Thanks for the encouragement

Hello, this is my first post, and I will explain a bit about myself.  I am a 68 yr. old woman and 26 weeks post-op.  Last Sept. I had a LTHR following a serious accident which broke my femur and shattered my hip. The NHS rose to the occasion, the paramedics were fantastic, the surgeon the best in my area who happened to have a space on his theatre list for the following day, the hospital was good (but the food was awful).  I spent 7 days in there and then 4 days in a private hospital in order to have more physio and recover a bit more before going home.  Once home an OT and a physio visited a couple of times a week until I saw the surgeon again at 9 weeks.  During this time I had to use a walker because I was considered at high risk of dislocation (more about that in a minute), then when at 9 weeks the xrays showed that everything was in its proper place, I started physio at out local community hospital and was on crutches for 12 weeks, and now, still seeing the physio, and on to 2 sticks.  I can walk around the house without aids, at first holding on to walls or furniture, which really helped my balance, but now I can manage without holding on to anything.  The next goal is one stick outside, then no aid at all.  I have worked up to walking ¾ to 1 mile about 4 days a week, do all the exercises set by the physio (some I manage, others not), still walk up and down the stairs in my house like a toddler-can’t manage any other way, and also still follow the restrictions, the 90 degree thing, etc., although I now can pick things up off the floor by using the golfer’s reach. 

I still have discomfort, and sometimes real pain, around my left hip, thigh, and lower back, and my muscles seem to be taking a while to respond and gain strength.  The possible reason for this, and also why my surgeon and the physios were so bothered about dislocation, is that in ten days time I am seeing a geneticist at Guys to be tested for a rare form of muscular dystrophy that runs in my family, affecting both sexes, which affects the muscules around the shoulders, hips, thighs, and ankles.  I have been having some symptoms which might be MD for a few years, and was due to be tested, but after my accident, the appt. had to be rescheduled because there was no way I was well enough to travel to London.  Will not know the results for several weeks as DNA testing takes a while even when, as with our family, you know which gene to look for.  Also, just to add one more thing to the mix, I’m having cataract surgery on April 6, which also had to be postponed, and I feel more nervous about that than the hip replacement. 

The biggest thing for me was the shock of being reasonably fit with no pain from arthritis, just a bit of muscle weakness around shoulders and thighs, but that didn’t bother me much.  I walked 2 miles on most days, did everything at the trot, and have always been very flexible and able to bend my legs into positions that left my husband shaking his head in disbelief, but not now.  Even my good right hip hurts now, probably from taking the strain of the other one.  In the days and even weeks following the accident I felt like I’d been dumped into a parallel universe, but mostly that feeling is improving, and I am accepting what has happened and trying to move on towards as much fitness as possible. 

Apologies for such a long post.  I wanted to thank everyone on here for such informative and encouraging posts.  Since discovering this site about 3 weeks ago, I have felt so much better and encouraged to keep going.  Thanks you all.

Izzy x

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