Thanks John - more excellent advice.
Ok - going to check out BONESMART.
What caused your hip to deteriorate to the point of needing a replacement? Was it AS?
yes.....I asked my Doc that very same question and he said it was most likely OA, associated with AS.if I never had the AS he said my hips would have been fine, bummer.
strange thing is,(I have come across this a lot in my research and talks with specialists) both hips looked just as bad as each other on the x rays but only the left one was causing me considerable pain whilst the other hardly bothers me.
I asked the surgeon about this and he said is was common...."we treat the patient, not the x ray" was his unforgettable reply
I also spoke to my rheumy some time ago about the same thing and the likelihood of me being accepted for an op at such a "young" age from the evidence as seen on the x rays.
he told me the x rays did not really matter much to them (for selection for the op) it was the patients level of pain and discomfort that guided their hand in their choice of whether to operate or not
to sum up.....a patients hip x rays can look simply dreadful and very painful whilst in actual fact the patient feels no pain at all ,only some stiffness. Patient number two can show unremarkable levels of a diseased hip and be in absolute agony.
"we treat the patient, NOT the x ray"
remarkable, no?
take care Wendy
join BONESMART, sign in and check out the section HIP REPLACEMENT PRE OP AREA introduce yourself and ask any question that comes to mind.it really is worthwhile
