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Mom lives 500 miles away, by herself, and just let us know she went to the ER because her leg and back pain was so bad she couldn't take another step. It's a fractured tailbone from her osteoporosis, not a fall. Plus sciatica pain and now they can't get her potassium right.
She said they will take her to a rehab for physical therapy once they get her pain meds right and she's stabilized.
So what is next? Will she be able to walk, stand, sit? We already told her we'd bring her down to our house, now I'm wondering if that's even something we can handle. I'm still recovering from a broken wrist and broken elbow so I don't have much strength back yet.
She's so darn independent and still mentally sharp, I just don't know what living with a fracture tailbone is going to look like.
Tailbone fractures are painful...hard to sit, or sometimes, walk. And yes...that can cause the pinched nerve that causes sciatica.....I don't know why her potassium would be affected by this.
She will eventually be able to do her normal things, it will just take time for this to heal. Hopefully, you will have ground floor accomodations for her.
Yes, we can keep her on the main floor. She admitted that she was crawling around the house before she went to the hospital. Now she's in rehab, can't get to the restroom without help, pain meds aren't working yet.
That's good to know that she can heal from this. Since she didn't fall and it was caused from her osteoporosis, I wasn't sure that her body would try to heal those breaks.
She's 83. She also has compression fractures, I think that's what they're called, in her lower back. She's in horrible pain if she needs to move. She's going to ask the doctor today what the plan is. She's so frustrated. She's healthy otherwise.
Karag - I would get an orthopedist who specializes in spine surgery involved right away.
There really isn't much they can do for compression fractures surgically, unfortunately. And at 83, anesthesia could make her much worse. They need to just heal. The pain absolutely needs to be better controlled, though.
OP, make sure all the surfaces she sits on are high. When people have such brittle bones, they can get compression fractures even from something as benign as flopping down into a recliner.
There really isn't much they can do for compression fractures surgically, unfortunately. And at 83, anesthesia could make her much worse. They need to just heal. The pain absolutely needs to be better controlled, though.
OP, make sure all the surfaces she sits on are high. When people have such brittle bones, they can get compression fractures even from something as benign as flopping down into a recliner.
Thank you, she has spent years on a very low worn down sofa.
There really isn't much they can do for compression fractures surgically, unfortunately. And at 83, anesthesia could make her much worse. They need to just heal. The pain absolutely needs to be better controlled, though.
OP, make sure all the surfaces she sits on are high. When people have such brittle bones, they can get compression fractures even from something as benign as flopping down into a recliner.
First, you need an expert to make sure you know what is happening. Fractures can occur after the original injury and require surgery in some cases. And very, very good surgeons frequently operate on an older population. They weigh all the risks. In some cases, the quality of life is so compromised, surgery is the only hope for a pain free life. An MRI would be helpful. Xrays are only as good as the person reading them. I will caution again, even if the initial xray looks clear, when there is continued or worsening pain, an MRI would be in order.
Consults only cost time and money and are well worth it. There are risks in much of what we do. But suffering in great pain is not the answer.
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