Well, the news is good...at least in my book!
Grandma was able to have her arm set with the nerve block, no pins, no complications...WOO HOO!! She is now recuperating in the local hospital, with no cast (the break was too high for that to work), but a dressing that keeps her arm at just under her bustline, tight against her body, and cannot be moved. She is no longer an inpatient, but is now considered "Nursing Home" patient. Of course, the local center has no rooms available, so she's physically in the hospital. She is experiencing some serious jaw pain, and has moved back to her old dentures (they were too big after she lost a bunch of weight), but is still having trouble chewing.
She is in great spirits, and was much buoyed by the surgeon saying she could go home in 3 weeks. Of course, that was deflated by MIL asking her who would help her do everything at the house? Since her arm will be immobilized for at least 12 weeks, she can't do much more than lift her utensils to her mouth, and comb the front of her hair...
Another thing or 3 that popped up: The initial tests showed heart attack damage...a 2nd one showed none. The cardiologist stated that she could have been moving during the test, or still tense from the pain of her unset arm etc. We are SO thankful that she did NOT have a heart attack, especially as it brought up #2 on this list - the heart attack would have kept the surgery from happening to pin her arm...so she would not have been in danger from the anesthesia, or the surgery...which means that she will have a much MUCH better recovery! This also means that her therapy can start much much sooner! The fact that she is immobilized means that she MUST be somewhere with 24/7 care, which means that MIL can relax in the certainty that Grandma is safe, and cared for! This means that MIL can also focus on her own health (which we're still praying she will soften about, and look in some other directions).
MIL is now convinced that she has fybromyalgia, as one of her friends said that if you have it, it causes lots of pain in your legs. I don't know much about it, but am not sure if that is possible, or what the symptoms are. Anyone know of any reliable sources from which to gather information on that???
1 comment:
fibromyalgia causes great pain in muscle, joint and bones and causes fatique. Symptoms can change daily, and you can go into remission. When I was taking a migraine medicine last year I started developing symptoms and the Dr. tested me repeatedly for this. Found out it was a side effect of the migraine meds. Needless to say I quit taking them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia
Glad Grandma didn't have a heart attack. Saying continued prayers for her. I've missed ya...Glad to see you posting.
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