2024 Life Logs, Day 211: Life Happens
Date: Monday, July 29, 2024
Weather: Rainy Day; High Temp 83, Low 70 degrees F
Location: Alone in My Sister’s Apt, Mooresville, NC
Once more I quote my friend Lynne Kirwin, who happens to be at my house dog sitting. “You make plans and then life happens.” I was busy, busy today doing the last things for my sister, fully preparing to fly home tomorrow. I bought her a new mattress, made arrangements for delivery this Thursday, went to Walmart to buy a new mattress cover, and went to the laundromat to wash and dry it. While there, I got a call from my sister’s afternoon Home Helper, Renee. Patsy had fallen and I needed to get home as soon as possible. It was a terrible connection, so I knew nothing more. I grabbed the mattress cover from the dryer and headed home as quickly as possible. When I arrived, Patsy was sitting in the kitchen floor with her legs extended. She was talking away to the Med Tech and Renee and seemed fine, but I was told that EMTs were on the way. The top of her right leg hurt a little, but it was not painful. The EMTs asked some questions of her, evaluated the leg, and said she needed to go to the hospital for x-rays. None of us thought it was very serious because she really seemed fine. So off to the hospital she went with me driving along behind. The first thing that was done was an x-ray and the result was not good. She has a fracture running vertically from her hip down about four inches (my estimate from seeing the xray). The ER physician told me she would need a hip replacement and that an orthopedic surgeon would come to talk to me in an hour or so. In the meantime, they did all the tests for pre-op, put in an IV and catheter, and on and on. As the evening wore on, I could see her energy draining and her emotional outlook went from sunny to cloudy. The nurses were not allow to let her sit upright, so eating or drinking anything was very difficult. But an internal medicine doctor came in and announced that she was cleared for surgery. Then the orthopedic surgeon arrived and told us that she would not be having a hip replacement. She needs an intramedullary nailing, meaning a rod inserted in her femur. Here is the full description from the web of what will be done: “The procedure where a rod is put into a fractured femur bone is called intramedullary nailing. It’s a type of surgery called open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), which is usually required to heal a broken femur:
1. The surgeon makes a small incision in the hip or knee
2. A specially designed metal rod, usually made of titanium, is inserted into the center canal of the femur, also known as the intramedullary space
3. The rod passes across the fracture line to keep it in place
4. Screws are placed above and below the fracture to hold the leg in alignment while the bone heals
The rod helps support the bone until it heals. Other devices that may be used during ORIF include plates, wires, or nails. The surgery usually takes place while the patient is asleep under general anesthesia and may take a few hours. While most people do well after ORIF, complications can occur, including infection, bleeding, nerve damage, and blood clots.”
Recovery is easier than a hip replacement, but no surgery is easy when you are 91. The surgeon told me that a decision on whether it will be done tomorrow or Wednesday will be made between 7 and 8 pm in the morning. He suggested I be there, so I headed home. I hated leaving Patsy alone, but she has to spend the night in the ER as there are no rooms available and there was no room for me in the ER room. I stood outside her room for most of the four hours I was there, and no way was I going to sleep in folding chair!
I have cancelled tomorrow’s flight, extended my car rental, and Heather has found an Airbnb for me near the hospital where I will have a kitchen and can cook. I have eaten nothing healthy since leaving home on Friday. Hopefully I’ll have a successful surgery story to share tomorrow night.
