THR LTHR small femur fracture during insertion

[Layla]

I know people mean well but it is very discouraging to hear these kinds of stories

Yes, right. I don’t understand why people feel the need to share these stories if they aren’t supportive of who they’re speaking with?

Funnily enough I have not been told ONE story similar to mine, every story I’ve heard is about someone that found it ‘a breeze’

Try not to listen to any of these tales, supportive or passive aggressive, especially from people that haven’t experienced THR. Consider telling these “faux encouragers” that your surgeon is pleased with your progress and that’s all that matters to you, then change the subject.

Don‘t lose sight of the fact that this is a year long recovery, even longer for some. I’ve read of surgeons relaying that it can take even longer than a year and many members notice improvement into their second year and further. You’re only a little more than four months along, so take a d-e-e-p b-r-e-a-t-h and r-e-l-a-x.
I hope today is a good one.

 

[Kiwihipster]

Yoga will come a little at a time and it will feel good. I respected my restrictions giving the capsule needed healing time. I see you went back to the hills, they are killers on a new hip. I live in the mountains where cows have short legs on one side so they can graze. I had to drive to town to walk on flat ground.

Thank you for your comments @Eman85 they have really helped me understand that I need to give up on hill walks for a bit longer. I tried a gentle hill walk yesterday after a two week break but this morning my groin pain is back so it’s definitely the hills. Re yoga I guess I could try some chair yoga to start with and see if it’s better than doing no yoga. Are you serious about the cows?!?? Hilarious

 

[Kiwihipster]

This surgery takes physical, spiritual and emotional strength , a lot courage and bravery to get thru period. We are all warriors and if in 6 months your mobility and quality of life has improved then in another 6 months you will be pretty much pain free . Bless you all for the tremendous support and encouragement you share on a daily

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement @Hippielife. You are so right about the different strengths we need to find to recover from this operation, I was so unprepared for how hard I was going to find it. I’ve realized it’s time to accept that it’s going to take a lot longer than I imagined until I can move the way I want to move and do all the things I want to do. Thank you to all the forum, I honestly don’t know how I could cope without the support and wisdom I’ve received from people that understand what I’m going through.

 

[Skins_fan]

They cracked my femur during my surgery last Tuesday as well. The surgeon didn’t explain it that well to me so not sure how many wires I have and he did say he used a bone graft from my femoral head to stabilize the cracked area. I’m on 50% weight bearing restrictions.

I have so many lingering questions in my head and reading your thread has helped me mentally quite a bit on what it might be like and it’s been very helpful. I hope the remainder of your recovery goes smoothly!

 

[DEL2022Jul-28]

This thread is very helpful. Seeing how you've progressed and that time is needed. I am 10 weeks out from THR. I have a trochanteric fracture, not as serious as a femur. But I'm wondering if it is the cause of my groin pain. Also, if my PT should be modified and if I should be careful about weight bearing activity.

 

[Kiwihipster]

They cracked my femur during my surgery last Tuesday as well. The surgeon didn’t explain it that well to me so not sure how many wires I have and he did say he used a bone graft from my femoral head to stabilize the cracked area. I’m on 50% weight bearing restrictions.

I have so many lingering questions in my head and reading your thread has helped me mentally quite a bit on what it might be like and it’s been very helpful. I hope the remainder of your recovery goes smoothly!

Hiya @Skins_fan, I am happy that my story is helpful to someone. I couldn’t find very many similar stories when I searched the forum so perhaps it’s not very common to have the femur fractured during surgery. I guess the most helpful things I can say are: follow your surgeon’s weight bearing restrictions (haha of course you will) and I’m sure you will heal nicely; be mentally prepared for a longer recovery than a lot of other people because the weight bearing restrictions delay when you are able to start trying to walk properly; be kind to yourself when you feel overwhelmed, it is totally normal to be disappointed when you can’t achieve what you thought you would be able to within a certain timeframe - but if it gets too much please reach out on the forum or to me for support; keep up with your pain relief timetable, especially in the first several weeks. I wish you speedy healing

 

[Kiwihipster]

This thread is very helpful. Seeing how you've progressed and that time is needed. I am 10 weeks out from THR. I have a trochanteric fracture, not as serious as a femur. But I'm wondering if it is the cause of my groin pain. Also, if my PT should be modified and if I should be careful about weight bearing activity.

Hi there. Sorry to hear about your fracture, it’s such a nasty surprise when they inform you about it. Hopefully someone else can advise you about your groin pain because there can be so many reasons for it and I cannot legitimately comment on it. If you’re worried you could talk to your surgeon or his nurse to see whether they want to see you ahead of their normal follow up plan. Hope you get it resolved soon.

 

[Kiwihipster]

Try not to listen to any of these tales, supportive or passive aggressive, especially from people that haven’t experienced THR. Consider telling these “faux encouragers” that your surgeon is pleased with your progress and that’s all that matters to you, then change the subject.

Don‘t lose sight of the fact that this is a year long recovery, even longer for some. I’ve read of surgeons relaying that it can take even longer than a year and many members notice improvement into their second year and further. You’re only a little more than four months along, so take a d-e-e-p b-r-e-a-t-h and r-e-l-a-x.
I hope today is a good one.

Thanks @Layla I like the advice about just telling people my surgeon is happy with my progress, especially as some people have tried to suggest that maybe the surgeon has done a bad job (yes, people have actually said that me!).

 

[Elf1]

@Kiwihipster some people just don't think before talking. And I'm betting those trying to insinuate your surgeon didn't do a good job have probably not had a replacement.

 

[Kiwihipster]

Hi all, just doing my 6 month update. After so many months of frustration at my progress I saw a real turnaround at 5 months. This is the month that saw me finally able to do so much more eg standing to put trousers on without my operated leg hurting, walking up stairs like a normal person, kneeling on the ground, longer walks with some hills, faster walks, taking longer strides when on walks, yoga, putting socks on, cutting my toenails, shaving my legs. But all of these things happened over a period of 4+ weeks so from my experience I want to recommend/repeat the advice I have received from this forum: don’t try to do too much at once.

Every few days I would try a new ability so that I could gauge whether it caused pain over the next day or so. If it did then I didn’t repeat it and moved on to trying a new thing once any pain had gone away. And yesterday I did a walk I haven’t been able to do since February 2020! Big hills of 45 degrees, around 40 minutes. But I took it very slowly up those hills, not at the pace I used to manage. So next time I’ll try a bit faster. And if that’s ok then a bit faster the next time. You get the idea, I’m sure. It’s been amazing to get back to yoga but obviously some moves are still beyond me, but that’s ok, I have learned to be patient. Finally haha

I am still limited as to range of movement in my new hip plus I don’t really push the joint when it comes to bending forward with my leg bent (so for cutting toenails I still keep my leg straight) but I know that one day I’ll be back to normal.

Anyway, I just want to let any of you that are mentally struggling with an apparent lack of progress, just take it relatively easy, don’t push too hard or you will delay the day that you finally realise you are almost there. Don’t worry about how other people are progressing, you cannot compare your situation to theirs, just focus on walking heel to toe and don’t ditch your walking aid until you can walk without a limp. (I always took mine on a walk, even if I could walk around the house without it, just for support when walking uphill. I don’t need it now, but did use it until about 3 weeks ago.)

Be patient. Eat healthy foods. Take care of yourself. Warm regards to you all. A huge thank you to the admins, we all appreciate your time and wisdom.

 

[Pumpkin]

Happy to hear how well you are doing and proving all those naysayers wrong.
Wishing you continued healing. Keep us posted from time to time how you are doing.

 

[Layla]

Hello Kiwihipster,
What a remarkable update! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share the wonderful progress you’ve made. Your words will encourage many following behind you and your advice will prove beneficial. We’re happy you found tips received here useful and we appreciate your kind words in regard to the forum. I hope the next six months, and beyond, bring even more progress with little surprises along the way.
Be safe, stay well and enjoy!
@Kiwihipster

 

[Mojo333]

It's going to keep getting better, my hippy friend.

Hope all will be just tikiti-boo!

 

[Spex10]

Thanks for this. Just the encouragement I needed as I felt I wasn't progressing much at six and a half weeks.

 

[Kiwihipster]

Thanks for this. Just the encouragement I needed as I felt I wasn't progressing much at six and a half weeks.

Oh my goodness @Spex10 you definitely don’t need to be concerned about your progress at 6.5 weeks! (As long as you don’t have significant pain, and can walk around the house with your walking aid and manage to prepare simple food and attend to basic hygiene demands.)

For the first three months I kept remembering how so many people had told me getting a hip replacement was the best thing that had ever happened to them, and I kept thinking “this is the worst thing that has ever happened to me” haha. I had expected to have the operation and immediately be cured so was just miserable about how slow my progress was. I hated being incapacitated, and needing help with so many things, even putting on socks and shoes. At this stage in my recovery I can honestly say that my new hip actually is the best thing ever! I can walk and sleep without pain for the first time in 18 months, and don’t have plan outings around the distance from the car park or turn down social invitations because the chairs might be too uncomfortable. I am free! And you will be too one day. Just take it slowly and gently, your body is recovering from having a hugely invasive operation; as some say on here it is like recovering from a major car crash. NB If you have serious pain, a major downturn in your mobility, or signs of infection make sure to contact your surgeon or their nurse. I look forward to reading your 6 month update one day

 

[Spex10]

@Kiwihipster I'm really not too bad. However, I seemed to improve very fast and got almost back to normal but now I feel much more aware of my hip somehow. I can do most things apart from putting on socks and picking things up from the floor is doable but takes effort and something to lean on. I've not needed a stick around the house for weeks. I'm OK really but was struck by your post mentioning a big improvement after quite a while.

 

[Kiwihipster]

8 months post-surgery and just saw the surgeon for my 6 month check (delayed by Covid!). Anyway, everything is fine but the bad news is that I’ll never be able to do any hip-opening poses in yoga again. The surgeon told me I cannot do any poses where my hip is opened outwards (eg lotus, pigeon, childs pose) or where my leg is twisted behind me (eg warrior pose). So that sucks! But no point in crying over spilt milk I guess, just have to deal with it. After 13 years of yoga I’ll certainly miss those more challenging poses but I can still do stretches and forward bends (boring).

 

[Grateful mo]

@Kiwihipster thank you so much for a well
documented journey !! i had both of my hips replaced on october 4th and a femur fracture on the left side during the surgery and i am also a hip dysplasia - pain for many years - lots of gait deficiencies to work on. i am 33 days post op and was feeling like a failure . your post made me realize how crazy high my expectations were ( given to me by my surgeon ) although i was fairly fit prior to surgery - i am 55 years old and feeling every bit of this struggle !!! continued good luck to you and thank you for sharing

 

[Kiwihipster]

Hi there @Grateful mo I really feel for you, having both hips done at the same time. But in some ways I guess that’s better than having one done and then going through recovery knowing you’ve got to get the other one done sometime. Much better to get them both over and done with at once! I’m glad that my recovery thread was helpful to you - I did have totally unrealistic expectations of what recovery was going to look like for me and spent a lot of time being angry and frustrated and worried. Funny but when I look back, I’ve almost forgotten all of that because I am so happy with where I am now. I am so grateful to be able to sleep/walk/sit without pain. The upcoming months will challenge you mentally, especially given your comparatively young age and high level of fitness, but in a few months you are going to (almost) forget how hard it was. Just be patient with your body and listen to the advice given here from the nurses/admins - they really know what they’re talking about. People like you and me (hip dysplasia) are used to pushing through pain but doing this is actually not normal (we just think it is) so don’t carry that history through into your recovery process. This process has helped me learn that it is not right to push through pain; pain is a signal that something isn’t right and that’s why the advice on this forum is to take it slowly as you progress to more activities, rather than pushing your body more than you should. I wish you well with your recovery - feel free to ask me anything and I’ll respond next time I visit the forum