Please I need advice!

[sarahanne]

I have not personally had knee surgery but my Mother has. She has actually had two, all for one knee. In November of 2007, my Mother (age 63) had her knee replaced. She is in great shape and actually had to have it done because she was a marathon runner (she caused great damage to it due to the running). The day after the surgery (obviously still in the hospital) she fell. This was all under a nurse's supervision. Due to the fall, her knee did not heal properly and caused her more pain than before the surgery. So with the doctors recommendation, she had it redone this past November. (Luckily the hospital realized it was their fault and my Mom does not have to pay anything out of pocket.) She is still in considerable pain and cries often. (My parents divorced a long time ago so I am the one taking care of her.) I know that it takes months to heal and for the pain to go away but I feel so helpless. Does anyone have any suggestions for her or for me for that matter? Anything I could do to help relieve some of her pain? She is the strongest woman I know and it kills me to see her like this. She got back from the doctor today in tears and told me that he still sees nothing wrong with the knee. Thank you for your help!!

 

[ship4]

sarahanne,
It is a painful surgery. That being said, make sure she takes her medications on time and takes the meds at least a half hour before scheduled PT. She need to get plenty of rest, ice the knee, and elevate it. I slept in a recliner for almost 3 months before moving upstairs to a bed. In the recliner my knees were higher than my heart. I had both of them done at the same time. I was 58 and had the surgery 6/18/08. I went skiing last Sunday!
So, rest, ice, elevate and use her compression stockings from the hospital. She won't feel "normal" for a good 4 months post op.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Crystal

 

[Jamie]

Sarahanne, welcome to the forum.

You have come to an excellent place to get support as you help your mother through this difficult time. I'm so sorry she fell so early on in her recovery, but you received an excellent report from the surgeon that the new joint looks good. You don't mention what pain meds your mom is on and how often she takes them. Also, how much therapy has she received? Is she icing LOTS during the day and night and elevating her knee above her hips to reduce swelling (a MAJOR cause of pain)? And how is her Range of Motion (ROM)? Since she had that bad experience the first time, I would be concerned that she might be experiencing a lot of fear that she could fall again and do damage. The fear could be keeping her from working on the joint muscles to regain strength. Please post some more of the details and you will no doubt have lots of response from people here willing to offer some suggestions for you.

 

[sarahanne]

Well I just got some more information from my Mother. Must admit, I am a little disappointed in her after reading your suggestions. She no longer ices her knee and rarely elevates it. Her ROM is 110 degrees. She completed the physical therapy and enjoys riding her stationary bike. As far as meds go, she is going to start her meds tomorrow. Thank you so much for the suggestions because I brought them to her attention and she realized she needs to be doing more. That being said, she does lead a pretty active life and just returned from a missions trip. In my opinion, I think she is doing too much too soon and not enough of what is required of her. Thank y'all!

 

[Jamie]

Ahhhh....Sarahanne.....it's always good to know "the rest of the story." Maybe you'll be in a better position to help your mom do the right things now. Her ROM is certainly okay and the fact that she's doing so much (my gosh...A MISSION TRIP at less than 3 months out???) plus the doctor's report would indicate that she is okay. She just needs to listen to you! Bless you for being such a good caregiver and supporter. I know she is anxious to have all this pain behind her and, in time, it will be. Don't hesitate to post whenever you have any questions or concerns. No matter what the issue, there are probably several folks here who've been through it before. You both are in my prayers.

 

[sarahanne]

Jamie thank you so much for all of your help! I do have one more question, my Mom seems to be confused as to when to use ice and when to use heat. I read on another forum that someone recommended heating their knee before bed. And then to ice throughout the day. Would you suggest that?

 

[Jamie]

The ice is to prevent or help with swelling. Heat can actually make swelling worse sometimes (it happened to me) by bringing MORE fluid to the area. So icing is always recommended when a person is new or a couple of months out of surgery. But there is a point for some people where heat seems to provide some relief. I think it's an individual thing and it doesn't work for everyone. She needs to figure out what works best for her. But since icing is good to keep swelling down, if she has leg pain durnig the day, I would elevate and ice as often as possible. Be sure to put some ice behind the knee joint for a time, even if it doesn't hurt there. Swelling can happen there and you don't realize it. I used the gel packs that you buy at a drug store (big ones). I actually HATED icing before my surgery - never used it --- always heat. But I'm a fan now. I would go to sleep with two big ice packs surrounding my knee joint. That was BEFORE I found out on this forum that you could buy machines that pump ice water into a wrap around your knee secured by velcro. If I every need another joint surgery, I'm getting one of those! One other thing that made me comfortable at night in addition to the ice on my knee was a heating pad at the small of my back. For some reason that just relaxed my leg muscles and nerves and kept me from having nervous leg syndrome (the need to keep readjusting your legs during the night).

 

[Josephine]

That's me made redundant! All excellent and sound advice, Jamie.

 

[aussie]

The student is only as good as the teacher Jo

 

[execk2]

This probably goes without saying but since it's her knee and not yours... Make sure that there is a towel between the ice pack and the knee. You want to ice the knee/cool it not freeze the skin (when it turns white). All great advice...

Good luck

 

[Jamie]

The student is only as good as the teacher Jo

Absolutely right!!

 

[Jamie]

This probably goes without saying but since it's her knee and not yours... Make sure that there is a towel between the ice pack and the knee. You want to ice the knee/cool it not freeze the skin (when it turns white). All great advice...

Good luck

Good point Execk2. Glad you made it!

 

[backbay38]

I will add one more thing. I too am a former marathon runner. Finished 28. Your Mom may still be depressed about not being a runner anyMore. Runners define themselves by their running. I still cry when I watch a marathon. I will run again on my new knee but only a few miles a few times a week. Maybe all the problems and pain have mixed with all I said and she just doesn't feel the rehab work is worth it. IF her surgeon says the new knee is Ok then she needs pain meds, good PT from someone who understands what she was and maybe secretly hopes to be again. A lot of docs aren't very good with pain. A d pain is always worse when someone is depressed.

 

[Josephine]

Well said, backbay ...