I'm thinking slipped disc or vertebra fracture. Any other theories? I'm getting all my information from my mother and sister, who are not good at getting information from doctors.

Ginger, that's the kind of pain I had when I had back surgery -- HOWEVER, that doesn't mean your mom's is significant enough to warrant surgery (I know you aren't a Chicken Little-type person, but I just didn't want you to think I was saying Holy Crap Your Mom Needs Bionic Repair!).

It sounds like something is messing with her sciatic nerve. It doesn't necessarily have to be a disc, though -- I have had screaming horrible pain that was just from my muscles -- mostly the piriformis -- being inflamed and clenchy and trapping the sciatic nerve.

Dear Bro, Dude, I'm trying to understand that stiffness and pain are new to you, as is not being able to get ready in twelve minutes. HOWEVER, if you call yourself a "fucking cripple" in front of me again, I may end your life. xxoo Your big sis, who still doesn't move around as well as you do. Right now. AINFG. Dear Dr. C, Fix him, or he eats at your house. A Friend

Just going on my mom's back problems, and my own sciatica when I was pregnant, anything where the pain is traveling down one leg sounds like pinched nerve to me, too. It doesn't have to be a disc, though, like Steph said.

Your poor mom. That kinds of pain is awful.

With my herniated disc, leg pain was also involved. That required an MRI to diagnose.

Why are you attacking literacy?

It's actually Attack OF Literacy: [link] The authors are attacking that poor helpless dame. But I know you can't see all that in the Bat-crotch picture.

Oh my lord, erika, are you fucking kidding? I mean, I know you're not. But damn. That takes a special level of self-centeredness.

That required an MRI to diagnose.

Now that I think about it, she had a CT scan and then an MRI last Thursday. Maybe she'll get a real diagnosis tomorrow.

I'm hoping it's something can be treated without surgery, because I doubt if that would be advisable for an 85-year-old with congestive heart failure.

It's just sad how limited her life has become. She can't see well enough to sew, which was her main passion in life, along with antiques. She doesn't get around well enough to do much antiquing. Fortunately, my sister is being a trouper about this. (Okay, my sister is not all bad.)

It's actually Attack OF Literacy: [link]. The authors are attacking that poor helpless dame. But I know you can't see all that in the Bat-crotch picture.

I love that shirt, but that "of" is so goddamn hard to see, even when you're looking right at it. Everyone misreads it at first.