Memorable day

This is the date 5yrs ago I had my triple pelvic osteotomy.

This is the date 1yr ago I had my x-ray/CT scan that announced my osteotomy had failed.

If you asked me then if I'd be sat here 5yrs later with a bionic hip, I'd have said you better be kidding me cos I'm not going through THAT again! But here I am, 7mths on with a new hip and better than I ever was after the osteotomy.

If I knew this was going to happen would I have still had the osteotomy? Yes. The joint needed to be put in a better position and it did give me 3ish years pain relief, better than nothing and having an artificial hip at 27 right? Yes.

Having two major hip surgeries before the age of 32, not ideal. But better than living with osteoarthritis at age 32 (or indeed, 22 when I first noticed something was amiss).

Feeling very reflective this evening, but not in a bad way :o)

No rest for the pain patient

I've just this weekend returned from a glorious weeks holiday in Spain. It was bliss - the heat was great, the food was better, and I was off my feet for most of the week! Normally being off my feet would help any hip aches and pains, but not this time. And arriving back into the beginning of autumnal UK weather yesterday has left my hip joint screaming at me (because I can't think of anything else that could have set it off? I haven't been out anywhere except the supermarket).

I'm beginning to think that I might have a bigger problem that anticipated. I know I will just have to wait until I see my orthopod and there's no point in speculating until the point where I wind myself up mentally. There's not much to be done about it right now - except rest and light exercise (time to put the dancing shoes away til next time eh? ;o)). It's in these moments that I just want to ask him to resurface or replace the joint because I'm fed up to the back teeth of the constant ache (inbetween the severe pain of putting your full weight through the joint when walking). I'm stubborn and refuse to use an aid - it has crossed my mind, but I also know that its a slippery slope to becoming dependent.

I was given a 70% chance of my PAO (periacetabular osteotomy) working out for me long term - 4 yrs on and I'm thinking I may fall in the 30%. I was informed that the procedure of reshaping the femur head in addition to the PAO has only been done in a handful of people in the world and in the last 5 yrs (prior to my surgery in 2005). But the PAO couldn't have been done without reshaping the femur head as it had aquired a strange compressed ovaloid shape, presumably from the hip socket being so shallow and flattening it slowly over time. Also, if I didn't correct the postition on the socket within the pelvis, I might not be eligible for a resurfacing in the future as often a hip dysplasia requires the resurfacing ball and socket combined with a pin (see picture). As far as I know the pin to to aid stability and allow bone growth into that area, thus covering the prostheses better.


Fingers crossed something can be done when I visit my orthopod. The way it feels right now, I'd probably agree to anything!

Chapter Two

It's been a while (well, about 5 years!) since I last blogged and I think it's time to return to where I last left off, re-cap and update the situation. I think I'm going to slowly re-cap everything over a few blogs soon and give you the Cliff Notes version just now.

I have congenital hip dysplasia (or developmental dysplasia of the hip as its becoming more commonly known as) which mainly affects my right hip. My left hip has been, and continues to be, asymptomatic. I was in and out of hospitals throughout my childhood, mainly physiotherapy, no surgeries or casts. I had no real problems until I hit my 20's. Over 7 years things started to deteriorate in the joint until the point where I could not walk for more than 30mins at a time without great difficulty, but sitting wasn't any better as the pain would radiate down the full length of the leg. As for sleeping....well, that was the clincher for me, I'd had enough. I was recommended that I have a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO; or triple pelvic osteotomy, TPO) rather than a resurfacing or replacement. October 2005 I had the PAO surgery, I was 27.

I consider this part of life Chapter two: post-surgery.



Photos I have from my PAO surgery 12.10.2005:

X-ray taken at the end of the PAO surgery showing the pins and plate securing the pelvis.

The two scars are below - the surgery is done from the front and back, hence two scars. They are nothing more than white lines now and don't look quite so angry.