TrulyGrace

my BAD hips

I have cBAD (congenital bilateral acetabular dysplasia). That means I have bad hips from birth. No clue of this status for me until ~4-5 years ago....

I started having pain after a few-month hiatus from swing dancing (Big Band music). My then-boss used to write emails to her friends making fun of my use of assistive devices. I am glad that I don't work with her anymore. I quit dancing on a regular basis about that time. Until then, I had danced 3-4 evenings per week---Irish ceili/set dancing, ballroom dance, swing (big band) dance, and sometimes Latin/mixed ballroom/swing dance. Boy, I really enjoyed my dance.

I am really excited about having my procedure done...total hip replacement. My medical team insists that I will be able to do basically "anything [within reason]" after my surgery. I guess that means getting back to dancing, swimming, maybe [stationary] biking, but I guess I won't be able to play the violin [snif].

I am currently held together by "string, tape, muscles, and God." What I have done in my life up to this point is pretty amazing---scratch that, miraculous---considering my bone structure, or lack thereof: Ballet to pointe (I was accepted to a ballet school for a large-city Ballet Theater), gymnastics, I lettered on the track team in high school (100m hurdles and 400m dash), modern dance and choreography in college (with my good friend, Liz, through MIT Dance Theatre), rockclimbing in college and beyond, hiking for recreation and work (our little research group of American and Mexican scientists were self-entertaining when we were lost!), and the dance styles I took up in Pittsburgh, mentioned above.
~~~
I am truly thankful that my parents did not inform me of my bone structure until I started to have pain when I reached "a certain age": That they did not limit my activity as a child. "Hey, she can walk---let her be, have a normal childhood."

I am thankful for a good orthopedist: Who understood my need to try to strengthen what was already in place with physical therapy.

I am thankful for a good PT team that has held me together with a little more muscle for good measure.

I am thankful for my PCP and treatment team which have been part of my greater support network.

I am thankful that I have one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the region doing this procedure for me.

I am thankful for everyone who has gone before me in this procedure: Gene, Joyce's father-in-law; Tom, Jen's dad; Dr. Linda, who gave helpful advice...and especially for Gene's helpful hints to me during our visit to California.

And finally, I am thankful that I have a problem that can be easily solved by the miracles of modern science, technology, and medicine. I am truly fortunate.

Labels: BAD, Carnegie, dance, excited, exercise, family, international culture, Ireland, research, soils, surgery

posted by Grace @ 5/16/2008 05:44:00 PM