My mom had a kyphoplasty done today for a fix of L5. The hospital plans to discharge her tomorrow to a skilled nursing facility. She was admitted on Tuesday so got her 3 days in.
When and where is the wedding? I think she needs to be admitted to the rehab facility before going to a wedding, as otherwise the 3 day period is interrupted.
However, I'm wondering about her ability to go to a wedding so soon after surgery. If I understand correctly, this is surgery on one of her foot bones. Is she able to stand and walk on that foot? What's her pain level? Has she gotten up to walk while at the hospital? Could she tolerate sitting through the ceremony and reception?
I think the person to ask tomorrow is the discharge planner at the hospital; she should know about continuous coverage.
That must be a tough decision; I'm sure she'd love to be at the wedding. Perhaps you could either video the wedding, or hire an ambulette to take her there. That would probably be easier than getting in and out of a car.
I agree with MACinCT that you should check with the rehab facility and her surgeon.
In this era of technology, she could still "see" the wedding through some kind of livefeed (Skype?). And if the wedding is nearby, the great-grandchild and new spouse could stop by and visit her at some point.
Kyphoplasy is a minimally invasive procedure to inject bone cement into the spinal bones to stabilize them, reduce pain and assist in the ability to walk normaly. It is usually done following collapse of vertebra possibly due to osteoporosis.. General anesthetic is not required so that risk is removed. It is done under Xray control with local anesthetic and sedation. The fact that rehab has been approved leads me to believe that Greatgma needs further inpatient care and PT. Given these facts I doubt that it would be recommended that she attend a wedding. One other option would be to conduct the wedding actually in the facility. Just a few close family members present then the bride and groom go onto their chosen religious facility for a religious ceremory to be conducted . That way the new couple can enjoy all the trappings of their planned nuptials. Greatgma will have participated in the wedding but won't be a distraction at the actual celebration. This is frequently an outpatient proceedure so the fact that gma actually spent three days in the hospital indicates that she was thought to be at greater risk
Creekboy, could you clarify the type or surgery? I had to look it up yesterday and found that it was a foot bone, but MAC writes that it's a spinal surgery. Makes a big difference in whether or not she should be ambulatory.
Checking again, I see that MAC is right. I don't know how I got to hits on feet bones. Guess I shouldn't be online at 11:30 at night.
Veronica, having the ceremony in the rehab facility is a wonderful idea!
The couple could also still have the reception at their chosen site, probably already having put a down payment on it. But imagine the thrill for the grandmother and other residents to see a couple in wedding attire - I'm sure it would be a cheerful event for all, even if the other residents don't attend the ceremony.
My Mom had this in her L1. I still have the brace she wore for a while afterwards. She was allowed to sit in her lounge chair sitting strait back to the back of the chair back of legs at the bottom edge. She was not allowed to lean over the sides. The cement is used to help with the pain and healing. She is not healed yet. This injury used to keep people flat on their backs for 8 weeks. I don't think at this point she would be allowed to attend. This would be a question for the surgeon who did the procedure.
I've heard the pain is gone once the procedure is done but that doesn't mean it's safe. Most elders think if they don't hurt, then everything is fine. When my mom fractured her back she was not a candidate for the surgery or the brace. The pt was a must. I'm sure photos are part of the issue. So nice to have four generations at a wedding. Now just think, if the new couple gets busy they can take a five generation photo by their first anniversary. I would ask the doctor with all the details mentioned above about the advisability of attending the wedding. Where was she living before the fracture?
However, I'm wondering about her ability to go to a wedding so soon after surgery. If I understand correctly, this is surgery on one of her foot bones. Is she able to stand and walk on that foot? What's her pain level? Has she gotten up to walk while at the hospital? Could she tolerate sitting through the ceremony and reception?
I think the person to ask tomorrow is the discharge planner at the hospital; she should know about continuous coverage.
That must be a tough decision; I'm sure she'd love to be at the wedding. Perhaps you could either video the wedding, or hire an ambulette to take her there. That would probably be easier than getting in and out of a car.
In this era of technology, she could still "see" the wedding through some kind of livefeed (Skype?). And if the wedding is nearby, the great-grandchild and new spouse could stop by and visit her at some point.
I think GA is right. Talk this over with the discharge planner.
The fact that rehab has been approved leads me to believe that Greatgma needs further inpatient care and PT.
Given these facts I doubt that it would be recommended that she attend a wedding.
One other option would be to conduct the wedding actually in the facility. Just a few close family members present then the bride and groom go onto their chosen religious facility for a religious ceremory to be conducted . That way the new couple can enjoy all the trappings of their planned nuptials. Greatgma will have participated in the wedding but won't be a distraction at the actual celebration.
This is frequently an outpatient proceedure so the fact that gma actually spent three days in the hospital indicates that she was thought to be at greater risk
Checking again, I see that MAC is right. I don't know how I got to hits on feet bones. Guess I shouldn't be online at 11:30 at night.
The couple could also still have the reception at their chosen site, probably already having put a down payment on it. But imagine the thrill for the grandmother and other residents to see a couple in wedding attire - I'm sure it would be a cheerful event for all, even if the other residents don't attend the ceremony.
Great idea!