this weekend. I had planned to go through some boxes, but when I sat down, I was so sleepy I couldn’t get back up!

My dad made my mom tell me that she’s pretty sure she has another compression fracture in her back. She was unable to sit for two days and still has to use a big pillow and a step beneath her feet. She refuses to see the doctor because she thinks her vertebrae are in such fragile shape that there isn’t anything that can be done. I suggested that she get it checked out to make sure there isn’t any danger to the nerves and she said she had horrible pain down her sides the first few days but was better now. She basically refused to see a doc at all. I did some very gentle exploration of her spine and one of her lower thoracic vertebra is definitely swollen and seems a little displaced to one side.

I remained patient, although I let her know I wish she would see someone. I talked to her about the importance of keeping her torso balanced and stable as she heals, so she doesn’t develop more problems due to guarding or compensating. I also told my sister, b-i-l and godmother about it, so we can all drop by this week and make sure she isn’t lifting or moving things. The woman was proud of her restraint in not moving furniture to dust or sweep and told me how it’s getting harder to kill the black widow spiders as she gets older and slower!

I feel like we have so many battles ahead of us with my mom that fighting this one would be a waste of energy. My dad seems the same. He sleeps so much these days and is less and less interested in food. Both of them were so happy to see me. At one point my mom took my hand, kissed it several times and said, “I love you, sweetheart.”

They break my heart in all kinds of good ways.