Patient Stories

40 year old female

I am a 40 year old generally healthy female waiting on a bilateral hip replacement due to undiagnosed displasia. I was 27 when I was pregnant with my twin girls and this was the first sign of pain. As a child I couldn’t ever cross my legs but never in any pain. In my 30’s I had consistent lower back pain and after multiple doctors, chiropractors and physio, I was told it was just mechanical back pain. Eventually I could no longer run, exercise or even walk for long periods of time without constant pain in my back/buttocks . Around the age of 37 the pain travelled down further and the tops of my legs woukd hurt, I had less movement, getting up stairs became harder, bending down got harder. My doctor blew my constant complaints off and would state “you’re too young for chronic back pain. It left me feeling hopeless. Well my doctor retired and left his practice to a new doctor so off I went to explain my pain which I was quickly getting worse. I could no longer exercise at all, bending was impossible. I felt like I was a 37 year old stuck in an 80 year olds body. My doc sends me to a rheumatologist who then sends me for an mri on my back and hips. She diagnosis hip problems but she doesn’t delve deep into the issue. She referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who sat me down and gave me the answers I needed. (This was 2 years later). The surgeon said that I had hip dysplasia and that I had work lll the cartilidge in my hips out. I had tears and spurs and bad arthritis. He said he often didn’t see images like Mike in people under the age of 80. It was a relief yet scary because for so many years I had been treated like my pain was imagined and “not that bad”. Yet I couldn’t even sleep it was so horrible. I am currently waiting for a bilateral hip replacement and hoping for it in the next month or two. I’ve been told that there is the possibility that the pain I have elsewhere might not be cured but the groin pain will definitely be gone. When I sleep the pain is 360° around my body and my hips both ache and throb inside and out. I can no longer dance, shop, have intimate relations or enjoy any of the things I previously loved. I feel like I’ve been robbed of my life and I can’t wait for replacement to have it back!