Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi - (Page 8)
No BoNes
About It
A
It’s a fact: Education and prevention are key to avoiding fractures
spring morning spent planting flowers and
vegetables quickly turned into an emergency
when Bernice Ellis of Tupelo misstepped and
fell in her backyard.
“I was just about to wind up my yardwork,” Ellis, 86,
says. “I decided I wanted to plant cucumbers in my pots,
and when I went to step on the patio, my foot got caught
and I fell.”
Ellis had a broken femur—the large leg bone above the
knee—and couldn’t get up. “My son was in the house, but
he couldn’t hear me,” she says.
Fortunately, her son came outside and found his
mother lying on the ground.
“He tried to help me up but had to call the ambulance,”
she says. “I had surgery, and my doctor told me I wouldn’t
walk for six months to a year.”
Ellis suffered a fragility fracture, a break that occurs
when bones are too weak.
After surgery at North Mississippi Medical Center,
she began inpatient rehabilitation. In June, she was discharged into the care of NMMC Home Health.
“The therapists and nurses came out to the house
and showed me exercises to help strengthen my bones,”
Ellis says. “I only kept my wheelchair a month and put
the walker down as soon as I could. I stuck to doing my
exercise four or five times a day, which I think made the
difference in how much sooner I was able to walk on my
own than anyone expected.”
Now, Ellis says she is in no pain, and takes calcium and
vitamin D to help make her bones strong.
“I love working in my yard, and I’m already back to
growing lots of flowers, plants and vegetables in pots and
buckets on my back porch.”
Fragility Fractures
Fragility fractures happen when bones are weak and
break too easily. This is known as osteoporosis. The
cause of osteoporosis can be related to age, lifestyle factors, diseases and certain medications, or it can have no
known cause.
Endocrinologist Jayant Dey, M.D., who treats many
patients with osteoporosis, realized that patients who
Continued on Page 49
What Can I Do to Keep
My Bones Healthy?
• eat foods with a lot of calcium, such as milk, yogurt and green leafy vegetables.
• eat foods with a lot of vitamin d, such as milk that has vitamin d added, and
fish from the ocean.
• take calcium and vitamin d supplements.
• Be active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
• avoid smoking.
• Limit alcohol consumption to one or two drinks a day at most.
8
Spring 2 013
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi
Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Brain Power
No Bones About It
You're the Star
Heart-to-Heart
Lighten Up!
Have No Fear
Work It!
What Are the Chances?
9 Symptoms Never to Ignore
When Allergies Attack
Virtual Health
Botox: A New Miracle Drug?
The Doctor Will See You Now
Catch the Spirit
Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi
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