Volume 10, 2010

An Old Hip Fractured
Requires a Good Young Bone Doc

Gregory Eastwood

Call from sister Chris.
This time, the news not so good:
“Mother broke her hip.”

They found her standing
Leaning against the walker,
Pain, age ninety-five.

E.D. films reveal
Right femoral neck fracture.
What should we do now?

Mother is beyond
Her capacity to join
The conversation.

Crewcut orthopod
Easy to stereotype—
Until we listened.

His options, kindly:
Do nothing—her hip heals fixed,
She’s in bed always.

Partial replacement,
Despite age and confusion,
He recommended.

That is the best chance
To relieve pain, get her back
To walker and chair.

Under his guidance
We considered DNR,
DNI, the rest.

We took the best chance:
Mother’s hip is doing fine
Now, three years later.

A good result.

Return to Table of Contents, Volume 10, 2010.