In the summer of 2006, I was diagnosed with "early arthritis" in my right hip. Not too shocking, considering I'd been limping for several months before the X-rays and MRI confirmed the problem. What was shocking was the rate at which the arthritis progressed. Within nine months of the original diagnosis, the arthritis got worse and my mobility was severely compromised. As a result, I will be having a total hip replacement--THR--of my right hip on Tuesday, June 26, 2007.
Q. What's worse than being 41-years-old and having two children under the age of four?
A. Being 41-years-old, having two children under the age of four, and needing hip replacement surgery.
I had my first child at age 38 and my second at age 40. This sets me apart from most of the women I know who either had children at a younger age, or who opted not to have children at all. I already feel old in momland, so the THR is adding insult to injury. But I have no choice. I have trouble doing the most basic things--getting up out of a chair, walking, climbing stairs, sleeping--and the arthritis will never go away. THR is the only solution.
I'm terrified about the surgery, but the terror isn't about the needles or the cutting or the long, excruciating recovery. I'm terrified for my two boys. What if something bad happens and I die on the operating table? Once you have children, you realize you have to live a long time. Forever, if possible. Facing major surgery, I can't stop wondering how my boys would survive without a mother. I'm trying to stop thinking about this, but it's hard.
The recovery from THR is long. It will be months before I can get down on the floor to play, bend over to pick up a toy, or carry a 29 pound umpteen-month-old boy up a flight of stairs. I won't be able to drive for at least six weeks, and I'll be on crutches for most (all?) of the summer. Because of all this, I have hired a nanny to care for the kids. She has her work cut out for her.
I decided to blog the hip to help other women--mothers with very young children--who are facing THR. Every minute of every day is going to be an adventure. Wish me luck.
