The next phase

[bill_schubert]

Turns out Dana fractured her Greater trochanter:



right next to the hip joint. It is a combination of osteoporosis and a bad luck kind of slow motion fall. She never even hit anything but there is a muscle that I'm guessing just pulled the bone apart a bit.

The upshot is they are moving her to an inpatient rehab facility connected to a hospital in Georgetown. Not far and a place we've spent time in during the years we've lived here so not at all an intimidating place or a too big one.

But it is another step into the morrass of senior living, one of those things that happens to old people.

The really bright side is she will get lots of information and encouragement. She really needs to have a personal trainer, someone to push her like a physical therapist would but one that is paid by us directly and has long term interaction. Of course, so do I.

I went bed shopping yesterday and figured out what we're going to do. Our bed needs to be lower so I'll replace the box bottom of the bed with an adjustable platform. Keep our mattress for now but the platforms can be adjusted to the height you want so it will make her life much easier. Our head and foot and frame of the bed stays the same. It is actually a minimal change for a huge gain. I'd have done it long ago but it seemed like a huge and expensive change neither of which is true.

The store I got this info from was the same one we got our current mattress from and they were and are wonderful. Both times we got a non commissioned sales guy who had all the info and was happy to have us buy what WE wanted, not what he wanted us to get. So nice.

I'm going to get osme lunch and maybe rest a bit then go to see her. Now she's not coming home right now, things are all different. Adjustments will be made.

I only wish I could explain it to Toby who sits on his chair looking for his mom.

Comments

[maisydaisy]

It's good to know she will be well taken care of.

[msconduct]

When I worked for NZ's accident compensation scheme I saw a lot of greater trochanter fractures as it's the bit you hit when you fall directly on the hip. Good news in a way if you must fracture something, as it's well away from the actual joint part so hopefully took the stress of the fall instead of it transferring to the new joint. On the other hand it's a long recovery, but at least Dana can be recovering from the joint replacement at the same time and the rehab is only going to help with that. How is she holding up?

[bill_schubert]

The hip joint is solid still, as solid as one can be that is only 23 days old. But not damaged or out of alignment. So it is just a slough through the PT morrass. It will be good for her but not fun.

[mallorys_camera]

It's a significant fracture from what I remember from my RN days. With a long recovery time—can be up to six months. Physical therapy is critical to regaining strength & range of motion.

Sending good thoughts.

[bill_schubert]

Thank you.

[taz_39]

She's lucky to have you. My partner is thoughtful in many ways, but practical caretaking is not one of them and I feel that if/when these things happen to us, it's gonna be on me. So I'm taking notes from your excellent critical thinking and preemptive action.

[bill_schubert]

I frequently have thought of Stephen Still's line in 49 Reasons describing the end of a relationship as "Nobody left to please". That's me. I thrive on caring for someone. Ingrained by my mom, I guess, at an age so early I hardly remember. But I'm at my best when she needs someone to take care of her. I can not imagine having someone else here.

This incident has been a challenge.