Need a little help our Mom 82 isn't eating hardly at all, 3rd week after knee surgery

a reply to: putnam6 support her however you can, keep her spirits high

a reply to: putnam6

I have no suggestions to improve her appetite, but can offer prayers and healing thoughts.

originally posted by: Mahogany
a reply to: putnam6

Talk to her doctor, he can give her medication that is very effective for treating nausea and will aid in getting some more food in. Zofran, or its generic Ondansetron, could help.

Yes, we have given her some Ondansetron fairly soon after her surgery 3 weeks ago, and gave her another 3 days ago, the constipation was hitting her hard 3-4 days ago. Not to mention Its side effects really do a number on her too, It's a juggling act trying to dial in what works sometimes

The good news is she is feeling a bit better had a piece of turkey with some spinach wrapped up in it and a few crackers, and a handful of popcorn one of her favorites, so hopefully this spell has passed.

Thanks for the input,its appreciated we are proactive here and we are trying to stay on top of it. She is a little tiny woman and they beat her up 3 weeks ago, and pumped her full of needed pharmaceuticals, now we just need to dial in the right dosages, or at least that's what her nurse is suggesting.

Serious side effects of ondansetron include blurred vision or temporary vision loss (lasting from only a few minutes to several hours), slow heart rate, trouble breathing, anxiety, agitation, shivering, feeling like you might pass out, and urinating less than usual or not at all. Stop taking this medicine and call your doctor at once if you have any of these side effects. Ondansetron may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

Before taking ondansetron
You should not use ondansetron if:

you are also using apomorphine (Apokyn); or

you are allergic to ondansetron or similar medicines (dolasetron, granisetron, palonosetron).

To make sure ondansetron is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

liver disease;

an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood);

congestive heart failure, slow heartbeats;

a personal or family history of long QT syndrome; or

a blockage in your digestive tract (stomach or intestines).

originally posted by: tamusan
a reply to: putnam6

Is she on any medications? Specifically, any prescribed post knee surgery?

Not recently except the Colace and the Ondansetron was taken 3 days ago, everything else was pre-surgery stuff she is taking for her heart.

The good news she is feeling better ate a slice of turkey wrapped up with some fresh spinach a few crackers and some popcorn, and has drunk a whole bottle of Pedialyte as well as water and tea in the last 24 hours. We are really trying to give her plenty of fluids to help her constipation, and she needs the electrolytes too.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: putnam6

I have no suggestions to improve her appetite, but can offer prayers and healing thoughts.

Thanks DTOM

ATS came through like always in these situations when you have long days and nights with your parents or children's health issues.

Enjoy a lot of the forums here over the years but this one is useful as hell and it always helps with ideas.

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: tamusan
a reply to: putnam6

Is she on any medications? Specifically, any prescribed post knee surgery?

Not recently except the Colace and the Ondansetron was taken 3 days ago, everything else was pre-surgery stuff she is taking for her heart.

The good news she is feeling better ate a slice of turkey wrapped up with some fresh spinach a few crackers and some popcorn, and has drunk a whole bottle of Pedialyte as well as water and tea in the last 24 hours. We are really trying to give her plenty of fluids to help her constipation, and she needs the electrolytes too.

I'm glad you were able to get her to eat some food and drink some pedialyte.

originally posted by: ITSALIVE
a reply to: putnam6 support her however you can, keep her spirits high

Thanks, I think you are right, I think this recovery from knee surgery is wearing on her a bit, and throw in the meds and she might be a bit depressed.

We set together this evening once she was feeling better, and laughed and joked about how it was with other family members in this situation.

We will see what tomorrow brings...

The good news she is feeling better ate a slice of turkey wrapped up with some fresh spinach a few crackers and some popcorn, and has drunk a whole bottle of Pedialyte as well as water and tea in the last 24 hours. She is now resting comfortably next door.

Thanks, ATS we know we are in the twilight years where their comfort, peace, and quality of life are paramount. It's one reason we agonized over even getting her knee surgery, to begin with.

Some meds actually can suppress appetite in some people. Everyone is different, so you would have to ask the doctor if any of her meds could cause the problem. some meds suppress enzymes for digestion, others can cause problems that make a person feel like they are going to throw up. The doctor may know an alternate med that does the same thing but she might not be intolerant to.

How old is your mother?

Other than that, maybe some good chicken or cream soup might help, and pedialyte might help to keep her from getting run down. I don't know enough about ginger to know what it can help, but do know a can of ginger ale can settle a stomach too.

My best guess is if she is taking a new med, it could be causing digestive issues similar to what is causing the symptoms. A good doctor would probably know if the meds could be the problem if the doctor is experienced and pays attention to concerns their patients have.

a reply to: putnam6

I don't think you said, but I'm guessing the knee surgery might have been for knee replacement and she went under general anesthesia. If so, all the symptoms you describe are common side effects of general anesthesia, because they have to shut down the peristaltic contractions of the gut during general anesthesia. The lack of motility of the gut means that food is not moving through like it should so she won't have regular bowel movements. When she does have bowel movements, the solids have been staying in the large intestine too long. One of the functions of the large intestine is to remove water from the solids that are traveling through, so bowel movements become difficult and painful because the solids are too dry. Nausea is also common. Sounds like motility of the gut has not yet returned to normal, for some reason.

originally posted by: 1947boomer
a reply to: putnam6

I don't think you said, but I'm guessing the knee surgery might have been for knee replacement and she went under general anesthesia. If so, all the symptoms you describe are common side effects of general anesthesia, because they have to shut down the peristaltic contractions of the gut during general anesthesia. The lack of motility of the gut means that food is not moving through like it should so she won't have regular bowel movements. When she does have bowel movements, the solids have been staying in the large intestine too long. One of the functions of the large intestine is to remove water from the solids that are traveling through, so bowel movements become difficult and painful because the solids are too dry. Nausea is also common. Sounds like motility of the gut has not yet returned to normal, for some reason.

Oh yes, you are definitely correct general anesthesia, wrecked havoc on her when she had hip surgery 2-3 years ago, but it didn't see to linger this long, it was 3 weeks yesterday.

I should have been more specific it was knee replacement surgery, another thing they did, IIRC, in addition to general anesthesia, she also had a nerve block done, which supposedly has some of the same effects as well as it takes weeks to wear off, but they are able to use less GA, or at least that's my understanding

She slept well through the night and only woke up twice to go to the bathroom which is good, if she feels up to we will get her back on her knee exercise machine and other recovery therapy.

We are gonna try as NightSkyB4Dawn suggested, to make sure she has bland and smaller meals, but be prepared to let her nibble throughout the day if need be, thus we have a plethora of her favorite small bites and such Like last night made her a small bowl of popcorn and just set it there as hse was watching TV, and she grabbed a handful and ate it. It makes sense

Gonna try some warm Cream of Wheat or a scrambled egg and some toast for her this morning, and take it from there.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Some meds actually can suppress appetite in some people. Everyone is different, so you would have to ask the doctor if any of her meds could cause the problem. some meds suppress enzymes for digestion, others can cause problems that make a person feel like they are going to throw up. The doctor may know an alternate med that does the same thing but she might not be intolerant to.

How old is your mother?

Other than that, maybe some good chicken or cream soup might help, and pedialyte might help to keep her from getting run down. I don't know enough about ginger to know what it can help, but do know a can of ginger ale can settle a stomach too.

My best guess is if she is taking a new med, it could be causing digestive issues similar to what is causing the symptoms. A good doctor would probably know if the meds could be the problem if the doctor is experienced and pays attention to concerns their patients have.

Was hoping you would chime in here too, have gotten some great ideas so far.

Mom's 82 and was fairly active for her age, till this knee thing hit, Just a general background, originally we were trying to get it done after her hip replacement went so well, first COVID hit, then when she had her first attempt at knee surgery, as they were about to put her under she was having AFIB so they stopped the surgery, and we just now got her rescheduled 3 weeks ago.

It's like her nurse said it's about dialing in the dosages, 4 days ago she was struggling with having a BM, she had been on Colace, and after that has gradually become easier for her every day. It just makes her a bit nauseous and dizzy and she doesn't like that at all. She got a whole bottle of Pedialyght in her yesterday and we got plenty in the fridge, we are gonna keep her hydrated and slowly get her appetite back. Have been giving her a little tea with ginger and her prune juice with ginger. Her first bout with feeling sick the ginger combo seemed to help as much as anything else

She was getting around fairly well she was using a walker for support but she was progressing to where she didn't need it as much till these last 4-5 days.

Its a process, it's wearing on her and she is from that generation where she enjoys her independence, it's hard not to hover over her when she isn't feeling well.

We laughed yesterday when she said for me not to worry, and this is a woman who was there for me through my various accidents, surgeries and recoveries.

originally posted by: putnam6
We will have a physician here this afternoon

Need a little help our Mom 82 isn't eating hardly at all for the past 2 days, 3rd week after knee surgery.

She has had a Boost each day and a few bites of soup or oatmeal the last 2 days, she had a BM 2 days ago, seems to urinate regularly has been drinking Pedialyght and water. BP Temp oxygen content in the blood seems within her norms

but she isn't eating enough, says she is gonna throw up but hasn't, for the past two days. Gave her a little ginger in her prune juice. She did just finish a Boost and ate about 1/3 of a bowl of oatmeal but took a lot of prodding and 2 hours. She was doing so well, says her knee is sore but not too bad. She was attentive and independently mobile with her walker post-surgery, now she isn't moving as surely and direct. She brightens up if we get enough nourishment in her, but it takes so long. After 2 plus hours now she feels better and is brushing her teefies, it's literally night and day.

Hell, we are giggling and joking about all the times she was on the other side, talking about the same struggle when Dad was going through Chemo and didn't want to eat. LOL and how he would get a bit pissed and wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Mom ain't like that. We talked about when she was with our grandmother and she didn't want to eat after her heart surgery and Mom was there virtually every day, till Grandmother was better

She knows, she remembers but at that moment she struggles to get that spoonful in her as well

any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for listening too

THC or high quality CBD for appetite. Hope your moms heals .

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: ITSALIVE
a reply to: putnam6 support her however you can, keep her spirits high

Thanks, I think you are right, I think this recovery from knee surgery is wearing on her a bit, and throw in the meds and she might be a bit depressed.

We set together this evening once she was feeling better, and laughed and joked about how it was with other family members in this situation.

We will see what tomorrow brings...

That’s good, being together as a family and laughing together is the best you can do for each other. I know for my ma, keeping her happy and with purpose kept her going (tell the grand kids a story, ask for advice, even just help water the flower garden or change the pets food dish)

a reply to: putnam6 follow the doctors orders but ask her about food she may have not had in years and see of she may like some. If so make her some or go get some. My mom hated boost and that type of food but if I blended it with ice cream she would drink it..

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: rickymouse
Some meds actually can suppress appetite in some people. Everyone is different, so you would have to ask the doctor if any of her meds could cause the problem. some meds suppress enzymes for digestion, others can cause problems that make a person feel like they are going to throw up. The doctor may know an alternate med that does the same thing but she might not be intolerant to.

How old is your mother?

Other than that, maybe some good chicken or cream soup might help, and pedialyte might help to keep her from getting run down. I don't know enough about ginger to know what it can help, but do know a can of ginger ale can settle a stomach too.

My best guess is if she is taking a new med, it could be causing digestive issues similar to what is causing the symptoms. A good doctor would probably know if the meds could be the problem if the doctor is experienced and pays attention to concerns their patients have.

Was hoping you would chime in here too, have gotten some great ideas so far.

Mom's 82 and was fairly active for her age, till this knee thing hit, Just a general background, originally we were trying to get it done after her hip replacement went so well, first COVID hit, then when she had her first attempt at knee surgery, as they were about to put her under she was having AFIB so they stopped the surgery, and we just now got her rescheduled 3 weeks ago.

It's like her nurse said it's about dialing in the dosages, 4 days ago she was struggling with having a BM, she had been on Colace, and after that has gradually become easier for her every day. It just makes her a bit nauseous and dizzy and she doesn't like that at all. She got a whole bottle of Pedialyght in her yesterday and we got plenty in the fridge, we are gonna keep her hydrated and slowly get her appetite back. Have been giving her a little tea with ginger and her prune juice with ginger. Her first bout with feeling sick the ginger combo seemed to help as much as anything else

She was getting around fairly well she was using a walker for support but she was progressing to where she didn't need it as much till these last 4-5 days.

Its a process, it's wearing on her and she is from that generation where she enjoys her independence, it's hard not to hover over her when she isn't feeling well.

We laughed yesterday when she said for me not to worry, and this is a woman who was there for me through my various accidents, surgeries and recoveries.

It is harder to heal as you get older. The healing process is also drawing energy away from making enzymes to digest the food which can cause problems when you get older. Plus the pain meds also dampen digestion and intestinal peristalsis which results in constipation. Sounds like the nurse is aware of this medical dosing pretty well. The older you get, the more difficult it is to figure out dosing because everyone is different and tie that to reduced enzymes to break down chemistries in meds, it can vary widely in people who are older.

At least her attitude sounds pretty good and that is important. If a person gives up they often go downhill and die. It is important to make sure she gets some minerals and electrolytes if she cannot eat so her hydration is adequate.

How is the swelling in her leg? Is she able to sleep well, that is important for people of all ages after a surgery.

was she under anesthesia? my grandma was in her 80's when she went under anesthesia and was never the same. the doctor said the older you are the more anesthesia affects you. make sure she takes a good multi vitamin and maybe some probiotics. affects you. a reply to: putnam6

originally posted by: ITSALIVE

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: ITSALIVE
a reply to: putnam6 support her however you can, keep her spirits high

Thanks, I think you are right, I think this recovery from knee surgery is wearing on her a bit, and throw in the meds and she might be a bit depressed.

We set together this evening once she was feeling better, and laughed and joked about how it was with other family members in this situation.

We will see what tomorrow brings...

That’s good, being together as a family and laughing together is the best you can do for each other. I know for my ma, keeping her happy and with purpose kept her going (tell the grand kids a story, ask for advice, even just help water the flower garden or change the pets food dish)

Yep no doubt you are spot on correct, all of this has messed with her routine, but laughing about it all helps. She had a good day today. Hell Im a mess myself my hearing is shot got a bad left leg I can't sleep worth a crap, but watching her struggle and feel lousy for 3-4 days makes seeing her do better and laugh all worth it and then some.

LOL, there are loads of situations that pop up, after her surgery she has to wear compression leggings on both legs especially when she is up and about, this was stressed to me this past week or so since I was going to be here with her the vast majority of the time. Early that first morning about 5 I see the light go on in the bathroom and I get up to check on her, she was fine but when I got her back in bed, both the leggings were down around her ankles. I asked her why she took them down and she said they were driving her crazy, it wasn't easy getting them back up without disturbing her bandage. the left leg was easy but her right with the surgery took me 15 minutes to get pulled up correctly

My sister usually changes them out, I had to tell my Mom sorry for "feeling her up" to get them back on, and I joked it was the most action I had in years.

Thankfully we were able to take them off today as her nurse said the likely hood of blood clots has subsided.

originally posted by: rickymouse

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: rickymouse
Some meds actually can suppress appetite in some people. Everyone is different, so you would have to ask the doctor if any of her meds could cause the problem. some meds suppress enzymes for digestion, others can cause problems that make a person feel like they are going to throw up. The doctor may know an alternate med that does the same thing but she might not be intolerant to.

How old is your mother?

Other than that, maybe some good chicken or cream soup might help, and pedialyte might help to keep her from getting run down. I don't know enough about ginger to know what it can help, but do know a can of ginger ale can settle a stomach too.

My best guess is if she is taking a new med, it could be causing digestive issues similar to what is causing the symptoms. A good doctor would probably know if the meds could be the problem if the doctor is experienced and pays attention to concerns their patients have.

Was hoping you would chime in here too, have gotten some great ideas so far.

Mom's 82 and was fairly active for her age, till this knee thing hit, Just a general background, originally we were trying to get it done after her hip replacement went so well, first COVID hit, then when she had her first attempt at knee surgery, as they were about to put her under she was having AFIB so they stopped the surgery, and we just now got her rescheduled 3 weeks ago.

It's like her nurse said it's about dialing in the dosages, 4 days ago she was struggling with having a BM, she had been on Colace, and after that has gradually become easier for her every day. It just makes her a bit nauseous and dizzy and she doesn't like that at all. She got a whole bottle of Pedialyght in her yesterday and we got plenty in the fridge, we are gonna keep her hydrated and slowly get her appetite back. Have been giving her a little tea with ginger and her prune juice with ginger. Her first bout with feeling sick the ginger combo seemed to help as much as anything else

She was getting around fairly well she was using a walker for support but she was progressing to where she didn't need it as much till these last 4-5 days.

Its a process, it's wearing on her and she is from that generation where she enjoys her independence, it's hard not to hover over her when she isn't feeling well.

We laughed yesterday when she said for me not to worry, and this is a woman who was there for me through my various accidents, surgeries and recoveries.

It is harder to heal as you get older. The healing process is also drawing energy away from making enzymes to digest the food which can cause problems when you get older. Plus the pain meds also dampen digestion and intestinal peristalsis which results in constipation. Sounds like the nurse is aware of this medical dosing pretty well. The older you get, the more difficult it is to figure out dosing because everyone is different and tie that to reduced enzymes to break down chemistries in meds, it can vary widely in people who are older.

At least her attitude sounds pretty good and that is important. If a person gives up they often go downhill and die. It is important to make sure she gets some minerals and electrolytes if she cannot eat so her hydration is adequate.

How is the swelling in her leg? Is she able to sleep well, that is important for people of all ages after a surgery.

Her swelling is doing fine, her Physical therapist says it all looks to be moving along well. She was sleeping well until the constipation keep her up a bit, but she slept great last night. We were keeping up with her Tylenol for pain but now we only give it to her before her daily exercises and one a night.

She is getting plenty of fluids now we got some Pedialight 2 days ago and is urinating well too.

About the only thing today, it took a while for her to get her head clear this morning, she loves reading her paper and having her mostly decaf coffee and if she can't concentrate and read it stresses her a little. After I got a Boost in her and some fluids she felt better and about an hour or so later ate a whole piece of rye toast and an egg.

originally posted by: HODOSKE
was she under anesthesia? my grandma was in her 80's when she went under anesthesia and was never the same. the doctor said the older you are the more anesthesia affects you. make sure she takes a good multi vitamin and maybe some probiotics. affects you. a reply to: putnam6

It's definitely a concern, she is more foggy-headed than she was after her hip and pacemaker and ablation procedures. Wht you described happened to my Dad

She was on a multivitamin Im going to check and see if we can resume it on Monday