That's a rough surgery, takes long time to heal. Mom's roommate couple years back had 1 & it was slow. Big deal right now is the infection, is she still in hospital or rehab? You really have to stay on top of that. If antibiotics get finished be sure to ask to see what blood tests are showing as she may need more. Also if possible show up from time to time when she is having therapy.(Be sure home she is in has therapy, some don't!) We found that some days they weren't even doing it. They get paid very well for it,too. If you can't get there until after school than ask your mom to lift her leg, etc, ask a nurse what she can do & if you can help some with the exercises, that way you show interest & they are more likely to do what they are supposed to do & you can gauge how well she moves. Simple thing like sitting up in bed you can ask her to raise knee up toward body & then down flat- you need to be sure they are"working on improving function" We noticed that those that had regular visitors do so much better than those that don't. Hope she is nearby. Otherwise hope friend can visit often. Watch for swelling around knee too as could be sign of problems. If she is in Ca. go to medicare.gov/nhcompare & type in for nursing homes in your area as they are rating them on a 5 star system. 1 we had dad in used to be excellent but has gone down hill fast. Hope she isn't in too much pain! Hugs & prayers that meds work & she can get back on her feet!! Jan

Jan thank you! Yeah, we had her in nursing care facility which was awesome. Have a staff PT room with I say at least a dozen PT people there. They worked with her 5 X a week. She has drop foot which none of us are happy about because its 99% preventable! She was fine with no infection until the day after she came home from nursing care facility (lab cultures came back negative so they released her--I have more thoughts on that process though)My sister and I have been tag teaming being at her house and basically being her MOM. Kerrie will spend the night, me day time. Just different issues along the way. So, the day after she came home the home health nurse took her temp and it was elevated. She did refresh her dressing and all. Then the PT gal came. Wehn she took a look at her leg she said that we need to get her to urgent care like right now. PT gal did take her temp and it was 102! So, she was on IV antibiotic infusion for 4 days. (getting her to and from in our vehicles was each day a feat) The 3rd and 4th days the doctor prescribed 2 more oral antibiotics for her to take too!Yesterday my sister was getting her ready to go to a neurology appt when she couldn't get more that a foot away from bed. My sister had called the medical group where the appointment was at and they sent a can out to pick her up. When they couldn't get the wheelchair through the door my sister had it and called an ambulance to take her to emergency. To us the situation seemed like it needed way more attention than what we were getting. The great thing is that my other sister Sherrie works at ER at the local hospital. So my Mom got prioritied even sooner :-). 2 to 3 doctors conferred in her room in ER that she was to be admitted. They are working all the bells and whistles to find out where the infection is exactly located...We're hoping and praying that it is not IN the knee. If so then they will have to replace the knee replacement! Talk about redundant! Just get it done right the first time, right? So, that is the story. Relieved and validated that we weren't acting hastily. Maybe my sister and I should be in patient advocacy follow up REAL care.
Ok, I just had to get it all written out here....
Thank you for your continues prayers. It really means a lot to me and my family!
Hope all is well with you Jan.
Love, Jules

Prayers have been coming your way!

yes, jules...adding your Mom & your family to prayer list. Jeanne S.

Glad she is in hospital, they will probably need to do MRI's & sepsis is pretty common after surgeries in older people & takes forever to get over. Ask your relative if she knows the best medical vans that come to nursing homes & I think private homes to transport-only thing is you have to have her checkbook ready as she has to pay them herself at end when they bring her home. I looked it up in yellow pages & they are under "Medical Transportation services-non-emergency. It is best to get a recommendation as we took a wild ride once & some are more patient & on time. You did right thing as any time there is infection or elevated temp. safest to get to hospital sooner than later!! I have a friend that buried her 56 yr old son as he laid in his apt screaming for at least 12 hrs & neighbors finally called her at night,she's 80 so couldn't drive to Ventura so she told them to call 911, they operated but he had septic infection, blood poisoning & needed dialysis & got little better & then just shut down. He had hepatitis before this & it was more than he could take. He had had a steroid shot in his arm for pain & that site was where infection set in. Had the neighbors called my friend the 1st hr( he was screaming my arm is killing me!)it wouldn't have killed him or at least he would have had a much better chance. Hope they get a handle on the infection-3 antibiotics at a time is not at all unusual out here.It's a Crockpot of germs, people coming in from all over the world! Jan

Thank you everyone. She was admitted last night and had the dr put in a drain. We got a 2nd opinion today.
She's seen a vascular surgeon, the 2nd opinion, the dr who did her surgery, and the X-ray people.she is still waiting to see the neurologist. Her dr last night said that he didn't find a pulse in her foot either before and after surgery. So when he talked to us we were just basically left hanging with the doom of that she was going to lose her foot/ leg. But her nurse found a faint pulse and the dr concurred. So that part is better news, but we are not happy with this particular approach or (non) communicative skills or that the RN can find s pulse before he can. My mom tried getting another dr, but basically said that no one else wants to take over since it is complications..vascular surgeon got a pulse this morning. We are waiting to hear if she is going back to ighg for another surgery which we are going to fight because 2nd opinion thinks differently. .... I'm tired. But i think I'm heading back there in a bit.
Thank you all for your continued prayers. Love, Jules

Long story short- fired surgeon.got the fixer upper surgeon. Her knee buckled- top slipped over the bottom part and was locked. The new surgeon went in and cleaned it all out, unlocked it and stabilized it with traveling traction in several spots and put her foot in a bootthat is attached to the pin in her knee. She has had drop foot sine the day after her original surgery. She does also have a blood clot behind her knee but I think it is not in the vein or artery. Found out after surgery that this particular surgeon cleans up the messes other DRs make. We are very grateful that this surgeon took on her case. What we have learned is that the more noise you make, the more you get done. MOST of all I've learned how faithful God is! We still have a very long road ahead. After she's on IV antibiotics for 4 weeks and 8 weeks of traction she will need to start over at square one. I think we have all grown closer as a family getting each other upset at one another one at a time yet working it through. We all know we are on the same team and have our moms best interest in mind.
Anyway just keeping you up to date. She should be moved to nursing care once again tomorrow.
TTYL
Love, Jules

Well, it sounds like your Mom is on the upward road now, thank God. Continued good thoughts & prayers to her & your family, jules. Health issues are always a difficult journey ...so I am glad that you all have each other. Thanks for the update. Jeanne S.

Glad to hear a dr. took charge & did it right this time. Makes you wonder why someone doesn't teach the others the way it should be done to save everyone a lot of grief, & your mom a lot of pain & recovery time & cut the bills down so medicare & ins. don't go broke!!Give her our best & tell her we are all thinking about her & keeping her in our prayers. Jan

So yesterday she was moved to a SNF in Sylmar (that's about an hour away). It's goign to be more difficult for any of us to visit. BUT good news is that the medical group will arrange all her dr. visits. I think too that the PT and OT will be on site. Seems always like such a waste of 3 monthes for someone to go through when it should have been done right the first time. I think in a way my Mom is relived to be far away. We all (meaning her kids) were drivng her crazy. She just wants to be friendly to everyone and not make waves. We're being mama bears and I guess have been fighting all along the way to get someone to care. Everything seemed like an uphill battle (and it was). But defintiley she has to go at here own pace. IT's hers to make now with healing just to get back to sqaure one. I just hope and pray that the SNF is one that will allow her to heal since we have never been to this one. ...Faith and trust is God are always that. Thank you again for the continued prayers.
Love, Jules

OK, well, I went to see Mom at teh new SNF and doing alright considering. First night she had a roommate that kept the TV on all day and night LOUD and she yelled...So Mom got moved to the room next door. Well, her roommate there would yell and throw things at people. She has stuffed animals and squishy toys ( I think she is an Alzheimers or demetia patient). That morningn i went to visit my Mom woke up to her nightgown being soaked in water. Teh lady threw water at someone else and Mom was in the line of fire. It was unnerving for my Mom. It's not like she can get up and walk away. So, we got her moved to a different room where the two other gals are dialysis patients--so it's quiet. My sister says that my Mom had struck up a good repore with the one so it's looking way better. Basically its the general care, the getting up every day with PT in a wheelchair and maybe outside...sometimes to a stand...Her recovering knee is a non weight bearing one for now. I asked if she wanted me to bring her Bible, some magazines, etc., but she told me they would get stolen. UGGHH. So, I'll work on her. She thought she had already been there for a few weeks. I guess it would feel like an eternity if I were in her shoes. I've got to get her focused on something else to help pass the time faster. Good thing too is next week she has two different doctor appts here so it will get her out for part of the day and break up the monotony. And after the 4-8 weeks is done she gets to do this all over again. but prayerfully without dealing with a quack if any of us can prevent it. I'm hoping somehow that we can get this new surgeon to do the knee replacemetn of the knee replacement. Anyway, continue to pray for her. I'd like to see my sisters, brother and I do at least a 5K with my Mom just because.
Thanks so much.
Love, Jules

Glad she finally got a 'good' room with quiet roomates. The noise can really wear on you.
Prayers----

Have not been on for a long time but opened today and prayers on way, it seems like it is almost automatic knee surgery than infection, both my husband and niece had infection. Unfortunately my husband's infection traveled to his spine but I was like you and your sisters yelled a lot and got mri and found the spot he had to have spinal surgery on major antibiotics for 3 months than had to redo knee replacement all over again because the first one was botched too. Thankfully we have good insurance but we still went to the wrong doctor who was heavily recommended. So it is scary out there! God Bless your mom and her children!!!
Sylvia

Thank you Nona and Sylvia! Yeah, it's amazing what the insurance or medical group will say. Since it's a insurance funded through the state it relies on cheap medicine. It amazes me that quacks like this can still be in business. Mom and us kids seem to be getting into some sort of groove. BUT I cannot wait until she gets the real working knee from a great surgeon and gets up on it the next day after surgery. Thank you again...
Love, you all! You are our talking, yelling, and cheering squad!
Love, Jules

I'm glad to see your mother is on the mend! Gosh, reading your posts gave me flashbacks to my Bob's heart surgery. He was so weak after the surgery that the nurses and doctors thought he was being a baby and uncooperative. They never tried to figure out why he was anemic. Turned out he had cancer of the colon that they overlooked. A move to another hospital got it taken care of. Thank goodness your mom was able to get a doctor to "clean things up" after the other surgeon.

Bob was in a nursing home for rehab after his toe surgery too that reminds me of the facility where your mother is staying. Bob's first roommate was violent and threatened Bob. They thankfully moved the guy to another floor. Bob's next roommate couldn't walk but kept trying to get off the bed in the middle of the night and would fall. Bob was constantly calling nurses to help him. It would take them 10-20 minutes to get to the room. And you sure didn't want to keep any valuables around them.

I always thank God that the nursing home where my mother lived was so wonderful. After seeing the place where Bob stayed for rehab, I appreciated it even more.

Prayers going out to your mom that she has a quick and painless recovery!