Copd and knee replacement

[Janjan3000]

Hello thanks for letting me join. My dad has copd he was due to have a knee replacement tomorrow and the consultant has now told him they are not willing to do it. They said his copd and arthritis is too severe to continue. He is 76 thinks his world is now ending as he in constant pain and hardly walks about. What do you think is his next option.

[hypercat54]

I wonder if some gentle exercises would help ease the pain of his arthritis? But get a professional opinion first. x

[UHelga]

How very upsetting for your dad! Has the consultant explained why he is not willing to do the operation? Does your dad have an infection and/ or is the anaesthetic too risky? Is there any way to go back to him and get a little more information? And maybe get a second opinion?

[Hidden]

I don’t know what your Dad’s options are regarding his arthritis but I suspect that this is age discrimination as my friend recently had her extremely arthritic knee replaced. She had her operation whilst awake which would prevent the risk of a general for your Dad. I would insist that he gets another opinion. Life shouldn’t be over at 76 when the tecnology is there.

[Ribbon2079 in reply to Hidden]

Wow what a brave soul to have an operation like that awake!!!

[Alice70]

My husband had his knee replacement awake no general anasetic , epidural was used instead ,I am sure that were there is a will there is a way ,on doctors behalf I mean

[christina1947]

They left it a bit late to make this decision it was wrong to let your dad think he would have the op to be mentally prepared and thinking his pain would be gone and he would be more mobile. My sympathies go out to him don’t leave it there do all you can to get it sorted can he have the op with pain relief injections can you have a second opinion. I wonder what the private medical care would suggest take care xxx

[skischool]

if you and/or your dad can afford to go privately and it is safe to do so and it will give your dad more mobility,less pain and a better quality of life then go for it,i wouldn't bother getting a second opinion on the Nhs as that could take ages and as others have said age discrimination appears to be a major factor here.

Good luck and best wishes.

Ski's and Scruff's x

[Janjan3000 in reply to skischool]

His breathing is really bad and he shuffles now when he walks as the pain is severe in both knees. He was suppose to have the operation 2017 Christmas but was cancelled through the NHS winter flu. He has been on waiting list that long that he is deteriorating. I've told him to think about going private will wait and see how he feels in a couple days. The consultant he seen todays was young and I think he decided my dads old no point. I'm going to take the matter further to find out the whole reason. Thanks everyone for your replies.

[Hidden in reply to Janjan3000]

I think it's time to be waving a big stick around on your father's behalf and making someone sit-up and take notice!

[Janjan3000 in reply to Hidden]

That's exactly what I intend to do. Thanks

[stamford1234 in reply to Hidden]

I agree Don. I hope it is not an age thing, because that has huge implications. It strikes me that this particular consultant isn't coming up with other options either, eg an epidural

[Samjeff in reply to Janjan3000]

Yes second opinion a must you are entitled to that at least all the best. Sam

[2greys]

Age discrimination is illegal ref the Equality Act 2010.

equalityhumanrights.com/en/...

[Hidden in reply to 2greys]

Not unknown though sadly. They gave subtle ways of imposing it. ie the lung transplant age cut off.

[Hidden]

I had both my knees done at the same time when I was 69 (I'm 87 now) and it became clear that the decision as to whether they would do two knees in one go was made by the anaesthetist. He is the one that carries the can if you expire during the procedure, the surgeon decides whether the job needs and can to be done. Your dad needs to know, as others here have said, who this "they" is and why 'they' won't do it. If he only lives to be my age that's 11 years of debilitating pain they are facing him with which is totality unacceptable.

[Lemon7]

My mum has copd and had hip replacement at age 83 with a general anaesthetic. I realise her condition and your dad's are not the same, however, perhaps a seco d opinion or epidural option are worth checking out. You should at least receive reasons why it is not going ahead. Good luck.

[Janjan3000 in reply to Lemon7]

They had already discussed that the best option was epidural for his operation. But as I said that was just under 2 years ago and the surgeon has left the hospital and a new consultant seen him today to give him the news that he was cancelling the operation. It's disgusting how my dads been treated. I'm telephoning the hospital tomorrow to ask that the report the consultant has done today be sent to my dad to find out exactly why he came to that conclusion.

[Lemon7 in reply to Janjan3000]

Good luck with everything.

[hypercat54]

I wonder if your dad would be able to do physio afterwards, or if he would go for it? If not then doing a knee operation might not help that much.

My father had his hip replaced at 80 but he refused to go for physio. As a consequence his pain never decreased much. He had to wait 15 months for the op by which time his musceles were used to leaning to one side more.

How about asking for a second opinion? I think he is entitled to see another consultant so shop around. x

[Janjan3000 in reply to hypercat54]

Yes that's exactly what he is going to do. He is making an appointment at his gp next week to discuss other options. Also looking into going private as I said this has been going far to long. But in the end it's my dads choice.

[Danielmystar]

I would imangine alot of it has to do with his copd his lung function could be low I have copd emphysema with 33per cent lung function which makes me all most stage 4 so because of copd I can't have an operation as its to risky consultant told me 2 years ago it's not so much the operation it's the after affects that could be vital

[santisuk]

You can always pay for a private assessment and opinion (though that might take 2 specialists one for each condition) then take it back to the NHS, maybe your GP's practice management, not the specific consultant and see where you get to.

I pay UK private consultants to give specialist opinions and cost estimates before approaching my UK-based medical insurer to help in persuading them that my Thai surgeons/doctors are charging the right amount and doing the right thing. Costs 150 to 200 quid for a written opinion if you have the scans or whatever already such that they do not need to do any tests themselves.

Your Dad's situation had some resonance for me. A couple of years ago I paid a UK orthopaedic consultant to advise on my painful/broken down hip. He advised me not to pay for the microsurgery that a Thai private ortho surgeon wanted to do. "It's the wrong approach - manage it for a few years 1st - the microsurgery won't fix it and he's proposing to chargenearly double what the UK would"!!

Has proved good advice - my hip returned to a pain-free walkable state and I have managed it with careful daily excercise and some drugs/supplements, but I think I may be approaching a decision point again. I'm 68 and the idea that I might delay my replacement to the point where a surgeon said "now you are too old and we worry about your chest" (I have bronchiectasis as well as osteoarthritis) would be a nightmare.

So good luck JanJan

[yesilkedi]

My dad had a knee replacement at the age of 90, done with an epidural. I think you need to ask for the reason the consultant won't do it and then take it further, ask for an appointment with Patient Liason Office who deal with complaints. Good luck.

[Ergendl]

There is a lot of rationing in the NHS service at present, finding every excuse to put "non-urgent" operations off for as long as possible, despite all the consequences of the procedures being much harder to carry out further down the line.

In the meantime, may I suggest your father tries knee support bandages which you can get from most chemists. I used them a lot at first, but then found they rolled up a bit (maybe my chubby legs) so I now use skinny jeans - maybe not an option for your Father! I had my first knee replacement in 2004 and it's just starting to show signs of needing to be redone. I'm putting it off for as long as possible.

[katieoxo60]

This sounds like a cop out to me. The op can be considered without general anesethetic`but each patient is different. Mobility issues might be one problem depending on severity of COPD & arthritis. I would ask for a second opinion firstly. If still no then physio might be an alternative to reduce pain. Has he been to a pain management clinic ? That's one of the options these days for chronic pain, with arthritis lack of exercise even chair ones can leave you much stiffer. Hope all the replies help you reach a decision take care

[stamford1234]

This is dreadful. The consultant has a lot of answering to do. I wish you well in pursuing it for your Father. He must be very disappointed

[Rc1954]

I have COPD and had a full knee replacement and it's no fun, I'm much younger. I wish I would have explored different options. Don't give up , check out his options. Good luck my friend.

[Oshgosh]

Just ask for an epidural.. it may be helpful if you contact the PALS service at the hospital.

Ask them to support you.

Whatever is said to you,take a deep breath and count to 10. This gives you time to decide what to say next.

good. Luck. I hope you can sort something out for your dad.

[Janjan3000 in reply to Oshgosh]

He was already told it was to be done with the epidural but the consultant changed and new one has cancelled operation. Dad is so disappointed we are asking for the reason as dad never really picked up what he was saying to him after he had said they were cancelling OP. Thanks for all your help.

[Oshgosh in reply to Janjan3000]

You need to contact consultants secretary and put your point across.they are usually very helpful and can email the consultant.look after yourself as well, this sort of thing is really stressful. Making lists helps as well,I found

[SquirrelsHolt]

Hello there Janjan3000 and it is us that thank you for joining us here....glad you found us! Well what a bad situation your Dad is now in after all the time he has say waiting for his operation,that in fact was not going to happen. Bad on the surgeon to keep you sitting in expectation of hopefully being pain free after his replacement knee.

I cannot add anything else to the comments you've been given by our members but wish your Dad the very best,in which ever direction he goes next. Please keep us posted.💞

[Janjan3000 in reply to SquirrelsHolt]

Will do spoke to him this morning he is going to contact consultantants secretary to get a copy of what he said to him. Hope this clarify the reason then we can look at other option available from there. As I said thank you for all the comment will keep you all updated as it happens.

[Izb1]

Dont give up JanJan3000, this sounds like cut backs for the elderly, I think it is disgusting that your Dad has had to wait so long. Let us know how you get one xx

[BuoyantCat]

I am sorry to hear about your father’s health but it may be a blessing in disguise. I had both knees replaced and it was a tough recovery. I had a doctor top in his field at Union Memorial Hospital in Maryland. An older man from my church in Wilmington had his knee replaced here and got an infection and he had to have most of his leg amputated. So it really makes a difference who is doing the surgery. Before I had my knee replacement they tried to avoid surgery by injecting my knee with some kind of liquid like synovial fluid which helped for several months. Did anyone suggest injections? In any case he probably should get a prescription from his arthritis doctor for physical therapy which will help the pain and strengthen the muscles surrounding his knees. This is all I know but I thought I would share my experience in the hope that it might help a little. My prayers for you both

[Bettz]

I had a hip replacement last year - they used a spinal - no general anesthetic - I did fine. I also have arthritis and am older than he is.

[Liisy]

My Late Dad had a similar thing with needing a hip replacement. He ended up in hospital for a few months. They can do it using a block or epidural given the same way but different sorry can’t remember exactly. I had it for op on both my knees, they cut cartilage and bone and cleared all debris out. I think it’s a quicker reverse than the epidural.

I would speak to the consultant again? It is usually the anaesthetist that has the last say on if an operation can go ahead.

I would ask about it? Can’t do any harm.

Hope he gets it sorted x

[Geoffu]

I had a knee replacement at 64 and had a spinal anaesthetic. Worked well. Knee still working well after almost 13 years. No pain at all

Have since had a hernia repair, also under epidural