On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 I will be going under the knife.  I have been hearing since the age of five that someday I would need to.  I have seen scores of doctors over the years and all have agreed that “someday” it would happen.  Most have said after the age of 50 or even 60 but at the age of 41 it’s finally happening.

History:

At the age of five I developed what they called Legg-Perthes Disease, which is a deformation and deterioration of the hip joint that generally occurs in childhood.  Most of the time, when children are given proper treatment the bones will regenerate.  Mine, however, did not.  Despite two years of treatment, which included time spent in traction and in a brace.  Dr. Tilson (the doctor who diagnosed me) was baffled by the lack of regeneration of my femur.

The result is that the head of my femur is not round like it should be, but rather flat.  This causes pain, a limited range of motion, pain, my left leg to be about one inch shorter than my right leg and pain.  Did I mention that it is painful?

I have always tried to manage the pain as best I could and had several very bad episodes that kept me from being able to work and play.  I always have some level of pain depending on my level of activity, how I twist my leg, the shoes that I wear and the barometric pressure.  (Some people think it’s silly to think that the weather can affect joints and even cause pain but Robert Newlin Jamison, PhD, a professor in the departments of psychiatry and anesthesiology at Harvard Medical School says there might be a link, but, I digress.)

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I will be having a Total Left Hip Replacement (TLHR) on Tuesday.  It is exciting and a little scary at the same time.  I’m excited for the possibilities ahead: better range of motion, less pain, legs the same length, less pain, the ability to do more active things and less pain.  Did I mention less pain?

I will be in the hospital for two to three days.  The typical recovery time is 4-6 weeks, but since the average TLHR patient is about 68 years of age, the medical professionals expect that I will be feeling pretty good after two weeks and will be able to return to work at some level thereafter.  I will update my Facebook page with breaking news so check there.  If you are not my friend on Facebook then you should “friend” me!

Cheers,

Tony