Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Just breathe

My mom and stepdad have two lovely cacti hanging on their back deck. Early Monday morning mom decided they needed to be watered. She couldn't quite reach them, so she pulled over one
of those white plastic chairs she has and climbed up onto it. The chair tipped over. I don't know how long she had been there before my stepdad found her. My mom is 75 and she broke her hip. The doctors did a partial hip replacement surgery on her Monday afternoon. When I left her in the hospital Monday night she still was feeling the effects of the anesthesia. It was a long day for everyone. Most especially my mom.

Now, I am sitting up at 3:52 a.m. unable to sleep. My mind is filled to overflowing with questions. What does this mean to her? Will she recover? What will her life be like? What will my life be like? I guess these next few days will tell a lot. They said they will be getting her out
of bed today to walk. Walk mom...so I can stop holding my breath.

7 comments:

  1. Oh no!!! what a terrible thing to happen! My thought are with your family...

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  2. I know you know to keep a close eye on her. The biggest risk is the immobility. Get her out of the hospital the minute they let you and get her home - much safer from pnuemonia and push the physical therapy.

    Then we can all breathe! We'll send her healing thoughts! My 96 year old grandmother had shoulder and knee replacements and she's quite a woman to keep up with - it's not as bad as it used to be...

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  3. I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I hope she has a full recovery. Sounds like she has an independent spirit and that will go a long way toward healing. Do take care of yourself, too.

    We've been very fortunate that my mother hasn't yet broken a hip. Seven years ago she broke her kneecap and that was hard enough to deal with.

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  4. Ouch. Hopefully, it's just a hip, and she'll recovery well, and quickly. Fingers crossed for you both.

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  5. I am in my mid-50's and my mother is 75 and my father is 78. I still think of them as invincible and am surprised every once and while to realize that somehow they have become senior citizens! Life does change for our parents and for us as we all get older. If your mom was trying to stand on a chair to water the cactus instead of leaving it for someone else to do, I suspect that she is a trooper. It's a good idea for her to get up and walking so fear doesn't set in on her - and you! I hope her recovery is swift. Take care of your mom and yourself.

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  6. My mother-in-law had a hip replacement two weeks ago at age 72. She is doing pretty well until she over does it. I think your mom will do fine, especially if she follows her physical therapy routine! Crossing my fingers and saying a prayer for you and her for fast healing!

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  7. Thanks everyone for your good wishes! Mom is being released from the hospital tomorrow. I think she will be going to a rehab center for about a week. She needs to get a little steadier on her feet. She has the bad habit of overdoing, so we will have to convince her to let other people help her. Wish us luck.

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