My mother lives alone with my sister checking on her. She gets around in a wheelchair most of the time to avoid walking, which is painful. She is able to move and walk though. There is not much left of the hip, as it looks like a broken off toothpick. My mother needs surgery, but we have the problem of her low platelets, like 50K. With each passing day it is getting worse. It is not matter of if the hip breaks but when. I have read that for best outcomes surgery needs to take place within 24-48 hrs. How can this be done if her platelets are so low. She recently had a lot of blood tests for a blood protein, which took a lot of out of her. The doctors said it would take 2-3 weeks to get her platelet count up with prednisone before having surgery. How does she have time for this if the hip breaks before they are able to start her on it?
Anyone else have this problem?
To my knowledge platelets can be transfused into a person too like a blood transfusion so in an emergency your mother may need a platelet infusion.
Has as anyone mentioned a bone marrow biopsy? Is your mother getting worked up for another disease like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or a connective tissue disorder. I say this due to your info that they are checking “for some kind of protein”.
I say this as I feel there are more details we don’t know.
But if your mother is not well enough to have surgery they will have to find out through testing which appears to be what they are in the process of completing.
A Good surgical outcome depends both on the surgeon and the patient. Your mother will have to participate in physical therapy. She will need to adhere to an exercise schedule (I am thinking she plans to go to rehab post op).
Thus “good outcomes” means your mother is committed to getting up and moving around and proving to the rehab staff that she can return to living at home with assistance.
Physiologically some pieces are missing as it as it sounds like your mother may have an underlying disease process not yet known and that may be why the delay.
Best of luck to you!