Hello,
My father who is a very active young 87 year old who walked two miles a day, drove, played the piano and very social. He lived independently.
He fell two weeks ago.
Fast forward to now, two weeks later. He is in rehab and paper said his dx was a "displaced trochanteric fracture of the right femur", At this point is slowly walking with a walker only with supervision of PT and OT. He can't lift his right leg when sitting but can when standing. He had a rod and pins put in.
Side note: I noticed my dad's left foot (the non broken side) is really swollen. Should I be concerned?
Question: Any idea what the process for recovery might be?
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/femur-shaft-fractures-broken-thighbone
It is good that your dad was very active prior. He can recover but it will be at a much slower pace than a younger person, and most likely it won't be to 100% of his prior self or activity level (but not impossible). Does he live with anyone? Are you his medical PoA (durable)? If I were in your shoes I'd be checking on him and communicating with his medical team very often and monitoring your dad's state of mind. His medical PoA should now be his active advocate, no matter how "capable" you think your dad is/was.
We can't diagnose his swollen foot, since there could be more than one reason for it, but every change in his condition should be reported -- and followed up -- by you.
Other issues to be aware: UTI (if he is catherized); prescription pain medication addiction (DO NOT THINK this can't happen to your dad -- it very likely will if he is left to administer the meds to himself)! This can lead to a cascade of other problems, like imbalance due to overmedication, running out of pain meds too soon and then having too much pain to perform his PT, a change in his personality due to addiction. Been there, done that with my sweet little old MIL after a broken back. It took us quite a while to figure out why she was slurring her words and acting "goofy". She was addicted and overmedicating herself.
If your dad is given prescription pain meds, they need to be hidden so that anyone else who comes into his home won't easily find them. Yes, this is a thing. A very common thing, unfortunately.
Your dad may become somewhat depressed now or back at home since he's coming into contact with his limitations and mortality. His physician should be made aware of any of the signs. He may be resistant to the intrusion into his privacy while he rehabs and adjusts back at his home. You must make it clear to him that it's part of the package if he wants to remain in his home for as long as possible.
Finally, if he received anesthesia to address this injury, it can often have a negative impact in the elderly in particular and change their cognitive abilities, specifically.
Not to scare you with a bunch of stuff, but forewarned is forearmed and your dad may now not be able to function as he has in the past. He may not want you or anyone to know this, or he may not realize how much he's struggling to even ask for help. Wishing you all the best as you work to help him regain his abilities.
It’s such a pity that your dad fell and hurt himself. I have two rods in my arm due to a horrible bicycle accident that I had in my mid 40’s. I had intensive physical therapy afterwards. Healing takes awhile, no matter how much we exercised before our accident occurred.
I wish your dad all the best and will keep him in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated.