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Thanks for all your posts here, folks. And to those of you who've been through this before, your words really help.

Update: Mom had her surgery this morning. Apparently they put some sort of rod in her hip to fix things up... I don't really know. But the nurse I talked to said the surgery went well and she's "very comfortable." She opens her eyes from time to time, then just drifts right back to sleep. All in all, the news is quite positive. I'll know more later on from a sister who lives near Mom and is able visit.

Whew... our elderly parents sure can be a worry! Thanks again one and all for the show of support.



The femur (or, technically, the 'big leg bone') near the top juts off at an angle to attach to the hip. This upper portion is called the femur head. Because it is not straight up and down like the rest of the femur it has to handle a lot of force (i.e. our full body weight) when we walk. As we get older our bones tend to get thinner and, consequently, more brittle, especially for women, especially if they have osteoporosis. The femur head is what breaks in the 'fall and break' scenario. Since the bone is already fragile (rebreaks are common and often surgery is denied) a rod is attached to the femur head to strengthen it. The good news, Keith, is that they probably wouldn't have gone through with the procedure unless they think the probability is there for a successful outcome.