Fractured Neck of Femur/Pinning Broke head of Femur in January 2020

[Mojo333]

I can only imagine...I know how unhelpful it can be when our mind gets on a loop about things we have no control of ..
You are likely to get many opinions which is not necessarily a bad thing, but we are all different with different bodies and circumstances even with our similarities. So try not to project, dear friend.
My default position was mindless television...cooking show or something super easy to follow.
Stress is very hard on our immune systems so Keep the Faith and try not to worry terribly until you get to see your doctor.
Big virtual hugsxxxx

 

[Mandie4711]

It’s now 7 weeks since I had my hip pinned and went to see my consultant today. I had X-rays and he said everything was fine and the bone is just starting to show fusing. I thought bone fused quicker than this. He also said not to smoke or drink. I gave up alcohol 14 years ago but I do smoke. Will my hip mend cause I smoke. I’ve tried to quit but as I’m a very anxious person I need my roll ups. The consultant is going to check me every 6 weeks now until I have healed properly as he knows I worry and that I suffered badly with Agoraphobia for years. I’m just concerned my smoking will cause problems. Surely there are other people who smoke as not all of us can or want to quit.

 

[Elf1]

I can't say smoking won't affect your recovery for sure, would think it would probably slow it somewhat if nothing else. I used to be a smoker and had a spinal fusion during that time. I did recover fine but have to wonder if it would have been quicker if I hadn't. I know the neurosurgeon was extremely happy when I told him I had quit about 3 months after the surgery. My two cents for what it's worth.

 

[Mandie4711]

I am so pleased you managed to stop smoking and I quite agree with you that it would be best to stop as healing may take longer. I stopped for a week whilst in hospital only because I couldn’t get outside. I intended to stay of the smoking but what with all the pain and trauma then to find out my son has cancer I just didnt have the will power to stay off them. I am hoping to try again soon but at the moment I’m under too much stress as although my hip is slowly getting better I’m trying to support my son who phones me in tears as just about to start chemo and radiotherapy and this breaks my heart hearing him cry.

 

[Laskyd]

@Mandie4711
I am so sorry to hear about your son with cancer!!! My prayers are with both of you.
I was very depressed after my hip fracture and I did not have the added stress that you have with your son.
Smoking has been shown to impair/slow bone healing so if you can cut down as much as possible that would be ideal. However I realize that is hard to do under the circumstances. During my recovery I ate a lot of calcium , vitamin D and K enriched foods . I drank Muscle Milk too.
Glad you got an xray and everything looks fine!!

 

[Elf1]

@Mandie4711 so sorry to hear about your son's cancer. I realize how hard it is to quit and with everything you're going through I'm sure it's helping you cope. You'll quit when it's your time. Sending healing hugs and prayers.

 

[Mandie4711]

I am now 8 weeks post op since having my hip pinned. I had X-rays last week as I was concerned about my progress which showed nothing was wrong with the Rod and screws which was a relief. The consultant didn’t check my inner thigh though and I still find I’m having some pain in it. Also the inner thigh muscle seems very hard when I touch it. I have no idea if this is normal or not and it is worrying me. I can get around and just about manage most things now it’s just the inner thigh. When I’m standing making a cup of tea it can hurt and when I massage it with oil it does feel hard at the top of the muscle. This may be due to trauma of the surgery but I’ve tried googling it and can’t find any answers. Has anyone experienced muscle pain and hardness after surgery and how long does it last. I’ve been told it takes a long time to recover from hip pinning but at 8 weeks I would have thought the inner thigh muscle would be ok by now. I hope I can find some kind of answer as I always think the worst which isn’t healthy for my mental state.

 

[alexthecat]

I had all kinds of mysterious pains and stiffness that came and went after my hip fracture. That's a tough injury to recover from. Try ice or heat or both, just to see what works. Are you taking any medication for pain now?

 

[Layla]

Hello Mandie,
I’m so sorry to read about your sons cancer and the distress it’s causing you. It’s heartbreaking to watch someone we love struggle, especially our children. I’m sure you’re feeling helpless in his regard. All you can do is continue to be there for him, loving him through it.

It’s unfortunate you didn’t bring the inner thigh pain to the consultants attention while at your appointment. Consider calling to see if you can speak with him about it over the phone. Possibly he’d be able to reassure you it’s simply part of the healing process.
Wishing you comfort and relief. Prayers for both you and your son.
@Mandie4711

 

[mikepapagolf]

@Mandie4711 - I had my pinning surgery just a few days before you, so we're about the same point in recovery. I wasn't sure if you are weight bearing on your leg or not yet, but I am not. At this point I don't have a lot of pain most of the time, but I do get pains in different places at times, including on the inner thigh. At my check up last week, they told me that it would be common to have these pains and that it wouldn't be concerning unless it was extreme. In my case, since I haven't been walking since before surgery, the muscles are contracting and atrophying and they said this can cause odd feelings. I'd say if the pain is not horrible and they say you look like you are healing well then it's just normal. Like you said, there was a lot of trauma to the area and it does take a lot of time for this to heal - more than 8 weeks I believe. Best of luck to you!

 

[Mandie4711]

Hi mikepapagolf,
I can walk on my leg but i am disabled with mobility problems so cannot walk unaided at all. I find i am a lot slower than i was and more unsteady but i also have Foot Drop and since my op i have found the foot drop has got worse and i now experience bad burning in the heel of my foot in bed .You said that you havent walked yet is this because of the op or are you also disabled ?
I agree with you about the different pains we are experiencing that they are part of the healing process but at times i do get concerned as no one tells you what to expect after this type of surgery.In the UK i wasnt even due to see my consultant again for a check up but i insisted on seeing him as i was worrying myself so much. The one thing he said to me though was not to smoke but sadly i am. Now is not a great time for me to quit as i am dealing with my slow recovery and my sons rececent cancer diagnosis so i am totally stressed out. I asked my consultant if my bone was fusing and he said a little which scared me as i thought bone would fuse quicker than this but i think thats why he told me to quit smoking as it slows down the healing process. I dont know how things work in the united states but here they seem to keep you in the dark about everything. Once you leave hospital thats it your on your own. I really hope that you recover soon as this is a traumatic thing to go through and i hope that you will be able to weight bear soon.
Thank you for replying to me as like you say we both had our operations at the same time so its nice to hear from someone who is at the same stage as me.
Wishing all the best

 

[mikepapagolf]

I was fully able bodied prior to my accident and surgery. I am only not walking because of the doctor recommendation to not weight bear for 3 months. I’ve seen the doctor just once each month since the surgery. So, it doesn’t sound too different than you. It does leave you with a lot of time to worry, but try to focus on the positive that it does seem to be healing. Even if it is going slowly. I’m hoping to be back to normal soon, but we’ll see how it goes. Hope you continue to heal too.

 

[VSlowLife]

and i now experience bad burning in the heel of my foot in bed .

Just catching up on your thread. I found my heels were not happy with me, lying in bed so much on my back. If I laid my legs on a sturdy pillow, and the heels did not touch the bed, but hung over a bit, the heels did not bother me.

Given time, I hope your issues resolve.

I am so sorry to hear about your son’s cancer diagnosis. I hope the therapy he receives knocks it out.

 

[Elf1]

Another thing that some of us tried when we had the heel burning problem was to take a super soft fuzzy blanket or some sheep skin and put it under the heels.

 

[Mandie4711]

I am now 10 weeks post op since having my hip repaired. I have found everyone’s advise and support really helpful so thank you everyone. I’m still improving but very slowly but as I’m disabled already I knew it was going to take a long time for me to recover. I still get swelling in my ankle and pain in the groin and my inner thigh muscle is still a bit swollen. Today I saw the top physio as to be honest there’s nothing more they can help me with as they say my situation is different to most people they see. Anyway this physio is a specialist in my type of fracture and he was very nice and informative. He said it would take a good nine months for me to heal due to my disability and I’m very underweight that’s I don’t have much muscle strength. I told him the things that I still have trouble with like I can’t bend my leg enough to put my sock on as it hurts to much. He said that I should be able to do this so now I’m concerned why I can’t. I know I have peripheral neuropathy in my legs which is why I cannot walk unaided and my nerves are all affected but if I try to bend my leg up across my knee I can’t anymore so I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced this or should I be able to easily put a sock on and cut my toe nails. I’m hoping it’s just time I need and over the next few months I will have more flexibility in this leg but the physio therapist has got me worrying now.
I hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

 

[alexthecat]

I couldn't do that 10 weeks after my pinning either. Everyone is different and I'm sure you're right where you need to be. Try not to be bothered by what that physio said.

 

[Mandie4711]

Thanks Alex,
I was starting to worry and I’ve been trying all day to stretch my leg up so I could reach my foot but it’s just caused me more pain so I’m just going let the healing process continue and if it takes another two months or so I’m not worrying about it. When you had your pinning did you also get the groin and inner thigh pain. It’s not all the time but sometimes when I’m walking I can get a sharp twinge and evenings are the worst but then I’m sitting down watching tv and not moving around. I’ve found there’s lots of information on full hip replacement but not that much on hip pinning so I never know what’s normal and what’s not. The hospital never gave me any information on what to expect so i left there completely in the dark. I’m no longer having physio as I was very limited on my exercises and to be honest the best exercise for me is to just keep up my walking with my rollator as that’s all I could do before the fall. Time is a great healer so is patience which I don’t have much off but I will get there in the end I’m just very cautious now as scared of falling again.

 

[alexthecat]

When you had your pinning did you also get the groin and inner thigh pain. It’s not all the time but sometimes when I’m walking I can get a sharp twinge and evenings are the worst but then I’m sitting down watching tv and not moving around.

Yes! That's exactly what it was like for me and that pain was really intense sometimes. I had a large heating pad that I would wrap around my hip. You could try that or ice or both. Just see what works for you.

I’m no longer having physio as I was very limited on my exercises

That's probably for the best. You're somewhat unique, as you know, and you may be better off recovering on your own, at your own pace. You know your body better than any physio.

 

[Mandie4711]

Pain seems to be getting worse. Really scared as don’t want to go to hospital again with this virus spreading. It seems the pain started more after standing up leaning over kitchen sink to wash my hair as normally I sit down but water pressure has gone in bathroom. I’m really hoping I’ve just aggravated a muscle but I even woke up to this annoying pain. Surely after now 11 weeks I can’t of caused screws and nails to move.

 

[Jaycey]

Still early days @Mandie4711 ! Ice, elevate and rest. You may have twisted oddly leaning over your sink. Rest and try and relax.