Thursday, November 5, 2015

How it all began. Legg Perthes or Osteonecrosis/ Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head

Me with brace in 1964
How I ended up the way I am now began about 54 yeas ago, in 1961. I remember playing in the playground, I was 5 and in Kindergarten , we were running races and  I collapsed to the ground in  a whole hell of a lot of  pain. I remember laying on our sofa/couch and feeling any vibration from anyone walking into the living room, which cause excruciating pain . When my pain got worse instead of better my parents took me to ER and from there I went to L.A. Children's Hospital and where I stayed for about a month in traction.  
I was diagnosed with Legg-CalvĂ©-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a form of osteonecrosis of the hip that is found only in children. It is known by a few other names such as ischemic necrosis of the hip, coxa plana, osteochondritis and avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Most commonly it is called Legg-Perthes disease, LCPD, or Perthes.for more information. Basically my hip ball was starved for blood and died but being a young child and bones still growing , a new hip can grow back, but not always as good as the original one. Usually it is not smooth or very round, especially way back when , when I came down with this.
This was in my left Hip. After a month in the hospital in traction I was then fitted with a brace that I had to wear for  about 3 years and I think I had to be fitted for one each year because of childhood growth. I had to go to a handicapped school during that time.
From that time to now I have had hip problems. Because my leg and foot was now a good size smaller than my right leg and back then there was no therapy when I was taken out of this brace, they took the brace off and said you are all better now. Right, my leg had not bore any weight for 3 years so you can imagine how much smaller and weaker it was. They told me when I reached adulthood I would get arthritis, thanks for the good news. I immediately began to walk with a limp and with time that caused my lower back to twist causing Scoliosis  of my lumbar.
Scoliosis is a lateral (toward the side) curvature in the normally straight vertical line of the spine
Which then began a domino effect with my spine and my other leg . I now have Degenerative Disc Disease and other issues from my neck down to my very low back which causes my severe Sciatica on the same left hip side that I can only treat with Prednisone .That then caused me to also favor my left leg causing my right knee to take on more than necessary which caused a speeding of the ware and tear to my knee causing Osteoarthritis ( OA ) to my knee. My left hip today is in need of a new hip as well as a new right knee, but because of my weight they will not perform the surgery for replacements. I am now  in Chronic pain and I am in a Wheel Chair. The thing with the weight issues, most is caused by lack of exercise, I am in a wheel chair, also because of the medications I have had to take which cause weight gain, it is a vicious circle I play with this. I lost 100 lbs. but was prescribed prednisone 40 mg. then down to 20 mg. for about 5 years and Gabapentin in high doses  which are notorious for causing weight gain , for me over 100 lbs. got off of those lost 80lbs. but now back on the damn prednisone but only 10 mg. not near enough for what I need it for but I just can't go through all the issues it causes again.
Painless blessings to all of you,
Painful PattyPat

1 comment:

  1. I had Perthes in my right leg in 1960 and then my left in 1962. I have many of the same issues you do. One difference is that instead of weight gain due to lack of mobility I developed heart disease and had a heart attack in 2002. Prednisone is too risky for folks with heart problems so, except for NSAIDs like Tylenol, there wasn't much I could do for the pain. However, a few years ago I tried medical marijuana which helps a lot. It does better then prednisone ever did for me. Unfortunately, I have other conditions which affect my mobility (two types of arthritis) and still need a walker and mobility scooter. However, my pain is better managed. Have you tried medical marijuana? If not, I would suggest trying it. There are tinctures, oils and edibles available which allow you to avoid smoking.

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