A Hip Chronology

The story of my hips, which is updated as relevant events occur:

1974: I was born in 1974, and have had on and off hip pain for as long as I can remember.

1999: In my early 20s, the pain got bad enough for me to see an orthopedist. See The History of my Hips. The orthopedist told me that I have shallow hip sockets and would need a bilateral hip replacement before the age of 30, and... oh yeah... he thought I had a torn labrum in my right hip.

2013 - 2014: At the age of 39, I still hadn't needed a hip replacement... but after on and off pain for 15+ years, I had X-rays and an MRI, and finally went to see an orthopedist.

• On May 22, 2014, I saw an orthopedist, who confirmed a torn labrum in my right hip. He suggested trying a cortisone injection.
• On June 5, 2014, I had a cortisone injection.
• On June 18, 2014, I had a follow up with the doctor and told him that the cortisone injection helped, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. He suggested a consult with an orthopedist who did hip arthroscopy.
• On June 27, 2014, I met with a surgeon who does hip arthroscopy. After much consideration, I scheduled the surgery.
• On July 7, 2014, I had surgery to fix my torn labrum. I felt great for about a week post-surgery.
• On July 15, 2014, I started to feel pain in my leg.
• On July 22, 2014, I saw my orthopedist, who assured me the pain was nothing to worry about.
• On August 7, 2014, after a month of complaining about my leg pain, a PT assistant finally took me seriously.
• On August 8, 2014, I had an ultrasound and was diagnosed with acute DVT extending from my calf to my proximal femoral vein. I got an injection of Lovenox in the ER and started taking a relatively new medication called Xarelto.
• On August 12, 2014, I met with my orthopedist, who told me I was going to be just fine. I just needed to be patient.
• On September 5, 2014, I saw my orthopedist again. I told him my leg pain was better but that I was still having a lot of hip pain. He suggested another cortisone injection.
• On September 10, 2014, I had a second cortisone injection. It caused excruciating pain for a few days, then I felt good for a few days, then... eh.
• On October 14, 2014, I had a second ultrasound to evaluate my DVT. I still had significant clotting, but it appeared to be getting better. My orthopedist told me I could stop taking Xarelto, but my PCP thought I should continue. I kept taking it.

2015: I'm still having a lot of hip pain, and still dealing with DVT.

• On February 27, 2015, I had a third ultrasound to evaluate my DVT. The clotting was much improved, but still present. My PCP recommended another three months of Xarelto.
• On March 3, 2015, after continued pain, I had an MR arthrogram, which showed that I have a torn labrum, just like I did before the surgery. According to my orthopedist, this was 'normal' and nothing to be concerned about.
• I decided that I needed a new orthopedist. It was about time.
• On March 26, 2015, I saw a different orthopedist. He said I had somewhat severe hip dysplasia, cam impingement, and that my torn labrum was just a result of my abnormal hip anatomy. He said there was no point in fixing my labrum again without addressing the cause of the tear. He suggested a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), followed by a labral repair. That was a lot to think about, so I sat on it for a while. 
• In May, I found out I have breast cancer.

2017: After finishing up cancer treatments, I decided my hips needed attention again.

• In March, I went to get a second opinion on the second opinion that I got back in March of 2015. Orthopedist #3 agreed with Orthopedist #2. After lots of mental ado, I finally scheduled surgeries - hip arthroscopy followed by PAO.
• On July 10th, I had arthroscopic hip surgery to fix my torn labrum, as well as a procedure called microfracture to stimulate cartilage growth. A week later, on July 17th, I had a periacetabular osteotomy.