When I was three years old I had Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease in my left hip. My left hip was rebuilt when I was five. After two years of sporadic pain and difficulties walking my left hip failed on October 14th 2006. This is my blog of the journey I am going through to re-gain my health and again establish a normal, stable and healthy adult life.
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. If you had Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease as a child or your child now has this disease you may benefit from the support group I co-moderate.
Most recent entries
- Important lesson learned from importing from United States to Canada (Wednesday March 10th, 2010 at 12:59 pm) [Read]
- Pain just spiked (Wednesday March 10th, 2010 at 10:15 am) [Read]
- Visiting Library Program (Wednesday March 10th, 2010 at 9:32 am) [Read]
- I am going to have more baby fish! (Wednesday March 10th, 2010 at 9:25 am) [Read]
- My knitting machine is almost here! (Wednesday March 10th, 2010 at 8:47 am) [Read]
An introduction
Monday April 9th, 2007
The following is the first message I posted on the Adult Legg Perthes Survivors Group. I was looking for answers, directions and support when I found the group.
Hi.
My name is Ron. I am new to this group. I don't know where to begin.
I am 29. I am really frustrated. It feels like my life is falling apart.
I really don't know where to start.
I am going to try this: When I was 3 my parents found out I had legg perthes disease in my left hip. After I had a brace that didn't work they decided to operate on me and did so when I was 5.
I was fine up to when I was 27. Then I started having pain in my hip. I didn't really think about legg perthes disease being the source. A few months later I was at work and was in the warehouse for 2 days. Using the latter caused my left hip to swell to the point where I lost my motion. It came back about 2 weeks later. This was in the spring of 2004.
Now I am really struggling. I will explain this.
In the fall of 2004 I bought myself my first home. It was a "handy man special". 3 bedrooms. There is a shed on the property I am able to use as an office. I know what I want to do with my life. I have been to Bible college and I would like to be able to care for others. Even before I moved I had started a web site that I dream will turn into my career.
The house I bought needed a lot of work done to it. I was happy to buy my first home for $60,000 and not pay a ton in bank interest over the term of the mortgage. I headed out.
Slowly my hip has been deteriorating over the past 2 years. I am starting to not know how to deal with it.
I am in Canada. I have been doing light industrial work over the past 2 years. I don't think this is what caused my hip to get worse --- It was starting to be sore when I staffed an outsource order desk clerk position before I moved.
In October 2006 I was working inspecting car headlamps in an injection molding press factory. My hip quit working. I left and went to the hospital, had an x-ray and the ER doctor on call told me that he had seen the same problem before and I needed hip replacement surgery and did a requisition for me to see an orthopedic surgeon for a hip replacement. The nightmare began for me. At the same time I was able to get a family doctor and he asked the surgeons office to rush me in. 2 weeks later (instead of 4+ months) I was seen. The surgeon wouldn't operate --- I hadn't tried physiotherapy or had a bone scan. I went to physiotherapy. Between December and January though use of a swimming pool I worked hard to get my motion back. I went back to the physiotherapist January 4th 2007. I was instructed to weight baring exercises. My hip quit again for another month. January 26th 2007 the physiotherapist gave up on treating me --- She didn't understand why I had started to get better but suddenly couldn't handle it again.
I went back to my family doctor. We ordered me a bone scan. I had it the next day. It came back showing normal blood flow in my hip and no abnormalities.
I went back to my family doctor. He sent me to a sports injury doctor for an assessment. This doctor concluded that there what I am experiencing is the deterioration of my hip ball and that there is no treatment available for me, other than physiotherapy and the use of anti inflammatory medications, pain killers and medications. Just to be sure nothing was missed he ordered an MRI of my left hip which I will be having within about a month from now.
This leaves me in a mess. I took a call center job February 19th (and am doing ok at it). I can't work for more than an hour on my home in a 24 hour period because the pain in my hip overtakes me. I can barely deal with the pain after I try to exercise it.
Last week the pain in my hip got to the point where I couldn't take it so I went back to the physiotherapist. The newest injury is my ham strings which I am now exercising.
In some ways the muscles are improving. The pain in my left groin won't let up. Some days it feels like it is destroying me and my life. I am mad about this. I want my life back.
I have been to the ER at least 8 times in the past 6 months about my hip. I have been warned so many times now not to get hip replacement surgery by the nurses and some doctors because they feel I will end up wheel chair bound when I am 60 --- after I have had 2 hip replacements. I am 29.
I really don't know what to do.
The tentative plan with my family doctor is light exercises until the MRI and then he is willing to send me to a second orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion if I am not healing.
The pain in my left groin has not got any better since the fall of 2006. There has been no healing. I can feel the ball / socket rubbing together.
I am not sure what else to say. This is where I am at today ... trying to manage the pain and live as normal a life as I am able to.
Ron
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Are you struggling and needing encouragement? Ron manages a Verse of the Day e-mail list providing hope and encouragement from the Word of God. To learn more visit www.TheVerseOfTheDay.info.
