Post by Donna Brown on Aug 14, 2007 19:20:31 GMT -5
Chances are you have had your childhood disrupted by perthes, what with restrictions and possibly surgeries, or at least some form of physical therapy.
You possibly have scars on your body - if you're a male, thats fine, as you will have come up with some sort of story to explain the scarring away - you know the shark or alligator attack, or whatever was right for you. For the females, its harder, as there is so much emphasis on body image and having a big nasty old scar across your hip, or thigh, or a series of small round ones where a fixator sat isn't as easy to deal with - but you did it!
You may also have been left with LLD (leg length discrepancy) and possibly also a limp, or an interesting gait. Nothing like drawing even more attention to yourself, is there?
But you are now at an age where career options are a priority, as is dating.
For career options - you will need to be guided by what your specialist has said and also find that balance for yourself, where you are doing something that is right for you, but maybe with some compromises to keep the specialist and your parents off your back! Something that involves standing for long periods might not be the best option, but is there a way to work around that.
With relationships, about the only problem you might find is if and when it gets to be more intimate and you are self-conscious of the scarring - you won the battle with Perthes and you have the scars to prove it too! If the person is worth you committing to a deeper relationship with, then they will accept you (scars and all) and not judge you.
That probably sounds like what your parents would tell you, but hey, I'm a parent too. I'm also a Perthes survivor!
You possibly have scars on your body - if you're a male, thats fine, as you will have come up with some sort of story to explain the scarring away - you know the shark or alligator attack, or whatever was right for you. For the females, its harder, as there is so much emphasis on body image and having a big nasty old scar across your hip, or thigh, or a series of small round ones where a fixator sat isn't as easy to deal with - but you did it!
You may also have been left with LLD (leg length discrepancy) and possibly also a limp, or an interesting gait. Nothing like drawing even more attention to yourself, is there?
But you are now at an age where career options are a priority, as is dating.
For career options - you will need to be guided by what your specialist has said and also find that balance for yourself, where you are doing something that is right for you, but maybe with some compromises to keep the specialist and your parents off your back! Something that involves standing for long periods might not be the best option, but is there a way to work around that.
With relationships, about the only problem you might find is if and when it gets to be more intimate and you are self-conscious of the scarring - you won the battle with Perthes and you have the scars to prove it too! If the person is worth you committing to a deeper relationship with, then they will accept you (scars and all) and not judge you.
That probably sounds like what your parents would tell you, but hey, I'm a parent too. I'm also a Perthes survivor!