This is about my Mom, not me, so we’ll dispel that right off the bat. Last Tuesday (one week ago today) my 71-year old Mom managed to break BOTH her thigh bones. :eek: Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, she has osteoporosis.
Here’s the saga: she works at a small-town hospital in a local suburb for a doctor’s practice; she does check-in & check-out and it’s a good part time job for an older lady. She shares the desk with another unit; someone on that unit got flowers, so my Mom was moving them to the other side of the desk…when she tripped over a chair mat & went down.
They tell me she landed on her left side; that’s the side that was more swollen & looked much worse. Luckily, being in the hospital she was able to be moved pretty quickly to the ER and they started trying to reach me. (Of course, it’s the one day I don’t put my cell phone in my pocket at work, and went into a meeting.) When I got there (breaking a few landspeed records, I’m sure) they told me they were waiting for the orthopedic specialist to see her, then they were going to move her upstairs. The ortho showed me the x-rays (horrifying) and then they got her moved without a great deal of trouble.
They couldn’t schedule surgery right away because she’s on coumadin, so she got to sit in a hospital bed for TWO DAYS with fractured femurs, and I’ll tell you the Demerol wasn’t cutting the pain nearly enough. Surgery happened on Thursday; they were speculating at 5-6 hours, but it took almost 11 hours.
She now has rods in both legs; she just got out of ICU today because the surgery threw her into atrial fibrillation and they had to wait until her rhythm stabilized. The doctor won’t speculate on when (if ever) she’ll be able to move/walk again - 6 months is the earliest estimate but he’s not tied to that number at all.
The only plus in the whole thing is that the practice she works for filed a worker’s compensation claim, and all her medical expenses are being covered - and they’re holding the job for her for when she’s up and around again.
Things are going to be quite interesting for a while; I’m trying to remember to do things for myself or I can’t take care of her. I’m the only family she really has (besides my 14 year old daughter), so the lion’s share falls to our household. Lots of driving, lots of not sleeping.
Anyway, I just thought I’d share with the Dope, since this place has been a refuge for me so many times in the past. (Yes, I have a blog too and do most of the emotional stuff there.) If anyone has any experience in dealing with long-term rehab of an elderly woman, I’d be glad to hear it.
Now, lunch is over; back to work. Hospital tonight. Bed later. Ugh.