The medical staff on the ship took very good care of her. She was x-rayed and it was determined she fractured her pelvis, not her hip. They weren't sure how bad it was, so they made a makeshift brace for her pelvic area, put in a catheter and put her in bed. She was travelling with a friend who kept her company till they could get her off the ship. That happened 2 days later in Puerto Vallarta. (He went on to do the rest of the cruise alone.) Mommy Dearest was smart and bought trip insurance. They took care of chartering a plane to fly her home after they got her off the ship. Once in SD they transferred her to Kaiser Hospital's ER. That afternoon I went down to find her after a few hours of not knowing where she was. (It was all pretty confusing that day with lots of phone calls trying to figure out where she was.) She ended up being in the ER for about 10 hours. They x-rayed her and found she had a good break as far as pelvis fractures go, no surgery needed, as well as no brace. The fracture was (is) weight bearing, so basically, she was told she pretty much just needed to heal, which included getting up and walking on it. From there they were sending her to a convalescent care facility, not their hospital, so we were able to request she be moved a rehab hospital here in Poway. The place is actually connected to the hospital where the kids were born so each day when we went to see Granna, we would talk about which window on the top floor was the room they were born in. Rose, Owen and Madeline had fun making artwork for Granna's walls. David and Joey loved playing with the room divider curtain, wheel chairs and handicap toilet seat. They also loved to check out the parakeets in the lobby. Loads of bunnies live around the place too, so they were fun to find. The first time we walked in to see Granna, David remarked how pretty the place was. What a sweet and sensitive boy he is!
Mom rehabbed at the hospital for about 2 1/2 weeks. They had her up and walking after a day or two with the help of a walker. She is now back at her house. Her sister, Carolyn, drove out from Missouri with her dog Annie to stay with her for a few weeks while she gets her land legs back. She has done a really good job of taking care of Mom, disciplining her with a whip as needed when Mom misbehaves. Mom has been home for a week and a half and is really getting on pretty well. She can get up and walk around with the walker. And although she is still on pain meds, she is doing great compared to where she was. From the start of all of this she has been a real trooper and always in good spirits. That was one of the first comments from the nurse who was caring for her on the ship.
So, now the race is on for Mom to get back in shape for her next trip in July.....another cruise, this time to Alaska, so DRESS WARM..... with a few family members, us included. Maybe I will get her a headlamp to wear so she can spot those menacing steps.
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