For those of you keeping track of my parental units’ various sagas, you will remember that last week my mother broke her arm. She went to the orthopedist yesterday and discovered that the break is right on the ball of the ball joint of her shoulder. The radiologist said it looked like there might be shards of bone, but radiologists don’t do diagnoses, so we won’t know for sure until my mother goes back to the orthopedist next week.
If necessary, there is the possibility of inserting a pin in her shoulder so she can regain maximum range of motion. However, her orthopedist said that at 67, he would recommend against surgery and have my mother live with limited functionality. Unlike my father, my mother is a healthy 67 year old who lives an active life. She works out at the gym and swims several times a week. She takes adult ed classes and works as a substitute teacher. I think she is too young to have to live with limited range of motion.
Fortunately for all of us, my sister-in-law (an oncologist) agrees with me. She sees no obvious reason why my mother wouldn’t be a good candidate for surgery. In the past, my SIL has been willing to intervene on behalf of my father and talk doctor-to-doctor to get the real scoop on why procedures were or were not recommended. I strongly suspect that if my mother would indeed benefit from surgery, she would be willing to call my mother’s orthopedist and find out what his concerns are with surgery. And, if my SIL doesn’t agree with the orthopedist’s concerns, my mother can go seek a second opinion.
I find my mother’s current situation to be a worrisome harbinger of the future, both my mother’s and my own. I don’t like the idea of doctors playing it so safe that they don’t factor in quality of life. I understand fully why my father is not a candidate for surgery. He is frail and the risk of complications is significantly greater than the impact of his hernia on his quality of life.
But we aren’t talking about my father. We are talking a healthy woman who is in good physical shape. The cost side of this cost/benefit equation is limiting my mother’s ability to be active. Compromising her ability to retain a high standard of both physical and mental health.
Hopefully this will all be a mute point and my mother’s bone will heal on its own. But if surgery would improve her overall recovery, I have no intention of sitting idly by. I intend to do all I can to help my mother stay active for as long as possible.