Life is an interesting thing.  I wrote the post about my mother’s bad news and so many of you, some dear friends, some blog friends I have never met or even know your real names and even some dear old friends that time and circumstance had taken from my life, rallied in positive thoughts, prayers and well wishes for my dear mother.  I had contacted Elsie from Christ Church in Denver, my mother’s church home for so many years, and they got the prayer chain going for my mom as well.

I was still devastated by the thought of surgery.  I spent some time researching what a total elbow replacement would mean (days in the hospital and months of rehab) and as I drove the many miles from Houston to Wharton to pick up my mom and back again to the elbow specialist, I tried to brace myself for the news.  I knew I could not keep making the trips up and down the highway ( another 200 miles today) and stay in good graces at work.  I decided Ally, Lauren and I would just have to trade-off.

All the way to the doctor as my old car bounced along the highway and my mother grimaced in pain, I repeated my apologies to her.  When the young, nice looking doctor  with a gold cross around his neck entered the exam room, his smile made my mom smile in return.

He laid out all the surgical options.  Essentially, if you bend your arm and feel that little point of your elbow, well, that is what she crushed.  Because of where she broke the bone off, the is very little bone to attach a replacement or pins to, and her bone quality is so poor it is unlikely it would ever heal right even if casted for months.

His next alternative had me saying Thank you, God, before he was done. His recommendation was to cast her arm and just let it heal.  No, the dislocated bone would not be corrected.  And the pieces of bone would stay in her arm.  But she is right-handed, she is not doing any real strenuous activities and it would keep her out of the operating room.  At almost 90 years of age it was the best we could hope for!  When they unwrapped her splint, I learned a bit about courage and bravery from my petite momma. She held my hand, gritted her teeth and stayed still as they rewrapped her arm.  Her elbow was the size of a baseball.  In a week, we will return.  Hopefully, the swelling will be down and momma will get a pink cast!

I am so grateful to all of you that thought of her and helped her along.  Prayers were definitely answered. I cannot express what it means to me to not have her facing surgery.  Thank you.  Thank God!

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Barn cat JP getting to know the new farm.