The news about Rae!
See the updates for 13th November 2006 20th November 2006 24th November 2006
Rachel had a fall on the 20th of September 2006
She was waiting for her son Jonathan to take her grocery shopping just before
noon. When the doorbell rang, she jumped to her feet, turned and found her feet
had staid behind!
She landed heavily on her right hip and her head went through the leaded glass
panel of her display cupboard.
The front door was locked and there was no way in, so she got to her feet and
managed to stagger to the door to let Jonathan in.
"I was alarmed! She was clearly in considerable pain! I ran the twenty yards to the medical centre and got a doctor. He came running and between us we got Mum on to the sofa. I called for an ambulance and cradled her until it came. The doctor said that her right leg was very probably broken at the hip." - Jonathan.
Jonathan followed the ambulance to the hospital where Rae was examined and
x-rayed. The leg was broken inside the capsule of the joint and she was admitted
for surgery.
The waiting list for non-life threatening surgery is quite long and she had to
wait until after 1:30pm the following afternoon. Finally she went into theatre
where she had keyhole surgery to repair the break in a four hour operation. She
was given a sedative and the operation was performed under the affects of an
epidural.
Free from the after affects of a general anaesthetic, she woke up feeling
wonderful and ready to go around again! She didn't have any stitches, the
operation wound was so small, it had just a small 20mm by 40mm dressing on it.
She spent the next two and a half weeks in Hinchingbrooke Hospital
getting slowly better. Although she was able to stand the day after her
operation, she was extremely unsteady on her feet and the hospital were
concerned about how she would cope at home if they were to discharge her.
She was transferred to a rehabilitation home at flat 9, Crown Gardens, Alconbury,
Cambridgeshire, where she settled in to a flat consisting of a bed-sitting room
with a small kitchen, a bathroom, storage area and entrance lobby. She has a
phone, so you can give her a call on 01480 861 196.
As the weeks drag by she gets more and more bored. She is refusing to have any of her things brought to her because it would make her feel as though she would be taking up residence and she is desperate to go home.
13th November 2006
The occupational therapists have assessed her home and decided to fit a banister to the top section of the stairs where they go around the 'winders'. As soon as that has happened she will be discharged. She needs to use a walking frame at the moment, but she is determined to get better to the point where she no longer needs it.She feels stronger every day, so she is definitely on the mend.
20th November 2006
She’s still here, still waiting on the banister, still bored J. She is really making progress though, she can walk with just a walking stick. She’s really unsteady on her feet, but she was worse. She doesn’t always remember that and thinks she is in suspended animation, not getting any better, until she can go home. It will be a huge psychological boost for her.
24th November 2006
She's BACK! Home at last, after more than two months. The banister was fitted on Tuesday, but the Transitional Care Team, who are the people that take care of people like Rae when they make the move from the care home with it's 24/7 staff, to their own homes, were short of staff and unhappy to let her go home. She spent some time on Thursday persuading them that she could cope and they agreed that she could go home and see how she gets on. If there are any problems she can go back to Crown Gardens.
Her home number is 01480_861_196 if you want to call her. She was delighted to be back in her home at last and rushed around sorting out the things she had brought back with her from her extended stay recovering in Crown Gardens. She enjoyed tearing open and throwing away all the junk mail that had accumulated. She was glad for a rest and some lunch. She is walking well with the walking stick now.