Mom 'hurt' her knee. Had a cortisone shot. Went from bad to worse. Got a second cortisone shot. 3 days later it still hurts. What to do?

Arli, you have a question that was asked in 2014 where you were concerned about weakness in mom's legs. Another post from 2019 where you were concerned about falls and dementia.

What is mom's health status now? Has she ever had PT to strengthen her? Does she have a diagnosis of dementia? Is she living with you or you with her?

Updating your profile would be helpful.

I think her scooting around in a wheelchair is helping her to feel safe and may actually be safer for her. Maybe PT is in order. Have a chat with her doc.

What can you actually do for her, really? Nothing. Pain is a funny thing; it comes and goes and it can affect a person's appetite when it's in full force. If she's able to take Tylenol every 6 hours, that may take the edge off, as it does for me with my arthritis. If your mom is able to get up and down to go to other rooms & the bathroom, etc, and you say it 'doesn't look like she's in pain', it doesn't sound like 'she's giving up' at all. Why not speak to her and ask how she's feeling in general, and what's going on? What does SHE want to do next? Remember that you cannot 'fix' something for someone else without their help. SHE needs to be in charge of her own healing process or pain management program.

Wishing you both the best of luck.

Before back surgery, I had to jump through so many diagnostic tests..one was cortisone shots in my back. They were painful to get and didn't do a thing for the pain. Most people I know who have these shots do not get relief, but it's a cheaper alternative to surgery.

Only your mom knows her own pain. You think she's faking? To what end?

Try to talk to her to see what she plans to do. Maybe she's wanting surgery and trying to 'fake it' so to speak, until some dr agrees. That's not outside the realm of possibility.

Getting old hurts, sadly. Sounds like she's trying to find a way to be mobile on her own terms. At least she hasn't taken to her bed and refusing to get up.

Cortisone shots are not magic. I had one in my 40s for my knee and it made it worse. When I called the doctor's office, they stated that cortisone shots often make the knee worse initially, but would eventually help. I didn't see any improvement and decided they were not for me. My knee eventually got better using buffered aspirin for the swelling and pain - a course I would not recommend for anyone with stomach issues or taking blood thinners and only with a doctor's sign-off.

My SIL suffered right-side paralysis after a series of small strokes following a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Although she was able to walk and sometimes used a crutch, but she was slow and felt unbalanced. She "rolled around" through her home in an office chair. She could move faster, carry stuff on her lap, and didn't feel like she might fall any minute. She would also get up and walk into the bath or to retrieve something she couldn't reach well from the chair. She would roll over to the kitchen sink or the washing machine to do tasks, then sit down and roll away afterward. Her young grandchildren liked taking a ride on her lap. It worked for her.

Using a wheelchair is generally safer than a walker, so I'm thinking she may recognize that and is responding accordingly, taking the safer method.   And with a knee injury, she's probably wise not to put too much pressure on her knee.  

What did the x-rays show of her knee injury?  Have you contacted the ortho doctor to get his/her opinion?   Does she have osteoporosis, and are you in an area that's had either a very rainy episode or is getting colder?