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From: Julie
Date: 22 Jan 2001
Time: 01:39:11
Remote Name: 205.188.198.188
Hi, I am 32, born with CDH, casted 2 1/2 years at age 3, progressive pain from degeneration started at age 12. Went to numerous surgeons who all said the same thing, "You need a hip replacement, but you're too young."
I became an alcoholic and drug addict, hated my life, was severly depressed. I know my depression was 99% caused by the pain. After I got sober & clean when I was 24, then I realized exactly how much pain I was in. (the drinking and drugs must have been helping) I had an ostyotomy, then another because the first one never healed. The second one never healed either. My pelvis was so messed up that even if I found someone to do a replacement it would be impossible. after 3 years in wheelchair, crutches, etc. Loosing my job & ability to work, live life, etc., the pain was unberable to the point of visiting an emergency room. The x-ray tech there noticed some of the pins from the previoius surgery were actually in the joint. He said they needed to come out but it was going to be very difficult, and proceeded to give me some drugs & told me to come back in a couple weeks to discuss surgery. I made it one day & was ready to go to the emergency room again. My son was 6 months old at the time & I was loosing all hope in my life. My biggest fear was not being able to take care of him, physically or mentally between the depression and narcotics. My father had recently commited suicide (when I was four months pregnant) because he could'nt take the pain he was having from loosing his feet to diabeties. Needless to say I was a mess! AA meetings were helping me keep sober, but I was still loosing my sanity. I begged my surgeon to help me. He ended up hanging up on me. I posted a desperate message on the discussion board (which I only found the night before) and a saint wrote me back with a name of a doc. near me to see. The next day I called the doc. Told my story and they said "How soon can you get here? Go straight to admitting, we are reserving an operating room for you."
I got my hip replacment that week. There is my miracle. I am living a life I never dreamed of. A wonderful thing I have learned in life, "Don't give up before the miracle happens!"
Please e-mail me if you like and let me know how you are doing now, your artical was posted a while ago.
You're in my prayers tonight. Julie