My mother had a hip replacement operation 12 days ago due to massive degeneration caused by rheumatoid arthritis. She was released from hospital 24 hours after the procedure, went back to her own home and managed extremely well for the first 5 days...nothing extraordinary in our experience, she has always had an amazingly high pain threshold.... but for the last 7 days she has been suffering excruciating pain down both legs and up to her shoulder blades; we have taken her to A&E twice and blood tests proved there was no infection in her wound and an X-ray proved the new hip joint was still in position. She can find no position in any chair or bed that gives her any relief, yet she has only been given painkillers ( panadol 2 every 6 hours) and told to rest more. After 4 days of almost complete rest at my bungalow she has only managed a few hours sleep and keeps wishing she had the means to commit suicide!
Personally ( no medical knowledge, just gut feeling) I think she has put something out in her spine....in her current condition ( heart medication prohibits ibuprofen and she is allergic to codeine) what on earth can we do to relieve her pain as all the medical people want to do is attribute her pain to her hip?