Early last week Mom began to have excruciating pain in her left hip and knee. Wednesday morning around 2 AM she attempted to stand up but was unable to do so. We called the rescue unit for assistance; they then transported her to York General Hospital's ER. At York, we met with Dr. Fickenscher. He ordered an x-ray on Mom's left hip which ended up revealing she had a fracture in her hip. Mom didn't have a fall or anything of that sort, but the cancer has made her bones so weak that just a simple wrong movement can cause a fracture. Dr. Fickenscher then sent us to St. Elizabeth's in Lincoln to meet with their orthopedic surgery team.
At St. E's, Mom had a MRI to get a better look at her hip. The MRI showed that she has a femoral neck fracture (
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hip-fracture/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373472).
After talking to the orthopedic surgery team, they decided they weren't the right group to complete this surgery. The normal treatment would be a hip replacement but given how weak the rest of Mom's pelvic area is, they felt they would be unable to successfully complete the surgery. They sent us to UNMC in Omaha to consult with Dr. Hartman, who specializes in hip surgeries, and Dr. McGarry, who is a musculoskeletal oncologist.We arrived at UNMC Thursday afternoon. On Friday, Dr. Hartman's team discussed Mom's case. Like stated earlier, they told us Mom has a femoral neck fracture but along with that the superior and inferior rami in Mom's pelvic area are also broke. Fortunately, the superior and inferior rami can usually heal themselves with time. They also pointed out that it's very likely for Mom's right side to break the same way her left side did especially if she will be over compensating for her weakened left side. As of now, Mom is scheduled for a half hip replacement for her left hip Monday afternoon. In the future, we will be looking at completing a surgery for her right side that would prevent it from breaking the way her left side did.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
