Right after Thanksgiving I was admitted to the hospital for treatment of a rare genetic disease called Porphyria that I suffer from. About once a year, I will have a really bad “flare up” of the disease and have to go into the hospital for medical treatment.
Before I get into what happened this time around, I need to back up to late July of 2012 when I woke up with terrible groin pain, hip pain and thigh pain. After a few days of the pain, I went into the doctor and had some tests done. I was told that I had a “groin pull” from all of the house remodeling projects we were doing and to “rest” my hip and leg to let them heal.
Well, I tried to do that and over the next couple of months it would get somewhat better and then flare up again.
While in the hospital getting treatment for the Porphyria, the hip and leg pain flared up again so my doctors ordered some new X-rays, a CT Scan and a few MRI’s. Once the tests were done and I was wheeled back into my room for an afternoon nap….3 hot looking orthopedic doctors walked into my room. Guess what? They weren’t there to ask me out on a date…nope, not for that! Shucks!
The three nice looking docs came into my room to tell me that they had an answer for my hip and leg pain. The CT and MRI Scan showed that I have a necrotic hip. Huh? What the hell is that? Well, they told me that the blood flow to my hip and femur head was…well, not right and that my hip and femur head were dying from lack of blood. Huh? Come again?
Oh my gosh….I was in shock…utterly…IN SHOCK! After speaking with the 3 doctors for about 40 minutes, I learned that the ONLY treatment for this problem is a Total Hip Replacement and that I would need the hip replaced sooner than later. Okay, how soon? By the end of the month? Huh? Come again?
Geesh! Anyway, after consulting with my specialists, they all agreed that I had already been put through the ringer and was medically depleted at this time. They decided to let me go home, recover and rest up for a few months.
With that said, I do need to have a total hip replacement and I have to get it done sometime this Spring or early Summer. Golly Gee, there goes my summer plans for sure!
I learned of this frightening news about 2 1/2 weeks ago and it is still “sinking” in and I am still trying to digest it all. It is hard to believe that I will be undergoing a total hip replacement at the ripe age of 45 years old. Ugh!
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Shelly, as I told you already I am sorry you have to go through all this. My day is coming too but not quite yet. I am older than you snd it can be expected for me. I know of two people who had hip replacements but they were older than you. They went through with no problem and today they walk just fine. I don’t know how long it took them to recover from the surgery or anything though.
I am sure you have good doctors and you will get through it fine. Just get recovered from this hospital stay now and get your strength back and when its time for the hip to be done you will be ready for it. I will be thinking of you.
xoxoxoxox Sweetie D 🙂
That is shocking to find out like that! I only know personally of ppl who have had knee replacements, and their surgeons had told them having a knee (or both knees) done is worse than hip, that the entire experience for hip(s) is not as long a recovery, etc. I would definitely get a second, highly qualified opinion, not that I doubt the diagnosis, but just to be sure there is nothing you can do via therapy, etc.
Hi Rosie,
I did get 2 opinions and both said a total hip replacement, including work on my femur head to go along with it and both said that I should have it done within weeks, not months. With that said, my oncologist told me to wait a couple of months as they want me to fully recover from the long hospital day…so that I am stronger going into the total hip replacement…which will help to ensure a better recovering through it.
Plus, it’s the dead of winter here. I dont want to run out for therapy 2-3 times a week in icy or snowy weather. I am thinking about April for my surgery…if they will let me wait that long.
I havent known anyone recently that had a hip replacement and not at 45 (they were a bit older) I am so glad they caught your problem though and soon you wont be in pain from it after you get healed.
Medical stuff is horrible… and I will be thinking of you!
I am sorry that you have had such a difficult time. But at leat with the hip replacement and physical therapy your pain should (hopefully) stop. You have until spring/summer to see if there are any other options and to strengthen yourself for the procedure. Good luck.
Thank you Jo-Ann!
Wow, that would be overwhelming to have to take in! I would probably try to do it in the spring so I’d be recovered in time (hopefully) to enjoy the summer! Good luck
Hi Mimi
Thanks for stopping by. I am thinking spring or early Summer because my family takes an annual 10 day vacation to the beach in early September every year…and I really don’t want to miss that. With that said, I think it’s all going to depend on how quickly I recover from the latest ordeal that I endured in the hospital which doc said could take up to 8 weeks until I fully recover from that.
Life can really suck sometimes and I never expected that. My hip has never been injured nor hurt in an accident. The ortho doc said that necrotic hip can strike anyone, at any age…with no reason for it. Sigh!
A colleague of mine had a total hip replacement last winter at 40. The surgery went well and he was out of the office for ten weeks, going to physical therapy three times a week. He came back to the office and says he is out of pain and walks very well. He said the best part was that as soon as the surgery was over the pain he had been living with was gone. I wish you a good surgery and recovery.
Hi Buttercup
Thank you for leaving your colleagues story for me. 40 and 45 is young for a hip replacement so it has me freaked out. I have other serious health problems that I deal with on a daily basis, so I know my recovery will be tougher than some others…but once I get back onto my feet…I will get the total hip done and pray that it goes well.