Can my mom get kyphoplasty while under hospice care? She is in horrible pain with compression fractures.

Just read ur profile. Is she under hospice care or are you considering it? I would talk to the Dr. that would do this surgery. Ask if it would really help Mom and ask about the anesthesia. If its what my Mom had its just a matter of her having the "cement" (can't remember the name) put into the fractures. Mom will need to sit in a chair most of the time for a while. With Mom it was her recliner. She also had some home therapy, about 2 weeks. Can't remember now how long it took her to heal. A friend of hers did say that when she had these fractures before this procedure, she was on her back for 8 weeks for them to heal. The procedure "is" done to help alleviate the pain.

If this is what my Mom had done its a very small incision. And it took her pain away immediately. Dr said she would probably have discomfort every now and then but that excruciating pain was gone. All she every took was Tylenol if it bothered her. Its more like a procedure, IMO, than a surgery. The going under would be another thing u need to look at. So, since I have seen how this helped my Mom, better that than on strong pain killers.

Hospice doesn't cover any type of surgical procedures, as it's intended purpose is just to keep patients comfortable and pain free until they die.

You can always have her removed from Hospice care and have her get the procedure done, if that's what's necessary, and then if need be she can always go back under Hospice care at a later date.

I can tell you from personal experience that Hospice is not always able to control a patients pain. My husband was under their care in our home for 22 months, and it took them a long time, and many different medications, before my husbands pain was under control. And while he was in the dying process, nothing they did could control his pain. I was told that only if I let him go to their Hospice facility, could they give him something stronger, that would completely knock him out, so he felt no pain. My husband had always been adamant that he wanted to die at home, so I kept him here until the end, although it was very hard to watch him suffer so.

So you do what's best for your mom. Best wishes.

This is a question for your Hospice. Often, for the relief of PAIN, things can be done; they are not considered "treatment" at that time toward "cure", but a method of alleviating pain, and pain control an comfort is what Hospice is about. The question is will they consider only medication in this instance, or will they consider kyphoplasty. This procedure can be minimally invasive. It is done by several differing methods. This is a question for Hospice and the MD. Good luck. Hope you will update us in what you find out. Information like this is very helpful to others.