Acute pain THREE YEARS after knee replacement!!!

[mifta]

My mum had a knee replacement 3 years ago and has sufferred with pain ever since. Following surgery she had a pressure sore over her wound, which was never addressed properly by the consultant. She had been prescribed many different types of medication, including morphine, which has barely touched her pain. She is sufferring particulary badly with it this weekend. My question is......Has anyone heard of people sufferring with severe pain this long after a knee replacement and does anyone know of anything we can try to help relieve this?

Thanks

[kazza12345]

bloomimg heck i just posted a long and really helpful ansew and it got lost!!!

[kazza12345]

your mum needs to see the gp to get a plan - chronic pain can be harder to treat than acute pain. The gp could refer her to a pain clinic or back to the surgeon. Has the leg been xrayed? where didi the pressure come from, a splint? or was it just an ulcer (she may have some venous insufficiency)

[kazza12345]

anyway, the key is finding out what is causing the pain (joint, bone, nerve, blood vessel, psychological, spiritual (bear in mind it could be a combination of these)) Then the pain becomes easier to treat - you dont say how old your mum is but many older people are stoical when it comes to pain and the gp/consultant might not even know how bad it it

[kazza12345]

a lot of people get consultantitis and when the doctor asks how they've been they just go "ok thanks". Is your mum still seeing the consultant surgeon who did the op?

[kazza12345]

sorry about the short answers - im very peeved about the loss of my first, frankly brilliant answer!

[kazza12345]

and very lastly - a pressure sore isn't really in an opthopaedic surgeons remit - more the gp's which it why you may feel it wasn't satisfactorally addressed by the surgeon

[mifta]

Thanks kazza12345, the wound was caused by a pressure bandage, the surgeon does not use drains. She is awaiting exploration and probing of wound, whatever that means, and our gp will not refer her the pain clininc until the surgeons can do no more!!!

[kazza12345]

have you asked her what she expects the outcome to be? Some people prefer pain to taking pain killers - i come across that in my job as a macmillan nurse very often