When Old Folks Break

My mother fell and broke her hip. The options are:

- Do nothing, which means she'll be bed-ridden, more than likely get bed sores and eventually die from complications of the sores, or pneumonia.

- Screw the ball at the top of the long bone back to the bone, spend weeks recovering and probably not be able to walk, due to constant pain.

- Attach a synthetic ball to the top of the long bone and start aggressive physical therapy within days of the surgery. The typical method is a controlled rehabilitation environment for weeks before considering a return home. This method will allow her to walk.

Her cardiologist says the risks of either surgery are equal, so he deferred to the judgement of the orthopedic surgeon, which suggested the partial hip replacement.

This happens tomorrow in early afternoon. After that, it's a crap shoot, due to my mother's age and her willingness to keep on trying.

The waiting process has started. The results will only be known after it's all over. I can only hope for the best and pray for her relief.

Update: The surgery went well. The surgeon said the surgery is the easy part; rehabilitation is the tough road. She'll be in pain, the therapist will be aggressive and nobody knows how a person will react. While my mother always was a fighter, there's no guarantee she won't throw in the towel for the peace of passing. 

Time will tell.