To give you an idea of what happened..
When my son was in reception, he started to limp on his right leg, he had pain in the lower part of his leg, never the hip. The pain and limping was every day, some days worse than others.
The doctors put it down to growing pains, and playing and being a child! This went one for over a year. His gp sent him for an x ray of his ankle, showed nothing.
12 months down the line,i quite literally went mad!! i demanded that he saw a orthopaedic doctor! I eventually got my own way, and went to a childrens hospital. The doctor examined my son for 5 mins sent him for xrays of the hip straight away, we came back and he was diagnosed with Perthes. That day was a huge relief to find out there was something wrong, but my world came tumbling down at the same time.
He was 7 when he was diagnosed and his hip was in a bad way, he was the later age where things can be not so good.
The doctor said my son needed immediate treatment.we were sent to a specialist orthopaedic hospital (some fantastic surgeons there, people were coming world wide to this hospital so i was pleased he was going there)
3 weeks after diagnosis, he spent 2 weeks constantly in slings and springs, his legs were raised up off the bed and kept apart this was 24 hours a day, he came out slings and springs for intensive hydrotherapy twice a day. he stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks. (my mum stayed with him overnights as i have another child)
He was then sent for a arthrogram. (a dye is injected into the joint space under general anaesthetic,the joint is pulled and moved under a special x ray to get very clear pictures of the joint)
My son was so scared and i was in pieces he was begging me to go home, he had gas to calm him (my mum had to pin him down, this was in the anaesthetic room, i couldn't see this happen)
after that the doctors said he would need an osteotomy (he was lucky he was diagnosed when he was otherwise he would need external fixator)
the osteotomy involved, cutting a piece of bone, like a cheese wedge out of the femur, turning it round and pushing the femoral head into the socket, then placing pins and plates in the bone. he had that done in 2009.
he was in hospital a week. he had an epidural and spinal block so he wouldnt feel pain after the op.he was non weight bearing for 8 weeks, had a wheelchair and childrens walking frame. he hopped on one leg,or i carried him. he slept down stairs in a bed as he couldnt get upstairs.
he was off school for about 7 months, and had a daily tutor. he had weekly hydrotherapy and very intensive physio.
i had to bed bath him, dress him etc.. he had a commode and bed pan..
after 8 weeks non weight bearing he had to take 3 steps a day with his frame, and then non weight bear the rest, the steps were built up over the weeks...he then went to crutches, but still hopping a lot.
it does turn your whole upside down!
he has shortening of the leg, from where they took bone out and twisting so he has to wear a built up shoe. he limps and has pain, aches etc. he uses crutches for long distances can walk without for short distances, anything over 15mins walk and hes knackered and starts to ache.
he's never played a game of football, he cant climb,run...so much he can't do. he cant get in and out the bath by himself.
he is going back into hospital in 4 weeks time, to have a arthrogram, and to have the pins and plates took out. (they can't leave it in too long as the bones grows over it and can cause problems)
i wont know whats to happen until after that..what i do know is that osteotomy he had done in 2009 will be re done again, so another 2 years of non weight bearing, physio etc etc, all what we've been through will have to go through that again.
i was so glad he didnt have to have hip spicas though. have you been in touch with the perthes association? theyre the only association in the world to help..
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