Congenital Dislocation of the Hip | My CDH

This is going to be a very personal post as CDH is something I suffer with myself and have done since I was a baby. I'm making this post so you have an insight into what I've been through in the past sixteen years and if you know me from around school why I 'walk like a penguin'.

What is CDH?

Congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) is a condition found from birth where the ball and socket joint at the hip does not stay locked together as it should.

The top of the thigh-bone (or femur) normally has a ball shape which rolls around within a “cup” shaped socket in the pelvic bones.

In some babies the shape of the ball or socket hasn't developed properly, which means that they easily become detached. As a result of this, the ball part of the joint may come out of the socket completely or simply be looser. If this isn't corrected the child may grow up with legs of different lengths and an abnormal gait (me being an example here), this would also cause pain and the early development of osteoarthritis of the hip joint.

Symptoms

All newborn babies have their hips checked for CDH within a few days of birth and at six weeks so that treatment can be started early if necessary. Unfortunately my CDH went un-noticed at birth and I didn't have a six week check up, so doctors had no idea I had it until I was nearly 2, which by then the condition had firmly set in.

One of the first things doctors would check for, would be a clicking sound when the baby's legs are moved apart. This sound occurs when the ball slips out of the socket, an obvious sign that there's a problem.

The dislocation can cause the following symptoms when the baby starts to walk if not detected earlier.

• Delayed walking
• Abnormal waddling gait (because one leg is shorter)
• Asymmetrical thigh creases
• Inability to move the leg out away from the body

As you can see from the photo above, there was definitely a problem.
How doctors couldn't see that, I've no idea
PS: I'm aware I look like a gimp

Personally, I don't remember much from the beginning of this very long journey with CDH,  obviously because I've had it since I was a tiny baby. I've had four big operations throughout my life, the first being when I was only just 18 months old. 

I believe my first operation was to relocate my hip into place and to do so they had to physically break my femur bone to bring it round into place, then screw it into place with little bolts. There was a complication though and I lost far too much blood. This resulted in having to have a blood transfusion. I had my leg put into a cast, but when I had it taken off, I fell off of my tricycle and broke my leg because it was so brittle so I had to go through the procedure again. I was put in a special cast (Spica) after that. A spica cast immobilises the hips and thighs so that the bones and tendons can heal properly.

I then had an operation after that to take the bolts out, this gave me a hefty 12" scar on my left leg. After that my left leg grew at a much slower pace than my right leg. I suffered with so much pain, especially in the winter, that my parents had to carry me for much longer than what a 'normal child' would be carried for. 

When I was 7, doctors and surgeons decided that I should have another operation to try and sort out the growth in my leg. I had metal staples put into my leg at the hip joint, I'm not entirely sure why as I never paid attention to what the surgeon had to say about it, I kept getting distracted by the bead roller-coaster toy in the consultation room, but never the less. 

I remember being told I had to have surgery a year after they'd actually decided to do it. They only gave me a few months to come to terms with it before I was booked in. I guess in hindsight it was a good thing they did this, because I wasn't really given the opportunity to freak out and back out of it. I completely broke down in tears when I was told, which is completely normal being a small child or a child at any age to be quite frank. 

The thought of an operation is very daunting, especially being at an age where you'll be able to remember everything leading up to and after it. I can't even express how terrified I was. The thought of somebody cutting deep into my skin whilst I was asleep made me feel sick. I was so paranoid that I was going to wake up midway through surgery and to this day that is still my biggest fear. I suffered with nightmares nearly every night leading up to it and couldn't sleep much afterwards because I was in so much pain during recovery.

I haven't had any operations since then and I only went to hospital every two years after simply for a check up but as of last June I no longer have to go for check ups! 

The surgeon said that they've done everything they possibly can and I just have to wait until my leg is in so much pain which should be within the next three years, go to my GP and get referred to the hospital again for a hip replacement. Yes, that sounds very strange I know. A hip replacement at the age of 19/20. 

CDH may not seem like a big deal but it has affected absolutely everything I've done in my life. There isn't ever a day where I don't think about it. I walk with a substantial limp which people often feel the need to point out at school. I have 2 relatively big scars on my left leg which I've always been quite self conscious about. I find it difficult to walk long distances, I have very limited flexibility in my left leg, I can't cross my legs so I've always stood out during circle time/assemblies, I can't do many exercises because it simply doesn't let me which has caused me to be slightly on the tubbier side and I'm worried that in the future I won't be able to have children naturally because of it. 

My disability is the main reason I was bullied throughout primary school whereas my weight was the focus of my bullying during secondary school. 

CDH isn't a condition which is known about that much, so when I tried explaining it to people they look very puzzled. I've given up trying to explain it to people now and simply say that I limp because I have one leg shorter than the other. 

I don't use a wheelchair as I'm still able to walk, so when I tell people that I'm disabled they give me a strange look as if to say 'How can you be disabled? You can walk! You don't look disabled' which leads me onto another point. Just because somebody doesn't 'look' disabled or they don't have an obvious disability (in the fact they're in a wheelchair) doesn't mean they aren't. 

If you go to my school and you've read this post then I hope you're now aware that you've been taking the piss out of me for years over something I simply cannot do anything about. 

If not, then I hope this has given you an insight into a very important thing about me.

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