We ended up taking my FIL to the ER, as well.
I asked about ER or Emergent Care but she and siblings were very āwonāt do any goodā and tbh, our tiny local hospital is just as likely to put her in an ambulance and take her two hours away for an XRay if they feel the outcome is potentially beyond them.
She has an appointment tomorrow morning anyway with her hematology specialist, and is hoping that he will intervene in some way. That has happened before, so after that Iāll figure something out.
I mentioned to Preferred and Local that we donāt want her to ignore pain, and we canāt always assume it isnāt a fracture or something. They were firm in their belief that I worry too much, and sometimes I do ā but if we had a nickel for every time I insisted and turned out to be rightā¦
I hope the hematologist is helpful. My mom had a cardiologist who was wonderful at helping my dad see things that he chose not to see.
If sheās able to take aspirin then give her a combo of half/half aspirin and acetaminophen. That will cut her acetaminophen dose in half ( tough on liver), give some anti-inflammatory action (from the aspirin) and usually provides better pain relief than acetominophen alone.
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So sorry @greenbutton youāre trying so hard!
Has she had back pain before with her Prolia shots? I understand itās one of the most common side effects. (Which doesnāt solve her pain though right now!!)
I will ask the doctor(s) tomorrow and see if that is agreeable. I know she canāt have naproxen or anything that strong. DH is here with us and he is going to the (only) pharmacy and wait for the new painkiller ā we have trouble believing it isnāt in stock ā while Mom and I go to the hematologist. She is holding up pretty well as long as she doesnāt do much; intermittant despair and negativity but I canāt say as I blame her.No, she has had no side effects from Prolia before. Prolia dr denied it could be this shot and I was doing phone sideeye
I am thinking I need to stay some extra days to get her stable and/or take her to this pain management appt. Localās wife and kids have some sort of stomach flu, Preferred and his wife have a consult with her oncologist this week along with a new grandbaby to do this week. S1 and partner arrive at our house on Saturday but they have house keys.
On a nice distraction side, that 6th great grandchild is in the process of arriving and should be delivered by morning.
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I wonder if there may be bruising or swelling, as evidence?
Iāve been slapping lidocaine patches on and she has no obvious damage except sheās got a bunch of welts from the patch ā almost like an allergic reaction, which would be new.
She hasnāt gone anywhere or done anything to sustain damage, which of course only means her back could have spontaneously fractured somewhere. No idea. At 90, I wouldnāt rule it out.
The dr tomorrow is at the local hospital, so I am hoping he just sends us down to get an XRay for starters. So frustrating to watch someone in pain. I feel like I did this all too recently with my Dad.
UTI or bladder infection?
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Ok, Iāll bite:
*Where is the pain? Can she touch it or is it deeper than that?
*Is there any position that makes it sig better or worse? Standing vs sitting vs bending vs twisting?
*Does the pain radiate anywhere? Say from her back to her buttock or leg?
*Does it wake her from sleep? Is there any time of day that is worse, or is it more activity dependent?
Feel free to take this to PM if you want to not discuss your momās health in detail on the internet (or if you even want to discuss it at allāif this is just a vent here, feel free to ignore the questions altogether).
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@greenbutton As someone with spinal fractures and unfortunately some knowledge about osteoporosis (see Mayo Clinic Connect website) sudden back pain could indeed signal a spontaneous fracture. Obviously I donāt know how severe her osteoporosis is, or how long she has been on Prolia. Prolia does cause pain but since she has been on it for awhile, it is unlikely a side effect since the pain is sudden. Prolia also does not build quality bone and atypical femur fractures are a known risk if on Prolia too long. I donāt hear as much about spinal fracture risk on it.
I had no trouble getting an x-ray for a fracture. I went to urgent care. I could have gone to PCP or ER. I hope there is local access for that. Spinal fractures donāt show up for 48 hours but she is past that.
I found an orthopedist who does not do surgery, who was very helpful. He has done x-rays as well. If it is a fracture, it will hurt acutely for a few months and then stabilize. Surgeons offer kyphoplasty (cement injected in spine) but I have always declined.
Pain management and PT can both be helpful but imaging would be needed first. My PT does massage only because I am fragile.
I think the goal should be to get an x-ray. If no fracture, then an MRI. I hope these can be done quickly. The bone med may need to be changed and transition to Reclast needs to be timed individually using blood tests. Getting off Prolia is very very tricky. Feel free to PM me.
Back pain can also be other things as someone said. Kidney, heart. Muscles, nerves. My mother had back pain with heart issues. Hope you can get to the bottom of this. The medical system is so frustrating and you are dealing with siblings as well.
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Her specialistās PA sent Mom for XRays this morning, and the Tramadol was picked up. She has started it with no immediate side effects, but she is going to have trouble remembering when to take it (sheās been doing two 8 hr tylenol and has that stuck in her head). We did impress on her the need to never ever drive once sheās had Tramadol. We have an appointment with the pain clinic in two weeks (seems like forever)
No follow up call received yet about the XRays, so Iāll stay here until we know more.
EDIT: Xray results are back. In a nutshell, no fractures but everything looks worse; degenerative narrowing, bone spurs and compression.
How do they distinguish between compression and compression fractures?
No idea. I am assuming the painspecialist will review the films and advise accordingly. Mom is consoled by the idea that her pain is real and the xrays show that there is a cause, even if it may not be something to resolve, just manage.
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Compression - narrowing of space between vertebrae
Fracture - actual crack/break of the bone/vertebrae
@mominva that is not the caseā¦I have 7 compression fractures and none of them are cracked or ābroken.ā The vertebrae ācompressā into more of a V shape rather than parallel lines.
Sorry you are dealing with delicate and difficult situations. From looking back on you post history, your mom is now a widow, Preferred and Local Sibling have other family things going on and seem to downplay momās needs; local area is weak on medical services (local pharmacy - a wait to get Tramadol; local hospital doesnāt meet some of needs mother may haveā¦). It that the correct picture?
How old is your mother? Dealing with oncology/hematology, now structural decline of back. Living alone? Still has LTC policy? She is still driving, but needs to be reminded not to drive with taking Tramadolā¦I am with you on this is not a pretty picture, and unfortunately many elderly are in a pickle. How you can work to navigate mom having proper medical care - which may (and probably soon) will mean different living arrangement for her.
Hopefully all your momās major health issues are written up, with history of surgeries etc. Current medications.
Even from afar, you can hopefully keep mom from having a major fall because her home doesnāt have throw rugs, etc. for example. Utilizing your knowledge of her, her specific medical issues, and the medical and support available where she is ā and help to plan what she could potentially have with other living arrangements - and deal with mom/siblings with this.
Based on age, co-morbidities, etc. is always going to be a factor on current and future treatments/surgeries. Knowledge on the medical specialists to seek out for potential options.
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This is such a difficult topic. I am pretty far to the assisted side of the spectrum, my husband is opposite.
I have been intimately involved in the aging of all four parents and the one who had ugly dementia repeatedly asked us to kill them or help them die. You know what? If I had what they had, I too, would want a way to die. The book, āStill Aliceā kills me, as I would have likely pursued what she did, living as long as made sense.
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There are ways to follow āGodās planā - but each has to decide on what chances they want to take with eternity.
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It should be an interesting Christmas.
My father in law is declining. Heās very unsteady on his feet and very hard of hearing. My bil called my husband last week. My fil was trying to clean windows (why he was doing that in December!) and fell twice. My mil had to get him up and they had to call someone to fix the window.
I guess my bil had a discussion with my mil and she was very cranky.
So something has to give. My mil is still in good shape at 87 but they canāt keep up the house. Are reluctant to hire help or canāt find help. My mil gets in fights with workers because they arenāt doing the job correctly. When we come over, they decline our help. They wonāt install railings on the steps. It goes on and on. Even though they live in a ranch, there are still pitfalls.
My mom is very happy at her independent living place. We will see if the in laws will consider.
We will see, my mil cryptically said we will have a talk on Christmas Day. I think my husband and his brother will finally have to go up against their very formidable mother.