Thanks,
@Cynthia777.
@Laura1979, my experience is a little different because I had both hips replaced, eight weeks apart. The femur fracture occurred during the first surgery, then I had my second THR done two months later. Because of this, my recovery timeline differs from what you're likely to encounter.
What Josephine says is very true. Every surgery and recovery is different. It took me quite a while to graduate from walker to cane and then from cane to no walking aids. I had quite a limp for a long time prior to my surgeries, so it took me a while to get strength back into my muscles and to be able to walk more smoothly. Even now if I am tired or have had a very physically active (or particularly
inactive) day I will limp slightly. I am now 8 months and 6 months respectively post surgeries.
It's a process. It is very true that you have to allow yourself time to heal and to reach those milestones when your body is ready. That's a whole different thing than when your
mind is ready.
As far as driving is concerned, I drove at 6 weeks after my second surgery. Just like Josephine said, I made sure that I could safely and easily move from the gas pedal to the brake pedal before I took to the roads. I took it slow and stayed on side roads until I was sure that my reflexes were back to where they should be for driving purposes.
Regarding bending over, kneeling, etc - I had a posterior approach so I had precautions in place (no bending past 90 degrees, no crossing midline, no large twisting motions, etc until my OS released me from them at 6 weeks after my 2nd surgery. Even then, I didn't break those precautions. I am cautious by nature, so I decided to just take things as they came. It was probably about four months before I felt comfortable bending past 90 degrees and about the same amount of time for crossing midline. I haven't had any problems doing either and I feel like I did the right thing in listening to when my body was ready. There are a lot of work arounds you can employ rather than bending, crossing midline, kneeling, etc. As far as kneeling goes, I haven't done it yet. My knees have had moments of pain since my surgeries. It has lessened as time has gone on and I very likely could kneel now, but I am still working on loosening my quads and hamstrings as they are tight from my OS lengthening me during surgery. I imagine one day I will kneel down without thinking about it.
You're a good 14 years younger than I am. I wouldn't be surprised if you progressed at a faster rate than I did. What's important is listening to your body and letting it tell you when the time is right. I was actually shocked at how quickly I graduated from using a cane to not. I had been so compromised by arthritis pain prior to surgery that I honestly could not see myself just walking effortlessly and pain free. Being able to do that felt like winning the lottery.
I can't stress enough that although this process feels like it takes
SO long, in hindsight it really doesn't. In another couple of months you will look back on where you are today and think, "Wow, things are so different now" and in 4 and 6 months your early recovery period will look very foreign to you.
Be kind to yourself, ask for help when you need it, and try not to beat yourself up for not being the 'perfect' mommy right now. I think it's a mom's lot in life to always feel she is lacking in some way and most especially under circumstances such as this. You're going to get better and you're going to be more the kind of mom you want to be...and it's going to happen more quickly than you currently think it will, I promise.
Keep the faith. You'll get there.
United States
). Hugs friend 
My blues was a never ending loop of questions....and the answer was always the same. I don't know. I felt like Charlie Brown saying...aaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!
Promise! 
