I was born with Bilateral CHD...... Congenital Hip Displasia. I'm not one of the lucky ones. Mine wasn't discovered until I was 13 months old. At that point I was put in the hospital in traction for 6 weeks. I had one 10 pound weight attached to each leg. I laid flat on my back unable to move my legs for the entire 6 weeks. I was then put in a body cast with my knees under my arms and a bar between my legs for the next 2 1/2 years. After the cast was finally removed I was put in a brace for the next 6 months. My left hip returned to the socket. Even though my right hip had moved closer it was still to some degree out of the socket. My parents were told that surgery could be done then to hopefully currect my right hip but there was a 90% chance as I grew taller it would shift over on its own. Because I had been through so much my parents chose to take the 90% chance.
At that time they had only been told I had been born with dislocated hips not that I had congenital hip dysplasia. I had some pain off an on in my right hip for years. By the time I was 11 it was so severe I could no longer take it. My parents took me to a new orthopedic because the first one had retired by then. He took xrays of my right hip,showed them to both my mom and I and explained to us he could as he put it "clip the edge of the hip socket and then move the ball of my hip over in the socket where it belongs" I was scheduled for surgery that July. All of 6th grade and 7th grade I used crutches to walk. From then on I would use the crutches to walk when ever the pain was to severe to walk on my own.
By the time I was 37 years old the pain had gotten so severe I could no longer walk. I did some research and chose a orthopedic to go to for help. He took xrays and then explained to both my mom and I that my right hip socket is under developed almost flat and I was born with and suffer from Congenital Hip Displasia and thats why I was in so much pain. I was scheduled for surgery. Novemner 6th 1998 I had a pelvic osteotomy to get as much of what little natural hip socket I have up over the ball of my hip. From that surgery I have 2 metal plates,3 screws about the size of your index finger,and several metal pins in my hip, pelvis and pubic bone. For the first 4 months after the osteotomy I used crutches to get around the house. I used a wheelchair if I went out anywhere for the first year and a half. When I came off the crutches I went to a cane which I will use to walk for the rest of my life.
Even though the pain is now different then it was before the osteotomy and I can now walk I suffer from constant pain. I have never known a pain free life and I never will. I was told because there is so much nerve and mussel damage from the first surgery ( I am numb to the touch from my hip to my knee on the outer side of my thigh and have very little movement other then the abitily to walk with a cane) That there is nothing else that can be done for me.
CHD is heritatary. I have two children and Thank God they were both born with normal hips! I guess this is a pretty good summery of my CHD. Thanks for reading it and I hope I haven't bored anyone........
Deb ;) |
