While it may be safe for her to have hip surgery is it really necessary at her age. Hip replacement has become very common for elders at very advanced age but it's an ordeal for someone her age. Is she in pain? How was her mobility before the injury? Would she survive surgery and get through rehab? My mom went through it at 83 and it truly improved her life but it was quite an ordeal for her.
Going under at her age can cause memory probblems. I would talk to a orthopedic. At her age maybe there is an ulternative. Just the pain pills could effect her.
We faced a similar dilemma when my father suffered his second hip fracture at age 93 in 2013. The ortho surgeon had to have concurrence from a cardiologist, as all the risks have to be identified and evaluated. The cardio surgeon was uncomfortable and in a dilemma - he was concerned about the possibility of a cardiac event during surgery.
However, he freely admitted that Dad couldn't live with a fractured hip and eventually gave his concurrence.
Fast forward to today: the surgery was successful; Dad's now walking with a walker only when he goes for walks - doesn't use it for medical appointments or to go shopping (although he does use a little battery powered scooter).
Bottom line - everyone is different, with different medical issues. If your mother has lived to be 100, perhaps she has an iron clad constitution and could survive it. I think the issue is the same as my father faced - how can someone live with a fracture, or is the risk of surgery acceptable if the fracture can be set?
For me, I'd rather gamble on the surgery and end it all on the operating table than be mobility compromised in my old age, with no one at all to help me.
My mother had her first hip replacement at 85 and her second one on the same hip at 99. She is healthy, in terms of her organs and her pre-op assessment was A1. She does not have osteoporosis, but arthritis in her hip. She is103 now and slowing down. Her recovery was unremarkable - no problems. She had a sedative and local maybe spinal of some kind for the first op and full anaesthetic for the second. I am not saying that this is the way to go for everyone, but an example of one that worked in an older person because she was basically healthy. She has developed vascular dementia in the last couple of years - I doubt due to the op as she has been in BP meds for years.
I agree your gma needs an evaluation by a good ortho surgeon and a general evaluation to see if she could tolerate surgery. If it is only a crack I suppose it might heal given the right conditions. Sig other broke his pelvis 10 years ago in 4 places and they did not do surgery and he healed. Of course he was much younger than your g\ma and he was/is very healthy.
Please give us more info about your gma's condition.
What does her doctor say? I find it amazing that any doctor would consider it but if he or she does I would certainly get a second or even third opinion. It is a lot to put her through at that age. The recovery is very involved, a lot of physical therapy and she will have a lot of pain. Is this what she wants? Does she understand completely what it means? Do you? Very risky. Quality of life at 100 in a wheelchair or with limited movement but still able to visit with friends or family is better than no life. Consider the reality of what you are asking.
Did anyone see the 92 year old lady that just ran a full marathon on the news tonight?? I think that's great and wonderful and hope to someday run a 10k or half but to put someone who is not that physically active and 100 under the knife?? Unless she can't live with the pain one second longer and is ok with leaving this world if something happens on table, I wouldn't do it. My dad who is going to be 93 shortly is in pretty good shape even after a massive heart attack 5 1/2 years ago and his internist, cardiologist and gastroenterologist have advised him not to do even a colonoscopy anymore. Just too dangerous at his age. If she can tolerate pain meds I would go that route before putting her under the knife until the very last minute. Good Luck and God Bless
Do the benefits outweight the risks or vice versa? Will her quality be equal to or better then before the surgery? Are you prepared to lose her if complications should arise, suck as staph infection, pneumonia, stint in rehab, etc. there are many pros and cons in this situation. Good luck
Hi Pfaith! My mom was 94 when she fell and fractured her hip. She had surgery and made a full recovery. I realize your grandmother is older, but you really need to get several surgical opinions. Even with a number of other health conditions, my Mom's fierce desire to live carried her through the surgery and the recovery. In the emergency room we asked and were told she had an "intertrochanteric hip fracture" which would require surgery -- not a full hip replacement, but rather a pin in the hip. So unless a doctor has told you "full hip replacement" don't assume that's the only procedure available. We were also told by the orthopedic people that my Mom had a greater risk of dying WITHOUT the surgery because the inability to move around would quickly lead to loss of muscle and weight and would leave her basically debilitated to a dangerous degree. In my Mom's case she also had allergic asthma, copd, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. In spite of that long list of illnesses, my Mom basically felt petty good and got around safely most of the time prior to falling. (She fell as she was standing on one leg to pull on her pants and she grabbed a rocker to steady herself and instead it threw her down at an angle.) Here's my point: consult with several good orthopedic surgeons. As someone else mentioned, every case is different. In my Mom's case we encouraged her to have the surgery; she fussed at everyone all through the preparations, but came through the surgery remarkably well, considering they had to intubate her. The biggest hurdle was FEAR. She had read all the horror stories and believed that a fractured hip was a fast ticket to death. She wound up spending one week in the hospital, and 6 weeks in rehab at a nursing care facility, followed by 3 months of in-home rehab. By the end of the year in which she fell she was 90% back to her normal. She did experience hallucinations right after surgery from the drugs given for the surgery and from the morphine they kept giving her. Those disappeared when she went off the morphine and just used Tylenol. She was not in a great deal of pain ever from the placement of the pin in her hip; mostly she was out of breath from the asthma, because she fell in the spring in the middle of allergy season. Anyway, do consult with the medical people most familiar with your grandmother. As others have pointed out, if she has other health problems, surgery may not be the best option. I just wanted to let you know that a 94 year-old with health problems made it and will soon celebrate her 99th birthday. Good luck to you and to her and God bless you both.
However, he freely admitted that Dad couldn't live with a fractured hip and eventually gave his concurrence.
Fast forward to today: the surgery was successful; Dad's now walking with a walker only when he goes for walks - doesn't use it for medical appointments or to go shopping (although he does use a little battery powered scooter).
Bottom line - everyone is different, with different medical issues. If your mother has lived to be 100, perhaps she has an iron clad constitution and could survive it. I think the issue is the same as my father faced - how can someone live with a fracture, or is the risk of surgery acceptable if the fracture can be set?
For me, I'd rather gamble on the surgery and end it all on the operating table than be mobility compromised in my old age, with no one at all to help me.
I agree your gma needs an evaluation by a good ortho surgeon and a general evaluation to see if she could tolerate surgery. If it is only a crack I suppose it might heal given the right conditions. Sig other broke his pelvis 10 years ago in 4 places and they did not do surgery and he healed. Of course he was much younger than your g\ma and he was/is very healthy.
Please give us more info about your gma's condition.
In the emergency room we asked and were told she had an "intertrochanteric hip fracture" which would require surgery -- not a full hip replacement, but rather a pin in the hip. So unless a doctor has told you "full hip replacement" don't assume that's the only procedure available. We were also told by the orthopedic people that my Mom had a greater risk of dying WITHOUT the surgery because the inability to move around would quickly lead to loss of muscle and weight and would leave her basically debilitated to a dangerous degree. In my Mom's case she also had allergic asthma, copd, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. In spite of that long list of illnesses, my Mom basically felt petty good and got around safely most of the time prior to falling. (She fell as she was standing on one leg to pull on her pants and she grabbed a rocker to steady herself and instead it threw her down at an angle.) Here's my point: consult with several good orthopedic surgeons. As someone else mentioned, every case is different. In my Mom's case we encouraged her to have the surgery; she fussed at everyone all through the preparations, but came through the surgery remarkably well, considering they had to intubate her. The biggest hurdle was FEAR. She had read all the horror stories and believed that a fractured hip was a fast ticket to death. She wound up spending one week in the hospital, and 6 weeks in rehab at a nursing care facility, followed by 3 months of in-home rehab. By the end of the year in which she fell she was 90% back to her normal. She did experience hallucinations right after surgery from the drugs given for the surgery and from the morphine they kept giving her. Those disappeared when she went off the morphine and just used Tylenol. She was not in a great deal of pain ever from the placement of the pin in her hip; mostly she was out of breath from the asthma, because she fell in the spring in the middle of allergy season. Anyway, do consult with the medical people most familiar with your grandmother. As others have pointed out, if she has other health problems, surgery may not be the best option. I just wanted to let you know that a 94 year-old with health problems made it and will soon celebrate her 99th birthday. Good luck to you and to her and God bless you both.
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