what normal 20 year olds do… camping hiking biking and outdoor stuff and that’s when I noticed the pain getting worse.

At 27 I was pregnant again. My physician said that I was most likely going to have another cesarean section. Not because I had one before but because she said there is something wrong with your pelvis. I decided that I did not want to have a cesarean section. So I did not. And then I had another child at 29. I did not have a cesarean section then either. After that the pain was intense and much worse. I went to a chiropractor and a chiropractor noticed the way I was walking and decided that my back was probably not the issue. He took an x-ray of my hips they told me I’ve been having this problem my whole life. And that is when I found out I had hip dysplasia bilateral.The orthopedic physician I saw said that they could help me but I would have to go to a specialist and I probably would not have a total hip replacement but I would have to have some type of surgery to help with the socket. I decided I was not ready to have surgery at such a young age and decided to handle it with therapy and swimming and yoga. It worked out pretty well for about 7 years then I was pregnant again. And then I was pregnant again at 40. Needless to say I was not able to function quite as well as I would like to have had after my fifth child. So after my employment ended at my retail establishment where I was working I went back to school and then I was sitting quite a bit. This did not help the situation. My problems just got worse. So finally I did end up having a total hip replacement on my left side. Pain management was not the answer to my problems prior to the surgery. All that did was create depression and anxiety and an inability to feel not only the pain but the emotions that came along with the depression and caring for my children. So after the surgery I was excited to feel better. I did and at that time my partner moved in to help with the household chores the finances and the children. However that help came with a price.Because of my vulnerability and my inability to work I was a victim of domestic violence. After I was feeling better my partner was not happy with my ability to do things on my own and my mood changed from being dependent to independent. The abuse increased… and then the abuse became physical and I was pain free from four months after the surgery to approximately six months after the surgery when I was forced to defend myself and my right hip what’s had not been fixed had not been hurting but now was hurting just as bad as the left one was before I had the surgery. This made it very difficult to work and it made it difficult to concentrate again and as a result of all of this I am now facing foreclosure my van was repossessed I am unable to work and it is becoming more and more difficult to walk again. Some people think that you could just sit and have a job sitting is actually worse. The detective at the time of the sentencing of my partner who was convicted of assault told me that it is now time to step it up and get a job and just because you don’t have a car you can ride your bike to work.I added this because people do not understand how painful a hip is when it is displaced. The awareness needs to become more prevalent and when someone asks you what is wrong and you tell them it’s hip dysplasia… most people say oh isn’t that what dogs get?I am hoping that the future will be a little brighter and with all of these things happening I have found some very kind people to help and to guide me and to make sure that I am heard and that I am able to fix all the issues that I have two in my life and take care of my children. So please if you are in a situation where you feel like you are trapped because you are in so much pain and you are unable to walk and you are unable to communicate with your family or your friends about your situation keep trying and find someone to listen. You will be able to get through this it will get better.

And if you have children and or you are with children in a capacity where you notice that they have a problem walking and they are in pain. Just because their children doesn’t mean they don’t have pain. They need to be looked at and they also need to be heard.  If you ask a physician or someone that about your condition are your child’s condition or how you feel and you don’t feel comfortable with the answer keep trying keep asking. No one should have to live with this pain.

Prayers go out to all of you who are going through this. I am hoping that sooner than later I will be able to have this hip replace and recover in a more peaceful way. I am fortunate to have three older Sons who will be able to help me get through this and then I can finally lessen the burden on on them and I can be a better mother.