AMAZON

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Mother, Murder, Mayhem, & Maybe a Mistake

Mother Update: Evidently my mother’s fall did no injuries to her, although her back hurts, as it has for 20+ years. The surgeon appointed by the hospital finally visited my mother late yesterday. He recommended surgery to fuse (?) her spine, depending upon the condition of Mom’s heart. The tests the hospital has since run indicate that her heart is strong (as is mine: we inherited excellent genes).

The surgeon requested the x-rays that were in possession of Mom’s “pain doctor.” When my sister picked them up from the latter MD, he was appalled by the suggestion of surgery. He said that, regardless of the condition of Mom’s heart, such surgery was extremely dangerous for a frail 84-year-old woman. He suggested rehab and increased pain medication. The decision is, of course, my mother’s; however, I truly hope she decides against the surgery.

Shocking Murder: The drive-by shooting and murder of Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams shortly after Denver lost its chance to be in the playoffs is deplorable. I wonder about the motivation of the shooter: was it because Denver lost the game, some incident in Williams past, or a completely random murder? I’ve seen no updates on the investigation and only hope that the culprit is caught.

Orange Bowl Mayhem: Tonight may see bedlam in Louisville. The University of Louisville Cardinals are playing Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl tonight. I suspect that 99% of Louisville households will be tuned to the games, except of course those fans who will be in Miami who watch it in person. The game, which local news media bills as “the biggest game in Louisville football history,” will result in a gigantic celebration if Louisville wins. Louisville’s arch-rival, the University of Kentucky, won this year’s Music City Bowl in Nashville. Thus, Louisville fans want the University of Louisville to win the Orange Bowl, which is more prestigious that the Music City Bowl. As for me, I hope Louisville wins; however, since I have degrees from both the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, I feel I am already an alumnus of Bowel winning school.

Maybe I’m making a mistake, but I have decided to risk switching to the new Blogger, previously known as “Blogger Beta.” I say that because of all of the problems I have observed with the Beta version. I’ll make the switch tomorrow, so if you can’t find my blog or have trouble leaving comments, you’ll know that I did may a horrible mistake in making the switch!

11 comments:

  1. If I were your mother, I wouldn't have the surgery, unless the pain is unbearable.

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  2. I'm with rgf, unless she can't stand the pain, surgery at her age (no matter how healthy her heart is) seems awfully risky. Hopefully better pain management will give her the relief she needs. I'm very glad she's doing better.

    I hope your switch to the new blogger is successful. Mine went off without a hitch, so here's hoping yours does too.

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  3. I won't be doing that sort of surgery when I'm 84 years old. Of course, I have to get to that age before it matters. Anyway, I'm glad she can make the decision for herself.

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  4. I’m glad to hear that nothing was broken. From a nursing standpoint I wouldn’t recommend surgery for your mom. Therapy and medication seem to be the best. Older folk don’t tolerate the anesthesia well no matter how good their heart is. My experience of 17 years observing and working with elders that have surgery is that if there is the slightest dementia or memory problem it is worse after surgery; some never return to baseline.

    I hope with you that she decides against surgery!

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  5. As to beta blogger, I think I've switched, but I can't remember. The medication gets in the way of my thinking.

    Since I'm 45 and facing a possible THIRD back surgery, I also hope your mum doesn't go for surgery - mostly because of her age, I guess. At my age, fusing a couple discs I hope won't be that bad. They won't increase meds for a 40-something (fuggers).

    Hope you and Alex have a Happy Mew Year too :)

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  6. I'm glad that your mother didn't have any injuries...sorry to hear about her bum back though. My dad has serious back problems and it's hard dealing with that sort of thing at any age. I hope that she makes the right decision and finds some kind of relief from the pain.

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  7. Nick, hope your mom feels better soon! Congrats to Louisville on their win at the Orange Bowl. I hear they are one of the top 5 college teams now!

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  8. I am no doctor but I have always heard that fusing one’s spine is difficult, painful and very hard to recover from. My mother rejected the idea decades ago.

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  9. The Laser Spine Institute, the premier health care provider in spinal surgery, is having tremendous success with arthroscopic spinal procedures. A wide variety of laser-assisted techniques for the treatment of spinal conditions such as sciatica, pinched nerves, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal), foraminal stenosis (a narrowing of where the nerve exits the spinal canal which is called the foramen), arthritis, herniated discs, bone spurs and scar tissue removal are performed at the Laser Spine Institute.

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  10. glad to hear there's nothing "major" wrong with your mom....pain is no fun, though, and I hope she finds something to help her. Good luck!

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  11. The news from Denver is that Darrent Williams wasn't the target. That it was gang related and he was in the Limo with a gang member . . . it is sad.

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