Christine Royal Fader

Caption

Hi friends! I’ve been meaning to make a post for a while now… hoping to give an update on my life and hips that was positive. Unfortunately I seem to have bad luck with hip surgeries so I’m far away from where I want to be. I had my right hip replaced on March 11 this year after trying to salvage it with many scope surgeries and injections. Waking up from surgery was amazing as immediately the crushing bone pain I had been living with for a year was GONE! What a relief! I had been told my hip replacement would be a long and painful recovery due to the severity of my arthritis/joint damage, younger age and previous surgery so I was prepared to be patient and put in some serious work in rehab once I was cleared for physio. Unfortunately I have not been able to progress in physical therapy since about 6 weeks post op and I can’t use my glute muscles properly to stand due to severe pain and instability. I’m stuck using a crutch to walk and I can’t go very far. Everyone from my surgeon to my rehab team has been hopeful the muscles just needed time to heal but at 4 months post op now it’s apparent there is something serious going on. I’m waiting for an urgent MRI to assess the status of my soft tissues and make plan going forward. There’s the possibility of needing more surgery to repair the muscles which isn’t ideal but gives me the best chance at healing and walking normally again. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. My whole life revolves around the chronic pain of my hips now. I’ve always had the belief that anything is possible with hard work and perseverance.. that if you put the time in and have patience you can achieve your goals. If only I could just work hard enough to get better. There is no one to blame for my luck (or lack thereof). It just “is what it is”. If anything I’ve learned that surgeries and medical intervention comes at a cost to somewhere else in the body. There are no solutions only compromises and anytime you have to go under the knife or have treatment there are always risks for the present and future. I am safe. I am loved. I am cared for. I will ultimately be ok. I’m just stuck.