My grandmother (Nanny) was having horrible pain in her lower back when she was taken by ambulance to the hospital on Sunday night. The pain meds the hospital staff gave her were not helping. An MRI showed several fractures in her spine due to osteoporosis, an injury she sustained in 1976, and perhaps a recent injury. A simple movement like getting her from her wheelchair to the examining table at the doctor's office could have caused the fractures. At any rate, one vertebrae was compressed and pinching a nerve. She was supposed to have a Kyphoplasty procedure (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00388 on Wednesday to inject some type of filling material into the damaged areas. However, her sodium and iron levels were too low, and she ended up getting two units of blood in hopes of getting her stable enough to do the procedure on Thursday.
It looked like we were losing her. I just couldn’t go on my planned vacation without seeing her, so I drove to Atlanta yesterday, spent a few hours with her, then drove to my aunt Kat’s to check on her. Back to the hospital this morning in hopes that Nanny would be able to have the procedure. Her blood levels still weren’t back to normal today but the pain, inactivity, and morphine were jeopardizing her chances for recovery. So, her doctor went ahead and did the Kyphoplasty procedure (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00388) this morning. I waited several hours to hear how things went, but I hadn’t packed a thing for our trip to Punta Cana. I had to get back to Nashville in time to pack, catch up on some business emails, and get some rest before the taxi arrives at 4:30 in the morning.
All the way home, my mind was saturated with all the wonderful memories I have of the times I’ve spent with Nanny. Two hours into the trip, my mom still hadn’t gotten to see Nanny and we were worried when the doctor told us she was having trouble breathing and her blood pressure was low. She has fluid around her heart and lungs. Finally, Mom got to see Nanny about five o’clock this afternoon. Nanny was awake, knew where she was, what had happened, and who everyone was. The Kyphoplasty procedure went well, and she has relief from her back pain. Her vitals are still improving. Hopefully, she will be able to get her blood gases to stay in the upper nineties without the bi-pap by morning.
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Monday, September 28, 2009
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2 comments:
So many people, in and out of my family, go into the hospital for procedures, yet have various levels that aren't right. So then other things are done just to get them ready for surgery.
Fortunately, your Nanny seems to have endured those other things and has gotten some good news and some relief. Let's hope it continues.
Thanks for sharing the news.
Malcolm
My Nanny continues to suffer. She went to the doctor today (quite an ordeal) and found that the fluid around her heart and lungs is increasing. She was referred to a pulmonary specialist and has an appointment next week.
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