ME payback timescales from trauma and recovery

I broke my HIP on 3rd January and am already way behind on recovery. I’m looking for help on potential timelines on ME recovery times.

The trauma I believe was my actual fall, 1.5 hours turning and crawling to phone, 3 more hours until in ambulance 24 hours in A&E on a few painkillers but not enough, operation (huge relief and desperate by then to be knocked out), 7 days in ward.

I’m normally now in bed 3-4 days a week but with ongoing deterioration before this. I believe I’ve cumulative ME with having to take over a family members life 2 years ago, selling their property and managing their life whilst seriously sick for 8 months. I was in bed 2 days a week before that and able to sort of plan for a short lunch out. I then stupidly planned a big 70th birthday the year after.

I know it’s near impossible but wondering how many weeks / months / years do others estimate payback from a severe ME state needing 2-3 days in bed and rarely able to go out. All ideas welcome.
I think the actual fall and hours in pain until paramedic was likely 3-4 months payback and possibly similar with the time in hospital and recovery at home … who knows

 

So sorry to hear of your ordeal Sally i cant offer any advice really as i've been as ill as you are now for upwards of a decade, but it wasnt precipitated by a trauma but a gradual deterioration. I do hope you improve back to your original state soon.

 

Really sorry to hear you're having such a rubbish time.

There are probably two recoveries, really, your hip and the ME crash. If the hip's doing okay and you're able to keep it mobile—even if you can't do all the exercises—then that's really positive for the longer term. If and when you're able to do more, you won't be hampered by too much stiffness or weakness.

The ME aspect is really hard to predict. It always took me a couple of years, but that was to get fully back to where I was. The last 15 to 20% is always the most long-winded and frustrating part, but I did tend to achieve a decent partial recovery within the first year and regained enough function to do some things I wanted, even if I had to be ultra-careful. The long plateau at the end is boring, but it's not in the same ball-park of crapness as the bed rest stage!

It's so individual, though, and there isn't a reliable way to calculate it. I've heard other patients talking about plateauing for a longish period after regaining ground, so that seems to be a real thing for some; hard to know how common it is, though, especially as there are different patterns in ME.

I hope you're feeling a bit better soon. If you're in the UK or Northern Europe, perhaps the longer days of spring and prospect of better weather to come will at least lift your spirits a bit, even if you have to shut out the light some of the time.

 

It can depend on what complications there are from the hip breakage as well. Is there on-gong pain from the hip or anywhere else on your body from the hip and have you had any loss of movement?

Also are you having visits from a Physio or having to go to the hospital for further frequent appointments. Any more exertion when you are also in a crash can add to the time for a recovery sometimes.