Finding Purpose in the Pain

I gave up on this blog about 7 years ago. Life got busy. We had more kids, totaling 4 girls. It was just one more thing to keep up with. Now, at a uncertain time, I find myself needing to talk my ideas and worries out. At the ripe old age of 37, I just was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. Yes....like found in dogs. (insert eye roll)  I've always had pain, especially after running. My left hip has also always popped...like a really, really loud pop. I remember, 10 years ago, Joseph and I were living in Northport, AL while he was graduate school. He would drive to Birmingham and I would drive an hour to Columbus, MS to work. Before waking up my 2 oldest (& only at the time) girls for the drive, I would get up and run on my treadmill for 30 minutes. On many occasions, I would limp through the day not knowing what was causing such pain. We thought it was that I wasn't stretching enough and was then cooling off in that seated position in the car on the drive to work. Fast forward to the last 4-5 years, I have run 6 half-marathons. They were not easy. I've always carried more weight than I should so I figured that was the reason. However, no matter how much stretching and no matter how much I worked on my running pose, I always hurt.

hip xray

My last run was in August of 2016. I went to the riverwalk on a beautiful day....by myself. Being by myself was the best part. :) I made it about 2 miles but was struggling. When I headed back, I felt a pop in my left hip but it was different than usual. From that point forward, I literally limped and cried back to the beginning. I was able to make it to a park bench, lay down and stretch my left leg enough to be able to walk to my car. I, almost, got my husband to make the 15 minute drive from home to come get me but my pride wouldn't let me. My husband quickly got me in with a local orthopedic MD. Honestly, from my research, I thought that I had bursitis. An x-ray proved otherwise. "You have hip dysplasia, Amanda." I had no idea what it was or that it would interrupt the flow of my life like it has and will for the years to come.

"Hip dysplasia means that the hip joint is the wrong shape, or that the hip socket is not in the correct position to completely cover and support the femoral head".

http://hipdysplasia.org/adult-hip-dysplasia/

I was referred to a hip specialist at the Campbell's Clinic in Memphis, TN who actually specializes in hip dysplasia. He sees mostly pediatric and young adult patients because that is the age in which hip dysplasia is diagnosed. I pushed through the pain for way too long. I should've listened to my body better and not been afraid of going to the doctor.

I really like my doctor in Memphis. He spent a lot of time with us and educated us on everything. One of the most important pieces of information he taught was degrees of femoral head coverage, which is basically how much does the hip socket cover the femoral head. Coverage of 25 degrees or

less is considered to be hip dysplasia. Coverage of 16 degrees or less is considered to be severe. As of December 2016, I have 4 degrees of femoral head coverage on my left hip and 15 degrees of femoral head coverage on my right hip. (SIGH) I was presented with 2 options: hip replacements or a hip perseveration surgery. Recovery from a hip replacement surgery is much easier and quicker. However, there are activity restrictions to make the replacement last as long as possible and, due to my age, I would need at least one revision. Recovery from hip preservation surgery would be tough but it would allow me a more active lifestyle afterwards and could, possible, prevent a hip replacement in the future. My doctor's words were, "We are going to carefully ignore the right hip while we take care of the left hip first." Great....2 hip surgeries.

I've chosen the hip preservation surgery. The fancy name is periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). The doctor will cut part of my pelvic bone out and re-align it over the femoral head and insert screws to hold it in place. After surgery, I will be toe touch weight bearing only for 12 weeks while the bones grows where it has been cut. Walkers, crutches and wheel chairs will be my transportation.

Here is a link to a video (animated, not actual surgical footage) of the PAO surgery.

http://hipdysplasia.org/adult-hip-dysplasia/adult-treatments/hip-preservation-surgery-for-adult-hip-dysplasia/

Surgery will be February 16, 2017 in Memphis, TN. I'm not worried so much about me. My Heavenly Father knew this diagnosis long before I found out about it. I know He uses situations in our lives to draw us closer to Him and strengthen our faith. The sermon this past Sunday was for me.

A few points that grabbed hold of me:

1. My response to what happens is what is important. My response should be to look past the pain for the purpose.

2. Instead of praying what I want, ask God, "What's next?" and "How can this be used for your glory?"

3. God doesn't cause problems but He does permit them and use them to grow us in our relationship with Him and to show the world His faithfulness to His children.

I'm ok. I don't like to rely on others to take care of me but I will to be well for the future. My concern is how do I manage a family of 6 from the couch or bed? At times, it takes myself, my husband and my mom all going in different directions to get these kiddos everywhere they need to be. Also, how do I wash clothes, get them ready for school, and do all the other things required of me while on crutches and unable to put weight on my left leg? My husband and I have told the girls that they are about to have to pick up some of the load. He's actually said that this will be good for them in transitioning them to becoming more independent.

It will work out. The Lord has it planned out, I know, but I'm nervous. I suppose that's human nature. I'm ready to learn what it is He wants to teach me. In the midst of having to slow down, I'm yearning to hear His voice and learn what the next step is.