no pictures yet

Guys, I'm not up for it tonight.

My mom just called. They were going out for a doctor's appointment and my dad - who uses a walker - apparently slipped off the front porch step and fell. They called the EMTs and he went to the ER. A CAT scan turned up no neck injury, and apparently there is no real spinal injury (possibly a tiny, non-displaced fracture to one of the "wings" of one of the vertebrae but the neurologist said there was nothing they did for those and it doesn't pose a danger). The possible fracture is on the opposite side from the pain (it is on the right, pain is on the left) so presumably it is not the cause. And the doctor said they did nothing for them anyway.

Apparently it's muscular. He possibly had a torn muscle in the back (old injury) and I know he's fallen a few times over the years. (And for a number of years, before he saw a podiatrist and got a lift made for one shoe - he had one leg marginally shorter than the other and it has caused a little scoliosis, which may be a source of the pain)

They are keeping him overnight "for observation" and also for pain control.

I am, understandably, not happy about this development. I asked my mom if she would prefer I cancel my Thanksgiving trip (If it's going to be too much chaos) and she said no.

But yeah. Not up to photographing my tree.

I just hope I can shut off the worrying enough to sleep tonight.

ETA: on further thought, with my brother and sister in law AND their kid AND the whole menagerie, my mom probably needs me there. I will probably be the one upon whom cooking and dishwashing duties fall if my dad needs extra help (if he's even home then....sob).

(It would be nice if my brother could be persuaded to board his animals but I don't think that will happen).

I'm just bracing myself to be the Maiden Aunt who Does All The Work this break, and telling myself I MUST be gracious and cheerful about it.

I just hope - dear God - that Christmas 2016 wasn't the last Christmas I get to have with my dad. Going to go cry a little now...