TKR ???????

emzee wrote:

Chock full o' nuts wrote:
I have some questions for y'all. My 80yo mother recently injured her left knee. It was already in bad shape but after an afternoon of kneeling in the garden, transplanting flowers, her knee is completely shot. The entire joint is bone-on-bone now and she is looking at a TKR sooner rather than later.

Now, Mom is a nurse and I am a nurse. I have had issues with my own knee so I know a good bit about these things but I do not have personal experience with TKR recovery. Mom is a widow who lives alone. None of us kids live near enough to help on an extended basis. Therefore, I have told her that she will probably need to go into rehab, at least for a few weeks, to get back on her feet. Of course, Mom is livid that I even suggested it.

So those of you who are older, did you need in-patient rehab for a few weeks or were you able to manage on your own? How did you manage the pets? Mom has an 80-lb dog and 2 cats. How did you manage to get to and from therapy? How about meals and shopping?

The more I think about this, the more nervous I get about it. Mother is frail. She has several chronic illnesses and really isn't a great candidate for surgery, let alone a major orthopedic surgery. Tell me about your experience, if you don't mind.

Gosh I think she is going to need a lot of help. I can't imagine going through that and coming back home by myself. You are emotional and drained and can be in some pretty bad pain and on top of that having to care for her pets. No way!! Too bad no one can just go stay with her for a few weeks until she gets comfortable. A live in to help would be the best bet. Does she have any nurse friends that could stay with her. Being in her own home would certainly add to her recovery. I wish her and you all the best!!

I believe you are right. I talked with Mom last night. She went camping this week with her big dog and her rollator. It was awful. She is really in a lot of pain and her knee is so swollen she can hardly even get her pants on now. I encouraged her to get in to see her doctor ASAP to at least tap the knee and get another cortisone shot. She wants to try the Orthovisc shots, if she can, but I told her that I think the knee it too far gone. There is no healing when your whole knee is bone on bone.

I think this knee replacement is going to have to happen pretty soon. I don't know how long she can stand the pain. Mom is still insisting that she won't go to rehab, but I don't think she has any concept of how hard her recovery is going to be. I think I'm going to have to go down there and help her when she does come home. Her friends are all in their 80s and 90s. I have a sister out in Washington who could probably come down, as well. If she goes to rehab, I'll go get her doggy and bring him to my house. I don't know what will become of her cats. She only has one friend that she trusts to go into her house, but he would probably do it for her; she is flat out against kenneling the cats.

We have a huge family reunion coming up in July. I am going to encourage Mom to go ahead with the TKR now so she can be mostly recovered by July 2015.