Mom/her back/drugs

[Zac495]

My 78 year old active mother (still works - famous scientist) fell down the stairs in a rush to catch a cab to DC. My almost deaf father didn't hear her cries for help for 30 minutes. Eventually the cabbie got in and she went to the hospital.

One vertebra is slightly fractured, but it's causing horrible pain. she can't walk up the stairs (we installed a chair lift). She can barely shower or walk without tremendous effort and pain.

To top it off, she's taking valium and percocet along with Tylenol in-between - and we're worried about addiction. Every night for the past 2 weeks one of us (mostly me) has stayed at her house. It seems too dangerous for her to be alone. She refuses the idea of a nurse.

Anyone deal with this kind of injury? How long will it last? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mjs]

Please get the answers you need from the doctors that have treated your mom.

 

[Aussiedog]

I agree with the OP, but in the meantime, addiction is the last thing you need to worry about. Pain relief is job one, and of course her safety.

I have the wierdest family. There are 7 of us, and 3 have had broken backs due to various injuries - skydiving, jumping off a waterfall in Hawaii and a tree-trimming accident. All three of my siblings were on varous doses of heavy painkillers for months and did fine. And my skydiver sister has also had a broken hip and femur due to horseback riding accidents (bad jumps in competitions and training), had major surgeries with major drugs and did fine every time.

And my mom broke her hip when she was in her late 70s and did fine after two months on medication.

Ask any nurse and you will hear lots of stories about people who in the midst of terrible illnesses or injuries used morphine like it was water (think heart attack or kidney stone) and did fine afterward.

Your elderly mother needs pain relief. She will heal more slowly because of her age and she is very fortunate that you are able to assist her.

My best wishes to your family during this very difficult time.

Ann

 

[calgal]

Ellen, Ask the treating physician about the expected time course for recovery. If she is beyond that, maybe additional evaluation is needed. Be aware that Percocet contains Tylenol. She should not be getting any form of Tylenol more frequently than every 4 to 6 hours, due to the risk of liver damage. I am sorry she is going through this.

 

[3kids4me]

Twenty years ago I tore a disc in my back. It took a year for the diagnosis of what needed to be done, and another year for me to decide to have surgery. (It was a big surgery...a fusion at L5/S1 where they take a bone graft from your hip to fuse your spine.)

For the two years between injuring my back and having surgery, I took Percocet nearly every night. I could not have kept working otherwise. A week after the fusion I was no longer taking pain killers. Unfortunately I went back to work a little too early, and three months later I had a additional disc rupture that required follow-up surgery...it was very painful and I again took Percocet and Prednisone during the day while waiting for the next surgery. (At that point I had to stop working, but I was able to control the pain enough with the Percocet to attend the wedding of my husband's best friend a week before the follow-up surgery.)

As soon as I was out of pain, I no longer needed the Percocet nor of course the Prednisone.

While there are some people that do have "addictive personalities", I would venture to guess that your mother is not one if, at her age, she is not an alchoholic nor has ever become addicted to anything before. I would also venture to guess that once she is out of pain, she will no longer need the painkillers.

So I guess what I'm saying is that I really wouldn't worry about the painkillers, but I would focus on doing what needs to be done to get her out of pain so that she won't need them forever.

As another poster stated, I don't think she should be taking the Tylenol in between...if the Percocet isn't covering four hours then she may need something stronger. Or, I think she can take Advil in between instead....but of course check with the doctor on all that.

I hope your mother recovers...and don't be afraid to get several opinions and make sure she is seeing the appropriate specialist for her type of injury.

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

My doctor prescribed ultracet with tylenol which I take for bad back pain. It is like tramadol. The 60 mg. was too much and knocked me out, (which might be fine for your mom, but I still am teaching full time), the smaller dose works well for me. It is a synthetic opiate, according to the pharmacist.
Liz

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

Maybe you should have your mom and dad get those Life Alert necklaces that will summon help in an emergency.
Liz

 

[Zac495]

They have the alerts - Mom never wore one before - she was always out and about. She has one now. No, she does not have an addictive personality- not an alcoholic, etc etc.

It was the doc who said to take Tylenol between the percocet with the valium morning and night. We're contacting doctor to see what can be done.

We saw an orthopedist who said it should heal on its own - but we have a second opinion coming up tomorrow.

I am grateful for all of the answers - it just comforts me to have my tug friends around. Thanks!

 

[jimbosee]

Mom/Her back/Drugs!!!!

Zac 495,
Hi jimbosee,Melbourne,Australia.Just a thought,,my parents,now both departed,lived in a house with stairs.After my father had a couple of falls,my mother talked my father into moving into a single level home and they were fine.Time passes and sometimes it helps if you have a Plan B,to help keep your parents active and independant,and remove another worry from your long list of worries,which I am sure you have.Take care,remember Ellen, you can only do YOUR best.Regards Jim Seedsman

jimbosee

 

[DeniseM]

Every night for the past 2 weeks one of us (mostly me) has stayed at her house. It seems too dangerous for her to be alone. She refuses the idea of a nurse.

You should discuss this with her Dr. He can refer her for a home health nurse- if he recommends it or requires it, it might be easier coming from him, than from you. It so hard to be in a position like this with your parents - even when they really need help, it's so hard for them to give up their independence. Sometimes you have to put your foot down about things for everyone's benefit. Is your dad unable to help? What if he OK's the nurse? It doesn't sound like your mom is in any shape to throw a nurse out! Even when my mom was terminally ill with cancer, she didn't want help, and we had to insist for everyone's sake. It's just hard when you find yourself parenting your parents...

I wish you well, my friend!

 

[Gramma5]

Ellen,
So sorry to hear about your mom's accident. I hope she recovers quickly and can be kept comfortable while healing.
I agree with the others about the Percocet. Until she is healed and not having the pain, addiction shouldn't be a problem. I do wonder why she is taking the Valium, tho? Is it for muscle spasms or anxiety? Valium is an addictive medication and perhaps she could be on something else, if it is for muscle spasms. Even for anxiety or anxiousness, another med might be more preferable. For short term it is ok, but if she needs something after a few weeks, you might check with the Dr. and get something else.

Stairs are a challenge for the aging population. If you fall and break something when you are a senior, the healing process takes much longer, especially in females, who often have osteoporosis. It was a good suggestion to consider moving to a one level home, if at all possible, for their safety. Of course, getting seniors to make a change of residences at this stage of their lives can be nearly impossible.......
Take care of yourself. The role reversal, from being their child to feeling like their parent, is a challenge and often exhausting.

 

[Zac495]

You are all so nice! Sell a house in this market? Hopeless! But the chairlift does the trick - it was expensive, but worth the money. So the 3 level house isn't an issue (they don't go to the third floor - the grandkids and guests use it, otherwise all heat is off up there).

Valium is for the muscle spasms.

Apparently last night (got an email from my sister who is in town for the holiday weekend, thus relieved me for a few days), Mom got very angry last night, grabbed her pills, and went upstairs refusing to listen to what my sister said about which pills she could take. However, my sister also thinks (like me - and all of you) that she won't really OD - just not her nature.

Dad is almost as useless at 83 as he was at 43. I'd make a rolling, laughing yellow smilies if the situation weren't so sad. He can't remember where anything is, doesn't know how to work a coffee pot, and to top it off, has gone almost completely deaf. My dad would love a nurse - especially if she were young and cute. We DO have a daily "maid." I use quotes because she's so much more - so sweet, helpful, drives them around -more like a personal assistant.

Jimbosee – Thanks for the reminder about only doing my best – just feels as though it’s not good enough.
Denise and Grandma5, Ann, calga – thank you for your well wishes- they mean a lot to me. Denise, it must have been so hard to insist with your mom. I’m afraid mine would just stop answering the phone and ignore us all if we insisted on something she didn’t want. She is very stubborn.
Grandma5 - yes, switching roles is really hard.
Ann – wow – so many broken backs! And everyone is okay. I’m very glad for you.
Calga- the liver situation is something I will check in with the doctor about – thanks for the heads up.
3kids4me – We will see a third doctor tomorrow. Thanks. I’m glad you’re okay.
Liz, believe it or not, my mom was still teaching full time (full professor at U of Penn and also working at Rutgers) until this situation. She is the keynote speaker at a conference in Holland in January. It would be so sad if she couldn’t go back.

 

[CSB]

I am so sorry to hear about you mom.

Last fall a good friend of ours had her mother (in her 80's) fall from a second floor balcony to the ground floor. She had been cleaning and leaned over the banister too far. She managed to pull herself to the phone and called a neighbour. Lots of damage and a miracle that she is alive.

We happened to know a Phillipino lady who was visiting here and looking to work. She was hired and did a great job of cleaning, cooking and looking after our friend's mother.

 

[Linda74]

My husband has metastatic lung cancer with lesions in his spine and bones....a few things that I have learned....are...
Percocet can be had without the Tylenol.....it is called oxycodone. these medicines are highly constipating so be sure your mom has meds for that...daily
my husband is on a pain patch called fentanyl....it has worked very well. You must have been on oxycodone for a while and have an opiate tolerance but it sure beats the pain pills every hour. As your mom gets better, she could be weaned off the patch....we started at a 25 mcg patch and went up to a 100....percocet can then be taken for breakthrough pain....

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

Ellen, your mom sounds like a remarkable person. Is it possible your dad is suffering from some form of dementia? Is it possible for them to move to a retirement type setting with more care available as needed? My folks did have a long term care policy and sufficient income to cover the difference. My mom had Alzheimers and died in 2003 and my father passed away in September. We were fortunate that we had incredible care givers, one who already was a close friend and the other who became a close friend.
Liz

 

[vacationhopeful]

My father too had an "eye" for the blond 20-24 year old aides for my mom. But he had an "eye" for Diana Shore in the 1950-60's .

BUT my sister and I overhead his interview of a 45+ female helper (driver, cook 1 meal, not live in) several years after our mom had passed and he was 82. We ran the 75 feet to the LR, sis grabbed Dad and I threw out the applicant - not sure which one brought up the "getting married" issue - during the interview. He was in the beginning stages of dementia but NOT in the eyes of the law - we spent another 18 months trying to get medical power of attorney over him and move him into assisted living. There he decided 3 of the other guests were his wives AND they loved being ordered about by him.

 

[Zac495]

You know, my dad has SAID he's been in the stages of dementia as long as I can remember (maybe started around age 50) but I think that's just Dad. He still can beat anyone in Jeaprody - they're both brilliant. He's just the total absent minded prof. He actually taught part of a class (college course) the other day - he was one of the best profs in his day. Old age is not a nice thing - but I guess it's better than the alternative.

My mom is now having weird choking episodes. My sister and husband witnessed them - I go there tonight. As she eats, she just stops talking - but not completely breathing. Her eyes roll up in her head. she says it feels like her esophagus isn't big enough for the food. I think it's the muscle relaxers - to relaxing for food. Doc comes today.

THANKS again to everyone!

 

[jimbosee]

Mum/her back/ drugs.

Zac 495

Ellen,
You are a wonderful lady,keeping us up to date on what is happening,even though you have many problems,Thank you,I find it very frustrating when I read of people's problem's and heartbreaks,and never know how their difficulties were resolved.I hope your mother comes back to her old self,soon,and your poor Dad can return to his normal days.Regards Jim Seedsman

jimbosee

 

[Zac495]

jimbosee - you are all wonderful for caring!

The doctor took her off the Valium, so we're hoping this will make her more lucid. One tough thing I've found - she's not the mom I know. I miss that mother. I can't imagine someone watching a parent die slowly, becoming less and less themselves. I don't think that's going to be me this time -but it's a scary eye opener.

 

[calgal]

Pain takes a lot out of someone, and narcotics are sedating of course. Assuming there was no head injury during the fall (has that been checked out thoroughly?) she should return to her wonderful self over time.

 

[Zac495]

Here's mom - doing a little better. She thought the doctor said to have wine - when actually the doctor said wine is good for the heart (but not while you're taking the medication).

Her head was totally examined - it's fine. Last night I slept at my house with my kids and she's okay (I think!) I'll call her soon.

Some shiner, huh?

 

[bajohnsons]

Depending on the type of spine fracture your mom has (compression fracture the most common at her age) one of her doctors should have mentioned a procedure called vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty where bone cement is placed into the fracture to stabilize it. Very quick and nearly complete pain relief. It's not a procedure for other types of fractures however. Ask about it.

 

[Passepartout]

one of her doctors should have mentioned a procedure called vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty where bone cement is placed into the fracture to stabilize it. Very quick and nearly complete pain relief.

I just read an article today in our local fishwrapper that these two procedures are now Medicare approved.

Jim Ricks