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Had to take my 90 yr old mom to the hospital via ambulance today, she hurt her back somehow several days ago, I began doing everything for her til she could recover but she got worse and worse quickly, til she was so weak this morning she couldn’t get out of bed.Did Not want to go to the hospital but I made that decision for her. CT Scan shows vertebral compression fracture, pneumonia, VERY low potassium and magnesium levels. She got sick so fast!
Doctor finally came in and said this is likely “the beginning of the end”. Is this true?? She had been doing so well up until her back began hurting.

If mom hurt her middle back and has a compression fracture there, in the thoracic spine, she's likely unable to take nice deep breaths which brought on the pneumonia. Khytoplasty to repair the spine with cement is not as easy as it sounds and general anesthesia is required. I've had a lot pain in the area since the day it was performed on me 3 yrs ago.

Nothing is easy about your mother's condition at this point. My mother had her second or third bout of pneumonia at 92. The doctor did not think she'd make it, but she did. Becoming wheelchair bound and going into Memory Care Assisted Living where she lived 3 more years in misery.

Nobody can predict the outcome here, but when pneumonia takes an elder, it's quick and painless.

Best of luck to you.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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They are good till their not.

My Mom fell and fractured her L1. They did a procedure were they were able to put some sealant into the fracture to reduce the pain and let her heal. It was done by just puncturing a hole in her back.

The rest of her problems can be solved by giving her potassium, magnesium and antibiotics for the pneumonia. Pneumonia will be her main problem. It can cause Dementia type symptoms.
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ShirleyDot 11 hours ago
This is called kyphoplasty and it is not without risk. If the fractures are from osteoporosis, the other vertebrae are also weak and hardening one vertebrae can stress the others unevenly and cause more fractures. This happened to my MIL and caused multiple additional compression fractures and even more pain.
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Is she cogent enough to communicate her wishes for treatment or no further treatment? If so, I'd have this conversation with her and maybe even get it in writing so that you don't have to make those decisions or second-guess yourself after she passes.

Back pain is extremely painful. One goal should be that she's as comfortable as possible. I'm sorry you are both going through this. I wish you wisdom and peace in your heart as you go on this journey with her.
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Reply to Geaton777
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Doctors make statements like this based on their training and experience. Like us, they don’t have insider information on when the end of life may come, but they do have extensive education and experience. My dad long told me of pneumonia being called “the old man’s friend” as it’s a common cause of death in a painless way. Electrolyte issues also are often game changers in the elderly. Advanced age often means swift change in status. I view this as a blessing in light of watching both my parents decline so slowly over many years. I’m sorry you’re experiencing this with your mom and wish you both peace
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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The doctor said that this is "likely" the beginning of the end, and your moms doctors are not God, so make sure they're treating moms low potassium and magnesium levels, her pneumonia and her compression fracture and then see what happens.
Only God knows the day and time that He will take your mom Home.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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Sue, it is a difficult thing to accept, but your mother is 90, and most people don't make it that far. Think of the time now as an opportunity to prepare yourself and to make the days as comfortable as possible for your mother, and as gentle on yourself as possible. I hope you can find peace in your heart.
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Reply to MG8522
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Compression fractures are extremely painful. MIL had these and said she wanted to die. It was awful. She needed fentanyl patches to get her comfortable and a back brace. It took a while to get to this point but OxyContin was not enough for her pain level.
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