Hello, I am new here. I just called my parents in Texas...I live in Georgia. My mom who is 73 fell off a ladder and she said broke her back...the doctor said she had 2 vertabrae in her back that are cracked....she also broke her heel. Will she be ok??? What can I do for her when I am so far off... I love my momma and daddy and I'm scared for both...Dad can't hardly walk he's crippled. Moms 2 sisters live near her though one of them has a invalid husband she already takes care of. I am so worried.

Is it possible to get your mother into a rehab center while she is healing? At her age it can take time to heal up all the way. What are they doing for her? Did they have to put screws in to hold the vertebre together? I hope you can talk to her everyday by phone. It is probably really painful and I pray they are doing everything they can to help with the pain. I am adding both of them to my prayer list. Your father is probably beside himself. :angel:

I'm sure you're very worried about them both! Is your mom in good health otherwise? Active and in shape? I guess how they treat it depends on how badly it's broken. If they're tiny fractures, they may not do anything. Kind of like when women get tiny spinal fractures from osteoporosis. (Some are treated, some are not, some cause a lot of pain, some don't.) Maybe a soft brace will make her more comfortable while she's healing. But I'm sure the doctors will know exactly what to do for her.

I think the real issue for you is that you want so badly to be there and help them, but you can't. Are they in a church? If so, you could contact their church to make sure they're aware of what's going on. Maybe the church can provide some meals for them. Do they live in a neighborhood? Maybe there are neighbors who could just check in on them and let you call them to get an unbiased opinion on how they're doing. Sometimes, moms don't want to let on that they're hurting or need help, especially when they know you're worrying and are limited in what you can do.

A few other ideas: Send her flowers. See if there's a nearby restaurant that you could call in an order to and have them deliver dinner to your parents house. Hire a maid service for a few weeks for them.

I hope things look up for them quickly and that treatment won't be too hard.

Take care,
Emily

Hello,

My dad is in Georgia, too. He cracked his vertebrae a couple of years ago, and had a Kyphoplasty surgery to correct it. You cannot wait, though - after a while, you've missed the window of opportunity. He was in so much pain. The surgery basically inserts a "balloon" into the vertebrae, is "blown up" to restore height & all, and then is replaced w/ cement. He woke up w/ his pain practically gone, & recovered very quickly.

He had cracked another vertebrae before, but was not referred to this surgery - and then it was too late. Those cracks that did not get the Kyphoplasty have caused horrid problems.