I stepped from Plank to Plank
A slow and cautious way
The Stars about my Head I felt
About my feet the Sea.

I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch -
This gave me that precarious Gait
Some call Experience.

Emily Dickinson, c. 1864

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Tough times


SG in his bed after surgery

This will not be a very long post, just enough to bring you up to speed with what has happened to us in the last few days. SG was having some real balance issues, and was using a cane to stay upright, but he fell, hard, on his side while trying to get dressed on Friday morning. I had already left for the bus and the coffee shop.

I got a call from him, telling me he had fallen and could not get up. I got a ride home and saw that he was on the floor and was unable to move. It had been a struggle for him to make it to his phone, but he did,and that was when he called me. I could not get him up, either, and he was in a lot of pain. Time to call 911, and in a short while, two strong men showed up to get him transferred into the ambulance. I rode in the front seat on the way there. He was only wearing his underwear, so they wrapped  him in a blanket. 

When he arrived, he was evaluated and moved to an intake room. He was fairly comfortable, but an emergency with another patient happened and we ended up being there for several hours before a doctor could help him. By the time they took an x-ray, it was early afternoon. I got a ride home and learned that he had been moved to the surgery floor. When I got there, they had decided he would need a partial hip replacement. It was schedued for the next morning. They had given him some pain medicine, but no food. Eventually he got a small meal, and I went home, unable to help but was just in the way, SG was such a wonderful patient but was also scared about the surgery.

I learned that I could wait in the room when he was taken up for the operation. The doctor called me after what seemed a short time to say the surgery wa successful and that he would be coming back to the room. I was so glad to see him.

He called me last night to say he had just seen the physical therapist and that they will start PT today! He is in good hands and even if I am not there for this session, there will be others. Hopefully by the time I write here next, we wil be home and I can reach out and touch him. We have a long road ahead, but we will travel it together.



5 comments:

Marty said...

Oh Djan, I’m so sorry to read about this. Scary times indeed. So many of us are near the threshold of what you’re going through. And I have no personal knowledge of this, but I have heard that a hip replacement is pretty straightforward. Sending hopes that the healing is swift.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it amazing how quickly physical therapy starts after falls and surgeries? We went through similar times with my parents; the PT and how diligent the patient was made a big difference in the outcome. No surprise there. I know you must be feeling stressed and exhausted yourself, so hope you can build in some self care too.

Ceci

Buz said...

Damn. So sorry to hear he is dealing with this, but glad to know he's in good hands. I fell when it iced over in January, feet just flew out and I landed on my back and head. Stunned me enough that it took a while to move, and much longer to get up. Nothing broken, but it's easy for me to imagine his suffering. You're both in my thoughts and prayers.

Rian said...

OMG, DJan, as a friend of mine often says, "If it's not one thing, it's another." I'm so glad he was able to reach his phone and you. Hopefully he will recover quickly and soon be back home. You both need to be there to take care of each other as old age takes it's toll. I'm sending prayers and good vibes your way for strength and courage to get you through these difficult days.

Anonymous said...

Oh no very sorry to hear about this, praying for you two beautiful souls.