What the clunk!

Part 1 of Our DDH Journey

In this post, I have described a sensitive personal experience and emotional ups and downs we experienced when my son was diagnosed with DDH. 

We thank all the doctors and express our gratitude toward the creator for helping us toward a full recovery through a prompt detection and initiation of appropriate treatment. We thank them for all the support and strength they gave us.

An incredibly beautiful baby was born to us on the due date, everything had gone well .... we thought to ourselves "What on earth have we done to deserve him!"

We were so ecstatic that I hardly thought that the "clunk" mentioned by the doctor who examined him would be anything to be worried about. The doctor said that he felt a click in my son's hips when he maneuvered his legs as a part of routine examination on day 1. He told us that it is nothing to worry about, unless it persisted.

The next day the clunk did persist. It meant that his hips "clicked" when moving. It was followed by an ultrasound on day 2 which showed that the left hip joint was underdeveloped and they were uncertain about the right hip.The condition is called Developmental Dysplasia of Hips (DDH) A pediatric ortho would soon take over the case for treatment. We felt devastated!

Dr. Jayant Sampath, the paediatric orthopedic, visited us on day 3 in the hospital just before our discharge. He said that a much detailed ultrasounds needs to be taken. He explained to us what DDH is all about and the expected course of treatment. Based on the diagnostics available, he ordered us to get something called as a "Pavlik Harness" from an orthotist in Delhi, immediately (It would arrive on Day 5). The doctor reassured us that it is "the most kind and the least invasive treatment" for DDH and that it had good prognosis. (We were too worried to comprehend or assimilate the prognosis part.)

We felt that we were in good hands. We felt a streak of hope!

Thank you Dr. Jayant Sampath for helping us gain the right perspective. You are a great listener. Making yourself accessible to parents is another aspect that is very reassuring about you.

Read on for more on Our DDH Journey: Click here Part2
Please share your experience with DDH. I would also be happy to respond to any of your queries.