Water Therapy - It Works

                                                                                                
Mom's water therapy is finally starting to pay off.

She began her therapy for her back, actually, as she suffered a compression fracture last summer. Her back doc had not released her for land-based physical therapy, and I finally convinced her to give water therapy a try. From the beginning she loved being in the water, but after a few sessions, she fell again. She had been to lunch at the golf course and fallen, on the way out, for no apparent reason. She didn't think it warranted a visit to the doc, though. The next water session she mentioned the fall to her PT. She witnessed my mom's pain and tested her strength. Then said she would not treat her until she saw a doctor. An X-ray showed a big chip on the edge of the flange part. Remember, that is the same hip she broke, (snapped the ball clean off,) in February. Therapy changed then, to focus on strengthening that hip.

Let me share with you, the common drill on PT day:  At 9:00 I make a wake up call to mom, and I know now (after finding her still in bed an hour or two later,) that I need to say, Don't go back to sleep!  Then, about 1/2 hour before appointment time, I go over.  I'm almost always met with the comment that she's feeling bad, and that it's the worst she's felt in a long time.  She continues by saying she would skip therapy, but knows I won't let her.  She is right.

Getting out of bed, and dressing for therapy, is kind of a workout in itself, at this point.  I know she has a lot of real pain, but unless she gets moving, she'll not feel any better.  The situation is the epitome of use it, or lose it.

After she is dressed, we'll have some iced mocha, or juice, at which time she asks, Do you think this therapy is doing any good?  My response is the same each time, at the very least it is helping you not to decline further.  She always replies, Oh, that makes sense.

At therapy, she tells the therapist she feels great!  Her medication takes her from worst day ever to feeling great!  Sometimes I call this to her attention, because her tendency is to say
the meds Just don't work! or that her doc is not managing her pain at all!  But, more often, I don't mention it.

The therapist questions her on her pain level (on a scale of 0-10) upon waking, in the pool, and after. She has gotten pretty good at utilizing the scale she once deemed ridiculous. Her pain changed all the time, she said, and she could not rate it like that. Now she gives some thought to the question, and answers without looking at me with the look that says, Isn't this ridiculous?

Monday she had therapy and was re-evaluated.  In the past, these assessments were met with, not only, the look, but verbal disgust, as well. Both her PT and I explained, several times, that medicare won't continue to pay unless she is making gains, so the improvement must be documented.  At this point, she has been through PT enough to know complaining about the process won't change anything.

After this final assessment, we learned she has improved dramatically!  I was as thrilled as she was, and that carried us through the day. Today is Thursday, though, and she is not feeling well enough for therapy. Oh well, as soon as it stops raining, and warms up a bit, we can go for a walk...maybe.