Can I hear other experiences with elderly parent that have broken femur surgery and rehab success story?

I had "partial" hip replacement Aug 3, 2015. In the hospital for three (3) weeks. Virtually all my various med team members said, sometimes in a whisper, that three weeks was an awfully long time. I say, "whisper" because the surgeon says, no, not long that long at that at all, considering, he put two (2) rods in my right femur and a replacement ball in the hip joint. He has performed two, count 'em, procedures since Aug 3. Said one was to check for infection and to "clean" the incision site, Ditto the second procedure. I'm on two pain meds, Oxycontin and Percocet. The pain level goes from zero to ten in 60 seconds. Up and down the pain ladder. My biggest concerns are not managing pain, it's when does healing conclude and blood flow (BF), or draining, stop. There has been continuous bleeding at the incision site since Aug 3. Again, the surgeon says "he is not too worried." Hell, well I am. It seems to me a blood transfusion should at least be considered. Or a second opinion which would cause a peripheral, but serious personal problem. My brother is the former president of the university under which the hospital operates. He, my brother, and the surgeon are "fraternity brothers." Means nothing to me but apparently much to those who go Greek. Obviously, I can't name the university. I am fast getting to the point of saying, "Why me?" At my age, I'll never see 70 again, I could just as well say, "Why not me." I'm a half a walker step from a telephone call to my brother and unload on him to get something done, pronto.

All comments i.e., advice, guidance, etc., anything but words of pity would be greatly appreciated.

Depends a lot on motivation and general health. Success is possible, but not guaranteed. My mother broke he hip (not femur), had surgery and rehab, and went home to live happily a few more years. My uncle broke hip and couldn't have surgery, too much risk. He died in hospital.

My Mother was not even home when it happened...was going to a wedding that she obviously didn't get to...I had to fly in from yet another state (3 states Iinvolved)....she was heavily dosed on morphine.

Friend, is your friend (no play on words or pun intended) getting any pain meds at all? I would think that's unusual, especially with a fracture that's healing on its own.

I know nothing about fractures at the head of the femur. I think I would do some research on orthopedic sites to see if you can get more information. I would hate to think that this woman is suffering unnecessarily.

An elderly friend tripped while walking and broke her hip. Had surgery and was sent to rehab. Since at the NH for rehab she tried to climb out of bed twice and fell each time again. First fall no further injury. Second time not so lucky. Broke her femur. The drs aren't treating it said it will heal alone since its head of femur where the break occurred. Now severe pain is limiting her progress in physical therapy and they sent her back to the surgeon, and absolutely no changes were made. The woman is 90 but very determined and tries so hard but the pain is limiting her ability according to pt. I feel like she is being neglected by the medical professionals because of her age. But shouldn't every person be entitled to pain relief? This is like torment for the woman. Still she tries as best she can. She has no family at all and since there is no one to get after the doctors I think they slack on her care because she is of advanced age.

Yes, my mother broke her femur when she wasn't at her house, but a cheap trailer...slipped on a scatter rug (a no no for elders). She recovered well, was 79 (that ended her career), went through rehab and then home.

My dad had a small stroke at 83 affected his cognitive thinking and balance. He spent two weeks in rehab in the hospital where they started the physical and sprech therapy. Then continued it twice a week for a couple of months after he came home. He gained strength, balance and they even were able to do a driving simulator for him to practice his reaction time. It helped him gain the confidence to practice in his car. Now he is able to drive on his own.

As a therapist that works in rehab, I have seen hundreds of success stories. The one issue i have seen that is a barrier is pain occassionally as this is a painful surgery, assuming it is a pinning. This can happen when someone is unable to understand that pain is part of process. Pain needs to be managed well with medications but also with managment of side effects. A facility that utilizes e stim for pain would be a nice clinical option to explore for you. The other issue is dementia. If a patient has a weight bearing status less than full (and this happens with the surgery given bone integrity) along with pain, dementia is a huge road block. Otherwise, I have "sent" thousands home. Do your reseach on your facility.

Judypanama is correct. So much depends on determination. In April my husband fell and badly fractured his hip. He has severe COPD, Alzheimers, kidney disease, and is bi-polar. They gave him less than 40% chance to pull through the surgery. He made it through. Then they placed him in a room with someone who had a bad bronchial virus. Before I could get them to move him to another room, he got the virus and ended up with pneumonia. Made it through that. Then we discovered that no rehab in our area would take him because he was too medically needy. The docs suggested that he had three months or so left. We decided to bring him home, by ambulance because he was as limp as a newborn. Within a week he started to eat. Then he started in home physical therapy for as long as medicare would allow--about two months. Now, five months after his surgery,etc. he is walking with his walker and able to enjoy his life. To me that is the key ingredient, to be able to find joy in each day.

You say he is very determined. That is the key to recovery. My husband broke his femur and never really wanted to do rehab. He tried it for a couple of weeks, then quit. He never regained his mobility, and now he can't walk at all. The question isn't just, is rehab effective; what's important is, is the patient willing and determined.

Sorry meant to say i would take a older facility with friendly staff over a newer one with out good staff ( sorry its early just chugging my first coffee)

Mom currently doing 3 time in rehab. She loves it there, gets good excercise and interaction with many people. She told us she wiah she could live there ( really ) i think is was because she became attached to one of the aids there last time. It also gives my sisier a break , mom lived with her. Just check out several rehabs pop in check out therapy room and my biggest check for a facility is do the workers smile talk friendly...the people are the key to a good facility if they engage with you they will do the same for mom. I would take a friendly place over a brand new shiney place with good staff any day. I hope this helps. If you give us a bit more info we may be able to help futher.

Are you in a situation of (a) considering whether to go ahead with surgery for someone, or (b) looking for support for successful rehab?

My father has had 2 broken femurs, first the left leg, second the right leg, and successfully recovered from both of them through about a month of rehab, then home care afterward. That was a few years ago.

He's still walking, uses a rollator and walks to the nearby lake when weather is good. There have been no broken bones since 2013. He's also in his late 90's. And he's very determined.