Julie's Story

Hip Replacement Allows Flight Attendant and Mother of Two To Keep Her Life in the Fast Lane

A flight attendant in the Chicago area, Julie, 50, spends up to 12 to 14 hours a day on her feet. Despite the long hours, Julie says that she still loves her job, even after doing it for 23 years.

When not at work, Julie has a very full schedule. As a mother of teenage twins, she is always on the go. She volunteers at the twins’ school and cheers them on at baseball and basketball games. Julie also shares her love of the outdoors with her family by hiking, taking camping trips, and tending their garden.

Julie developed osteoarthritis in her right hip as a result of a childhood illness that led to a temporary loss of blood supply to the hip (also known as avascular necrosis, AVN). Eventually, Julie says, “I started waking up with a little bit of pain. That pain would turn into a great deal of pain after I put in 14 to 16 hours on my feet at work.”

At first, Julie addressed her pain with over-the-counter pain medication. As her hip pain started impacting her activities, Julie consulted an orthopaedic surgeon to discuss her treatment options. They agreed that she should try injections.

“The first one worked really well for 3 or 4 months. And then the second one helped a shorter period of time, and by the third one, it was hardly a month that it helped the pain. So I knew that there really wasn't any other option at that point but to have the hip replacement surgery.”

Like many patients who undergo hip replacement surgery, Julie recalls that she experienced a specific key-turning point when she realized that her hip arthritis affected her ability to be a parent. “I prided myself on being the kind of mother who really took the time to play with my children and share my love of the outdoors with them. But eventually I could barely walk. I wasn’t the mother my kids deserved.”

Julie also noticed her severe hip pain was impacting her at work. “One day as I was at work walking through the terminal. I was limping really badly and I just felt like people were looking at me and thinking, ‘What is wrong with her? Why is she limping?’ The pain was so bad and unbearable, and I just knew I had to do something about this because I can't continue to come to work and to live everyday life like I was living it.”

Julie underwent hip surgery in October 2002. Julie’s surgeon chose Pinnacle^® Hip Solutions from DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. Only Pinnacle Hip Solutions feature TrueGlide™ technology, allowing the body to create a thin film of lubrication between surfaces. The result is a more fluid range of natural motion—that more closely matches the feeling and movement of a natural hip. In fact, one study showed 99.9% of Pinnacle Hips’ components implanted are still in motion today.¹

When Julie decided to undergo hip replacement surgery, she admits that she had her concerns: “A part of me wondered, am I ever going to be the same again? Am I going to be able to walk without a limp?”

Julie’s surgery went well. She says, “All the fears I had about the surgery and the recovery process really started to go away once the surgery was over and I started recovering. I worked really hard at my rehabilitation because I knew I’d get out of it what I put into it.”

Today, when people ask Julie about her hip replacement surgery, she’s happy to share her experience with them: “The decision to have the surgery has changed my life. Now I'm able to do all the fun things I love to do with my children and my husband, and I’m not in pain anymore. My twins have their Mom back. It's wonderful and I wish I had done it a long time ago.”

The performance of a hip replacement depends on your age, weight, activity level and other factors. There are potential risks, and recovery takes time. People with conditions limiting rehabilitation should not have this surgery. Only an orthopaedic surgeon can tell if hip replacement is right for you.

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Next: Marcy’s Story

Reference:
1. Kindsfater K, Barrett WP, Dowd JE, Southworth CB and Cassell MJ. “99.9% Midterm Survival of the Pinnacle Multi-Liner Acetabular Cup in a Prospective Multi-Center Study.” Poster Presentation #P077, AAOS, San Diego, CA. February 14-18, 2007.