It was a replacement of my left hip ten years after the right hip was done. Four days after the surgery, Bryan, his sister, brother-in-law, and nephews had arrived to cheer me up with a Saturday morning brunch. I was in pain but it was forgotten with all of the hubbub company brought. A welcome change of pace! The little ones, age 2 and 3 1/2 busied themselves with matchbox cars and toys in our temporary home. Watching them was a joy. Bryan greeted me with a little cry and a big hug. “Oh, MOM”! he exhaled.

Bryan was not as overjoyed as I was to watch the chaos. The poor guy was trying to stage a scene of quiet, calmness and healing. As soon as he arrived, he set about fluffing and arranging pillows for my comfort. He put George Winston’s “December” album on and played it through his I-phone, sitting close to me on the couch. He knew this music relaxed me, which was his aim for this morning. It added to the cacophony.

Once brunch was served, the music traveled into the dining room and the phone pushed closer to where I sat so I could enjoy the calm. An impossible task. Bryan sighed, exasperated by the mealtime energy. He’s just not used to being around little ones all the time and each whine or cry elicited a response of a head-shaking deep sigh that things weren’t quieter at the table. I chuckled. Bryan was not amused.

After brunch he settled me back in on the couch with my pills, water bottle, pillows and the continuously playing background music. He was trying so very hard!

Once brunch was over, he gave me another long hug and I promised I’d see him at his monthly monitoring meeting that Thursday.

I was feeling quite good the day of that meeting. I had successfully ascended the tricky stairs (half without railings to hold onto), slept in my bed and had gotten my first shower. I was eager to get out of the house for the first time in over a week.

Getting into Bryan’s new home proved challenging, but I scaled the crumbling concrete steps with my cane without incident, used the walker to ambulate over to the stoop. This proved my literal downfall. When hoisting myself up onto the tall stoop, I lost my balance, falling backwards onto the walkway/lawn behind me with a scream.

Bryan watched all this through the open door of his home with alarm. The program specialist and another care provider helped to lift me up. It really hurt, but I hobbled into the house, sat on a recliner with ice packs, and popped some Tylenol. Bryan dissolved into tears in the arms of his P.S. I had to stay. He was so distraught. I wanted to show him I was fine. I also had to physically write some checks and I wanted to participate in the meeting as many issues regarding Bryan’s safety were being discussed.

Following the meeting, I was helped back into the car. I immediately called the doctor and was assured that had I dislocated or fractured the hip, I wouldn’t be able to talk on the phone. Just to make sure, an x-ray was scheduled for Monday. I tried to stay off the leg until then – not an easy task.

The x-ray showed a fracture where the new titanium rod had cracked the bone, moving when I fell. I could either hobble on one leg for 3-6 weeks or opt for revision surgery. Much as I didn’t want to go under the knife again, I opted for the surgery.

Bryan texted Ed to see how I was doing. He told him I had fractured a bone. Bryan doesn’t know about the surgery yet. Maybe I’ll tell him after it’s over tomorrow so he doesn’t worry unnecessarily. He is such a compassionate caregiver. Just like his father!