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I always remembered the “shoes with the
bar” that I wore to bed as a kid. I had no idea why I had to
wear them, what I did know is that as soon as my parents
went to bed, I would untie them and take them off. I grew up
remembering the shoes, but with no real health issues, I
didn’t ask questions as to why I wore them. As a kid I could
never sit “criss cross applesauce”, but I had agility and
strength abound – so I left the shoes behind me as a distant
memory, never to be brought up again.
All of that changed as a teenager. I had just graduated high
school and started working a summer job at a local sports
stadium. At night, when it was time to go home, my leg ached
so badly that I couldn’t bend it to get in the car to go
home. My mother began driving me to and from work -- she
would lay the passenger seat back and hold me steady as I
got in the car without bending my leg, and I would ride in
agony the whole way home. In the morning, after a long rest,
I would feel fine again. I repeated this for a month until
my parents explained to me what exactly was wrong…and why I
wore those awful shoes with the bar! I had Legg-Calve-Perthes
disease, diagnosed when I was 3 years old.
So, we made the appointment to see the doctor (who treated
me as a kid) for a check-up to find out why the pain had
come so strong and sudden. After some x-rays, multiple cysts
were found on my left hip -- the culprit of the pain, and
stiffness. September rolled around and time for surgery. I
went in the hospital a little naïve, mostly because my
parents were rocks – they never let me think or worry about
the surgery. Recovery was pretty quick, as with any 17 year
old & I was out and about within a few weeks. The doctor
cautioned me that the cyst removal was only temporary, as I
had osteoarthritis and replacement was in my future. I will
never forget him telling me that this was an ever changing
field and I should wait as long as I could before having the
surgery – and in 10 or 15 years new products and surgeries
would be out there.
I waited. Seventeen years passed with minor aches that
became major, and increasingly limited movement. By the time
January 2007 came around, I couldn’t make it through a full
day of activities with work and kids. Even sleep was
difficult – I woke up many times with a leg so stiff that I
couldn’t straighten it out. Then, just when I needed to see
it, my mother pointed out an article on Dr. Clarke and hip
resurfacing in the local newspaper. I called to make an
appointment, and was in his office for a consultation. We
both knew why I was there, so it was really a question of
when.
I had hip resurfacing surgery in December 2007. SUCCESS!!
The first two weeks were brutal and I relied heavily on a
walker to get around, and family to help me do “normal”
things. By Christmas I was using a cane and relying less on
others to help me. I began PT the day after Christmas and
recovered in leaps and bounds. I am very determined, and
with a 23 year old therapist, I was pushed to my limits, and
sometimes beyond – mostly at my request. My post-op checkups
were good, and once limitations were lifted I was pushing
even harder in PT. Last week (June 10th, 2008), I had my 6
month post-op check-up. Dr. Clarke was happy with my healing
and leg movement…and so am I!!!
For 17 years, I did very little in the way of activity. I
had limited movement and pain, which only got worse over the
years. I did not run, exercise, or even walk for more than a
trip around the block. Seventeen years is a long time to sit
around in pain.
Now, I am completely pain free and have flexibility that I
never thought possible…everyday I am amazed at how different
my life is. I run around with my kids, I take long walks
with them after work and our weekends are full of activity.
My kids always called my left leg, my “bad leg”…now we all
call it my good leg, sometimes my “bionic leg”!! I have my
life back and I have Dr. Clarke and the BHR to thank for
that!
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