Hip Issues - General Discussion Thread
in Health ·
Hey everyone...
Back when I was just a baby (now I'm 23), I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and dislocation. Some virus basically ate away at my femoral head, and none of those little straps or casts actually helped. I’ve been through every surgery imaginable for this stuff—corrective osteotomy on both hips, a double pelvic osteotomy in Germany, and a triple pelvic osteotomy in Chicago at the Salad clinic with Dr. Šakić. These days, I ride horses. It started out as therapy, but now it's practically a sport, though I have to be super careful about things like riding width and hills. I finally got my official paperwork confirming I'm an 80% disabled veteran/individual. I don't want to freak anyone out, but looking back at everything—all those intense osteotomies plus having the hardware removed a year later—I've had 9 surgeries, and even a hip replacement isn't on the table for me yet.
Regarding the triple osteotomy, that is some heavy-duty surgery. Seriously, I'm not trying to scare you, but if anyone wants the real scoop on what recovery looks like or what the procedure is actually like from a patient's perspective, just ask. I've lived through it all (and survived, so it's not as terrifying as it sounds 🙂). Mine lasted six and a half hours. After that, I spent three days in the ICU, then wasn't allowed to sit down for about three weeks—don't quote me on the exact timing because it felt like an entire year to me! During that time, I was sent home because you can't go straight to a Spa after a triple osteotomy (unlike after a corrective one where they send you right to the Spa from the hospital). Once things stabilized, I spent five weeks at the Spa, and I think I was on crutches for almost a full year. That doesn't mean it'll be that long for everyone else; it depends on a million things, and I was dealing with surgeries five years in a row. That was definitely the toughest operation I've faced, but honestly, I wasn't in much pain—just the incisions stinging (I have three, and one is in a pretty awkward spot, hmmm 😉). Personally, the corrective ones hurt more than the triple, it's just that the recovery for the triple takes way, way longer.
I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, so if you've got questions, fire away. For instance, I'm wondering if there are any specialists left besides Dr. Šakić (since he retired). I don't want to go to Đapić, so if anyone can recommend someone—doesn't have to be in Chicago, could be somewhere on the coast—please let me know. After all these surgeries, I refuse to go to some hack surgeon, and I'm long overdue for a checkup.
Oh, yeah... the follow-ups are for life. At least once a year if everything is going smoothly, or at least that's how it works for me.
Back when I was just a baby (now I'm 23), I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and dislocation. Some virus basically ate away at my femoral head, and none of those little straps or casts actually helped. I’ve been through every surgery imaginable for this stuff—corrective osteotomy on both hips, a double pelvic osteotomy in Germany, and a triple pelvic osteotomy in Chicago at the Salad clinic with Dr. Šakić. These days, I ride horses. It started out as therapy, but now it's practically a sport, though I have to be super careful about things like riding width and hills. I finally got my official paperwork confirming I'm an 80% disabled veteran/individual. I don't want to freak anyone out, but looking back at everything—all those intense osteotomies plus having the hardware removed a year later—I've had 9 surgeries, and even a hip replacement isn't on the table for me yet.
Regarding the triple osteotomy, that is some heavy-duty surgery. Seriously, I'm not trying to scare you, but if anyone wants the real scoop on what recovery looks like or what the procedure is actually like from a patient's perspective, just ask. I've lived through it all (and survived, so it's not as terrifying as it sounds 🙂). Mine lasted six and a half hours. After that, I spent three days in the ICU, then wasn't allowed to sit down for about three weeks—don't quote me on the exact timing because it felt like an entire year to me! During that time, I was sent home because you can't go straight to a Spa after a triple osteotomy (unlike after a corrective one where they send you right to the Spa from the hospital). Once things stabilized, I spent five weeks at the Spa, and I think I was on crutches for almost a full year. That doesn't mean it'll be that long for everyone else; it depends on a million things, and I was dealing with surgeries five years in a row. That was definitely the toughest operation I've faced, but honestly, I wasn't in much pain—just the incisions stinging (I have three, and one is in a pretty awkward spot, hmmm 😉). Personally, the corrective ones hurt more than the triple, it's just that the recovery for the triple takes way, way longer.
I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, so if you've got questions, fire away. For instance, I'm wondering if there are any specialists left besides Dr. Šakić (since he retired). I don't want to go to Đapić, so if anyone can recommend someone—doesn't have to be in Chicago, could be somewhere on the coast—please let me know. After all these surgeries, I refuse to go to some hack surgeon, and I'm long overdue for a checkup.
Oh, yeah... the follow-ups are for life. At least once a year if everything is going smoothly, or at least that's how it works for me.