Living without a hip

Have you tried buying a good walking shoe like new balance and have a lift added to the right shoe? Your orthopedic can refer you to someone who can measure you to determine how high a lift you would need. You will probably still use the left leg more but it shouldn’t be as bad if you use a rollator walker and have the lift. With the right lift you would find you can stand straighter and more balanced as far as the weight. I get around really well with my walker and the shoe lift so don’t give up until you have tried the shoe lift.

Thank you! Once my body gets stronger, I shall certainly try that. I want so badly to be able to walk again. It's surprising to me that there is so little help in a "big hospital city" like Cleveland.

Are you at the Cleveland Clinic? Are you facing a new operation on the RA effected leg? Are you on antibiotics now in hopes of eradicating any residual infection? How is your pain being controlled? I wish you well and share your frustration with the medical profession at times. However, an experienced medical professional or fellow patient might be able to suggest another approach.

Hi, has anyone heard of a “tumor prosthesis in your femur “? I’ve had so many hip replacements and revisions on my right side that I have very little bone left, very little tissue and very little muscle. I have an infection now and I’m being told all they can do is remove the hip and not put anything back in there and that includes a big portion of the femur. I’ve heard something about a tumor prosthesis that can be used in the femur to, at a minimum enable you to at least keep the leg straight or intact. Has anyone heard of this or had experience with this?

Hi @norakathryn, I wanted to introduce you to members like @arizonasharon84, @cheryl99, and @caracara so I moved your post to a discussion about living without a hip.

I am sorry you currently have an infection. Here is some information on Total hip replacement for proximal femoral tumours: our midterm results: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3172771/

Are you currently able to walk?

Thank you! Yes I still have my hip in but UCSF is telling me that my only option is to remove the hip since this is the second attempt to eradicate the infection. And since I don’t have much bone left I don’t even know what that looks like. So I reached out to HSS in New York ( I went five years ago) and one of the doctors there mentioned this tumor prosthesis. But I just can’t find much information on it. Thank you so much for all the information and is this something that the mayo clinic currently performs on patients?

The tumor prosthesis sounds like a rare solution. If I needed more info, I would ask the doctor who mentioned it.
Sue

Thx Sue. Yes he called it a “Hail Mary “so I’ll speak to him as soon as I can. I am familiar with people living without their hips. Sometimes you can put a spacer sometimes you can’t. But I have not heard of anyone living without their hip and most of their femur. That’s the resolution that I’m looking for.

Hi i went without a hip for three and a half years after infection with a spacer down to my knee as my femur had to be removed ten years ago with infection,it was very comfortable and i could drive i would have been happy to keep it but unfortunately it broke and after alot of ups and downs i know have had a new hip for 6 months being on permanent antibiotics and regularly followed up i am doing well,still on crutches but feeling well,good luckxxx

Thank you so much. So you have a new hip what did they do about your femur? Did they replace it with something? It’s good to hear that you’re doing OK on crutches that’s very good news.