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Lack of Physiotherapy and aftercare advice

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silverbirduk

junior member
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Feb 18, 2009
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25
Age
82
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United Kingdom
How I wish I had found this forum a few weeks ago. I had a TKR on 16 December, came home on 21st with a cryo cuff (no cooler), and crutches. I was given paracetamol to take and that was it. Since then I have had 5 physio sessions, only one of which did I feel was useful. For 4 of them she was only in the room for about 5 minutes of the 30. I was given a skateboard to use at home to get my knee to bend. I have no idea what my ROM etc is.
Having said all this, I don’t feel I am doing too badly as I can get up and down stairs and around the house mostly without using crutches, I just have problems getting up and down from sitting. Not yet been shopping.
Have others in the UK had the same experience with aftercare? I do not go back to the surgeon until 25 Feb.
 
My word, silverbird - where did you get this prime example of aftercare? At which hospital were you treated?

When you say you were sent home with a cryo cuff but no cooler - does that mean they gave you the baggy thing for your knee but no means of using it? That was awfully thoughtful of them!

So how is your pain now? Did you not speak with your GP about some more pain killers? Tell us a bit more about yourself - age, live alone, sleeping ok, eating ok, happy with things generally?

(I've already discussed my after care with my GP and she knows to expect requests for painkillers and such!)

Oh yes, and welcome to BoneSmart. Though I care for all my members, I naturally have a special affinity to UK ones!
 
I was at North Devon, Barnstable hospital. I do think the surgery was good, and the care in the hospital OK. They told me to keep the cryo cuff in the fridge when not being used, although not when or how often I should use it.

I am 66, married again 2 years ago, and have diabetes. Stopped working last July when my knee got really bad.

The worst part was getting home from hospital and finding out I could not use the loo without pain. So embarrassing. My husband spent ages getting me a frame with arms to use. I think the main trouble was that I had a cancellation and was operated on at short notice. I believe most people have a home visit to discuss this sort of thing before the op.

I don’t take any pain killers now, I really don’t need them (although I will tomorrow when I actually have a physio appointment – if she doesn’t cancel again).

I am eating OK and for the last couple of weeks have taken back the cooking from my husband, which is probably better for my diabetes which he doesn’t really understand yet.

I guess I am happier with things now than I was a couple of weeks ago. Especially after having found this site.

Good news – last night I slept from midnight to 6 am without waking!!!!
 
I used a 4" thick piece of foam rubber in chairs, chouches and recliners. It raised me just enough to get up and down without as much pain.

Max
 
I too have been very concerned about my PT and progress, so much that I requested my medical record and an itemized bill from the hospital..
I am a 55 year old nurse who is used to working 50 hours a week (it is a desk job most of that time at our local public health department).

I had to have transfusion etc and my leg was completely numb from hip to toes for 4 days so I was surprised at the extensive charge for this daily therapy that I couldn't remember participating in. After getting my chart today, I find out that my CPM machine was ordered for 4 hours (2 hours each time) per day to increase the flexion by 5 degrees each day. Well that never happened. I got it a total of 4 times in 8 days. As a nurse, I am saddened by the care I see in today's health care system.

I finally got to a good 100 degrees of flexion today in PT and I return to the OS tomorrow so he can evaluate my progress since the manipulation last Wednesday. My surgery was 12/11 and the manipulation was 2/11

I continue to use the dear old beside commode that accomodates to fit over the commode that I got through durable medical here but I do know what you mean about the pain. I am 5'11'' so the higher the seat the better!!

Hang in- this site has helped me tremendously. I read everything on here.
 
Nana55
I am not sure it is always a good thing, but I always get my medical records. I first started about 5 years ago when trying to figure out an endocrinology problem. All the mistakes i found shocked me.
I just got my hospital records and some serious things were overlooked, certainly not much was mentioned to me.
My surgeon was even told things came out normal from the neurology dept, he based his decision to discharge me partly on that when in fact the CT scan showed brain damage!!! I brought it to him a week later when I saw him.
Now I've shown other things to some of my other specialists who need me to follow up on things.

But I did have some great nurses and one in particular who was just awesome. A new graduate, young male nurse who was on top of everything. Even so much as to tell the Dr's that my pain med was way too low a dose. Unfortunately nothing changed, but he sure tried!!!! Yes, I am getting a letter to his supervisor and the hospital administration.

Judy
 
Well done, that girl! A whole 6 hrs sleep! That is fantastic!
 
Welcome Silverbirduk. Sorry you had such bad aftercare. My 87 year old aunt never had enough physio (in Surrey) after her hip replacement. Apparently the hip replacement wasn't right either. My uncle has been looking after her for a couple of years.

She unfortunately had a fall on her knee and broke her thigh a couple of months ago. She then got bedsores in Mayday Hospital in Croydon, Surrey, and got an infection. She was sent home, but had to return to the hospital the day of the snow storms in the UK as her infection was worse. They have now given her about a week to live. That unfortunately is often the case with the NHS hospitals of today. You can never sue them either.

We rarely had infections in the hospitals I worked in the UK in the 70's. It was a disgrace to let anyone get a bedsore. We did backs 2 hourly with soap, water and talc, and it worked!!

Her son however recently had a TKR in Plymouth on Dec 19th and is doing remarkably well and has been signed off from the surgeon. He can contact them at anytime if he needs to apparently. No more physio either. Goes to show it depends on the hospital eh?
 
Sorry to hear about your aunt, Sue. That's a sorry tale. And yes, we were very committed to 'doing backs' then, weren't we? Sacral area, heels and elbows! Though in my day, we'd wash with soap and water then massage with olive oil and methylated spirits mixed up in a bottle - often a Heinz salad cream bottle scrounged from the kitchen! Give it a real good shake, pour a little in your hand and rub like your life depended upon it! Ironically, as you have shown, it's often the patient's life that depended upon it. Nowadays nurses are not even allowed to use hand cream on a patient unless it's prescribed. Can you imagine? We even had to have saline flushes for IV cannulae prescribed!

BTW where did you get the idea you can't sue UK hospitals? There's a whole specialism in the legal profession dedicated to doing just that.

There's also an organisation in the UK that's been around for 25+ years that helps people to take such action. It's called Action against Medical Accidents. AvMA for short as it used to be called Action for Victims of Medical Accidents. I was, for a very short time, a kind of expert advisor with them, offering commentary/interpretation on surgeons' operation notes. Not an easy job as it almost seemed that the worse the case was against them, the more illegible their notes were.

BTW, Croydon+my personal list of recommended hospitals - non sequitur!
 
Thanks for the website and info Jo. I will pass it on to my cousin as soon as it is appropriate. I also have a couple more friends who could use this info.

Olive oil and meths eh? Never used that, bet it was good. As long as you keep that blood circulating it will do the trick eh? When we had patients come in with bedsores we would use egg white (whisked up) and oxygem, remember that?
 
My mother looked after her sister from when she had infantile paralysis (polio) at 16 until she was 75. She was in a bed or a chair all that time, it was only when she went into hospital for an op for a week that she ever got bedsores. My mother was furious. She always said that it was just good basic care to prevent them and that she did nothing special and it would never have happened in her day!!
 
You are so right, care is unfortunately a word that seems to have gone from a lot (not all) modern day nurses vocabulary!!
 
It makes me feel sad and frustrated reading these posts having returned from a really busy ward today at work I feel for you all and am sorry to hear about it :(
Jo - Saline flushes by god I have to tell the docs what to prescribe now....Anyhow I shant rant may get into trouble, silverbird, I totally understand your frustrations the NHS follow up care is really poor, thank god I called in a few favours although can't get a cryocuff lent to me for love nor money!!!
 
I bought mine off Ebay! Actually got it off Ebay.com and paid an humungous sum to get it shipped to the UK. Then had to pay import tax and VAT, a US/UK converter plug, and a new knee cuff! All in all, cost me about £180! Hope I get enough usage out of it to justify the cost!
 
Don't think he meant it had any special properties, Cheryl, just that it made the seat 4" higher. Therefore could be any foam or the eponymous MemoryFoam!
 
Now THAT's a great word, Jo,,,,EPONYMOUS!!! I've suddeny GOT to find where I put my Scrabble set,,,,,,Judy,,any ideas???? ;)
 
I bought mine off Ebay! Actually got it off Ebay.com and paid an humungous sum to get it shipped to the UK. Then had to pay import tax and VAT, a US/UK converter plug, and a new knee cuff! All in all, cost me about £180! Hope I get enough usage out of it to justify the cost!

I think you will! I absolutely LOVE mine and have used it for hours and hours. So much nicer than ice packs, and I think the ease of it has encouraged me to ice/cool more and that is part of why this knee isn't as painful or swollen as the first one.

Weezy
 
Judles look in the freezer. I bought a game for my kids and me called "Smart *** the Board Game" You reminded me to take it out. My youngest and husband are in Las Vegas for her cheerleading competition (actually she should be competing as I type).
They would make the game un fun. My 16 year old Tim and 20 year old Jamie are home. I hope I can convince them to try it out tonite.
Judy
 
Thanks. Judy! You really gave me a big laugh telling me to look in the freezer! Did you ever freeze a board game before!
 
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