My mother spent the weekend recovering from her Friday night surgery. The surgery went well, according to the doctor. Her broken right hip (actually a fracture of the femur at the point where it enters its socket in the torso) was repaired with pins. The doctor says that this will allow her a quick recovery and mobility far more quickly than a total hip replacement would have.
My mother seems weaker, and to have aged about 10 years overnight. Apparently the pain and the surgery took a lot out of her. Tomorrow (Tuesday) she will be discharged from the hospital and moved into what's being described as either a rehab facility or a nursing home, presumably for a temporary stay as a measure to build her strength up before returning home. I'll probably be busy most of tomorrow, involved with the details of moving her and checking out the facility. Happily it is nearby, or so I am told.
It's been blessedly quiet here without her, although I shouldn't say that. I've been seeing to her daily needs for the last five years, when she had a fall and was hospitalized with what turned out to be cellulitis. That particular hospital stay turned her into a semi-invalid, able to walk only with the aid of a walker. Since then she has weakened year after year; these days, I'm required to open most containers for her, cut up most of her food, and generally do anything that would require manual dexterity on her part. The last year has seen her ability to dial a telephone diminish to the point that it takes her several tries before success, and I occasionally dial the call for her.
So, perhaps her sojourn here on Earth is drawing to a close. I wish it were otherwise, that she was mobile and agile and had many more years to look forward to, but it is looking as if the case might be otherwise. Her father lived just past ninety, but was far more active than his daughter and kept his mobility far longer.
We shall see what happens. Thank all of you for your kind thoughts.
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