Helen’s Treatment

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ContributorHelen, 60Read Full Bio

Biography

Helen, 60, was always active as an elementary school teacher. She noticed that there was a “deep pain” in her right hip and over the counter pain medication didn’t help. When she had an X-ray, the doctor told her that synovial fluid had been depleted from her hip joint, which was causing her bone on bone pain. But at that point, they said she was too young for a hip replacement. Helen modified her activities but at one point she felt like her pain made her seem as if she “was 98 as opposed to 48.” Helen needed to find a specialist who could see she really needed a replacement and couldn’t wait. She found one who, after a series of tests, told her there was no question: she needed a hip replacement.

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ContributorHelen, 60Read Full Bio

Biography

Helen, 60, was always active as an elementary school teacher. She noticed that there was a “deep pain” in her right hip and over the counter pain medication didn’t help. When she had an X-ray, the doctor told her that synovial fluid had been depleted from her hip joint, which was causing her bone on bone pain. But at that point, they said she was too young for a hip replacement. Helen modified her activities but at one point she felt like her pain made her seem as if she “was 98 as opposed to 48.” Helen needed to find a specialist who could see she really needed a replacement and couldn’t wait. She found one who, after a series of tests, told her there was no question: she needed a hip replacement.

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After her surgery, Helen was up and walking and, for her, it was an outpatient procedure. Helen had prepared her home, as instructed, for her return after the surgery. She needed steps up to her bed. She found going to the restroom on her own to be the hardest thing. And she was lonely once she got home from the hospital and there was no one around. She tried to make the best of it and even decorated her crutches and canes for her walks around the neighborhood as instructed.

So I decided to change my mind and go to a s-another specialist and they did a series of tests and there was no question about it I needed a hip replacement so then the age wasn't the issue. I do remember when it was set for me to have the hip replacement surgery I was going to London at the time to receive an award on a movie that won many awards. The movie was called Reunion and during the time in London I was walking crooked my back was bent all over, it was hurting so bad that I stopped one day into a healing shop with a lot of herbs and some of the medicines. They gave me the oils that I would put on, they gave me these little pills it was hurting that bad but I needed to carry out that mission of being there for the award show, seeing the opening of that movie and I wanted to be there and I greatly enjoyed it even though I was hurting. ‘Cause the majority of the time in London you were walking. You know unless you were on the train you were walking. So I had a lot of hurting but I carried on because of the excitement. I knew that I was going to London so I had made the schedule and the work up around that time so that when I come back from London then we would go into the surgery of having the right hip replacement.

HELEN: After the surgery I woke up and it was a requirement as soon as you wake up that you get up and you start walking. And so that's what I did I was in pain yes, it was an outpatient surgery I didn't stay into the hospital overnight. They had scheduled where I would walk the halls accompanied by the nurse or the physical therapist every so many minutes. I assume they wanted to see if I was capable to go home on my own and handle the hip surgery which was a success I was able to do that.

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