My shiny new hip

September 7, 2024

I’m happy to share that my total hip replacement was a success! I had the surgery on Tuesday and was home Wednesday afternoon. My first home physical therapy session was Friday and he cleared me to walk the cul-de-sac. All the pre-habilitation has paid off!

Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes and flowers and text messages. They are very much appreciated and each one brightens my day.

So, it turns out that my right leg was 1.5 centimeters shorter than my left leg. Over time, with the cancer eating away at my hip, the socket flattened out. The top of the femur also flattened out. It was months in the making so I didn’t necessarily notice the leg difference. It feels weird now to have both the same length – the right feels longer than the left.

He put a ceramic socket in and attached it to the cement/hardware that he put in a couple of years ago. My hip is not strong enough to have the socket attached to the hip bone, like in a normal hip replacement.

The top of the femoral head is metal (titanium I think). When he was putting it in my femur cracked (again, weak bones) and so he had to wrap some wire around it, kind of like a wine barrel. Overall he said the procedure was good and doesn’t expect any kind of complications with the healing.

Ann came out and was my caregiver for which I am extremely grateful. Maddy took the day from school to come to Denver and wait with Ann during the surgery.

The weather has been good and so I’m looking forward to walking outside. My PT comes again on Monday and I’ll be looking to walk longer. The cat is happy that I’m spending a lot of time in the recliner! On Monday I’ll get back to working, probably from my recliner!

I’ll have a check up in 2 or 3 weeks. I’m still planning to go to Belgium with Maddy for a breast cancer symposium later in September. The work must go on!

I also have a PET scan mid-September to see if the cancer is stable or growing. Keep those fingers crossed! 🤞

Onward!