Need to vent

[Margaret]

Mom is awaiting a hip replacement surgery.This will happen on the 14th of July.Yesterday she went to her dentist-he gave her 3 prescriptions-2 for antibiotics to prevent infections(which she doesn't even have)One of the prescription's side effects are so nasty that there is no way I'm even letting her take it and I don't think she'll want to take it either.Now the dentist is saying that he could delay my mom's surgery.It is very aggravating for Mom and she is livid about his attitude.I don't think he should be allowed to do this.Thanks for allowing me to vent.

[lynnae]

Find a new dentist. One that will listen to you and explain every thing to you.

[THmini2]

Can you talk to the doctor doing the surgury and ask about the antibiotic. Explain the situation. He might not her to be on anything.

[jeninky]

If she has heart problems it is a must she pre-medicate..

My mother had hip replacement May 1st and is just now getting around by herself!

But she got pancreatitis when she got out of recovery and when she got home she got pluracy..

Good luck with your mom's surgery!!

[uppitycats]

I used to brush off comments from my dentist about periodental disease and the impact it could have on the rest of my body...until we nearly lost a dear friend who had a minor tooth infection...which led to a massive blood infection that affected his heart, liver, pancreas, other organs. This was in December. After nearly a month in intensive care, and tube feeding for the next 4 months, he is finally on a "soft diet", but still not able to leave his house. I wish HE had listened to his dentist and 1) got the tooth fixed, and 2) taken the antibiotics the dentist prescribed.

Presumably your mother's dentist has training in dental disease, mouth infections, gum infections and all that. And knows your mother's past health history and upcoming surgery. While it probably is an excellent idea for her to talk to her doctor about the dentist's recommendation to take the antibiotics, I personally would not be so quick to dismiss them. ALL medications...even aspirin..have possible side effects. But their benefits most often far outweigh those. Only your mother's doctor and surgeon and medical providers would know for certain.

[Selkie]

I agree that it always seems like MD's are too quick to prescribe yet another medicine these days.

But one thing I learned when my husband had both his knees replaced is that there is an extremely high risk of infection forever afterwards due to the compromised condition left at the incision sites in the bones. Prior to even having a teeth cleaning done, his ortho surgeon requires him to take an antibiotic. The bone infection rate in the jaw is apparently higher than most people realize and it can travel systemically rather fast. My husband couldn't go to the dentist for a certain period of time prior to and following his knee replacement surgery (he had both done at the same time !!).

If I were you, I'd check with your orthopedic surgeon who is doing the hip surgery to see what he recommends.

My husband traveled to go to a highly reputed one in Boston and he is very adamant about the preventative and follow-up procedures for dental work for all his replacement patients.

Good luck and I hope she has a stellar recovery. It revolutionized my husbands life. He even climbed a mountain in NH this summer.

[lumberjacksgurl]

I agree, I do not think the dentist was saying anything negative....he may not have communicated well but he was giving the antibiotics phophylacticly (sp?) so that his dental work would NOT jeopardize your moms hip surgery. This is both standard and GOOD practice.

He actually was sounding quite intune with your mom's situation and being quite considerate. How unfortunate there was a communication break down and you have both been in angst over it.

I hope you reconsider your opinion of the situation.

[havanaholly]

Something that people may not realize is thet everyone's inner airway/ naso-pharynx has been colonized by staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which your immune system normally keeps in check. Whenever you're going to have an invasive procedure done you will get prophylactic antibiotics either before or afterwards to prevent complications. Because antibiotics tend to kill off ALL the body's bacterial colonies, including those in the intestine (which also manufacture the substance known as Vitamin K, which is essential to produce clotting factors to help healing), there are quite often unpleasant side-effects that can be mitigated by eating a serving of yogurt either with or between meals.

By all means discuss this with you mom's surgeon.

[chesterfieldzoo]

This is all very informative. My parents have both had knee replacements and I don't recall hearing anything about the dentist. I will have to ask.

[Muriel]

I agree with everyone, ask the dentist some questions - just ask why she needs them, and how it might affect the hip replacement surgery - or ask her doctor. The antibiotics aren't just given for infections, but as others have explained to prevent quite serious ones. The dentist should have explained things better.

Good luck with everything! Ask your pharmacist how to minimize side effects, like whether to take it with food/water, or away from food etc

Muriel

[tcmorrison]

WOW. I had NO idea about any of this and it would DEFINITELY have an impact for my father. Daddy has had both knees replaced due to the bone degeneration effects of the steroid Prednizone. Daddy has a kidney transplant...he was told that he would not live to see 40 and the kidney transplant would only last 5 years. Daddy is now 61 and the tranplant was done 29 years ago.

This actually does make sense to me, but it definitely sounds like a communication breakdown. I don't think Mom needs a new dentist, just more explaination of why and ways to eliminate some of the side effects. And if there's still a problem, get a second opinion.

Terri

[SallyG]

I think you need to speak to the dentist and the doctor to clarify things...as everyone has said, this is routine procedure to prevent infection.

Many prescriptions have side effects which can be dangerous...HOWEVER, the majority of the unpleasant side effects happen rarely. These are just things that COULD happen....not things that WILL.

Right now you and your mother need to have the communication lines open to all her doctors....please don't fight them...they generally know what they are doing.

[havanaholly]

have the communication lines open to all her doctors....please don't fight them...they generally know what they are doing.

And you're NOT being confrontational when you ask nicely for a more explicit explanation of why a med or procedure has been suggested. Medical professionals have a really bad habit of assuming the patient knows what they're talking about and patients & families are easily intimidated by all that paper on the wall and that aura of self-importance the physician oozes. One of the jobs that irked me most as a nurse was trying to get people to tell me what they didn't understand that the doctor had told them so I could translate. Patients have rights, and the most important one is the right to INFORMATION, and a concommitant right to understand that information.

[SallyG]

You're right, havanaholly...the doctors do many times assume that you know what's going on or why something is being done, and the patient is actually clueless. And the patients are at times afraid to speak up and ask for a more thorough explanation.

I spent years working for my ex in his office and I can't count the times a patient came out of the exam room, checked out, then asked ME what the doctor had told them...they had no clue what was going on and did not understand what he was doing or what he had told them. But they nodded and agreed with everything he said during the appointment, so he assumed they understood.

If you have any questions or concerns about something, ask the doctor as many questions as you feel you need to until you know what's going on. The doctor is not GOD, and if you don't ask, he assumes you understand.

Make sure the doctor knows your health issues and what other medications you are taking. If he's doing something you think might conflict with some other health issue, tell him. If his answers don't satisfy you, talk to the doctor that's handling the other health issue and ask for his input.

I'd make sure both the doctor doing the hip replacement and the dentist were on the same page and each knows what the other is doing.

[heidiiiii]

Ditto to what everyone else said.

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that if you have a certain condition and you are going to have any kind of surgery (especially dental) you are supposed to take an antibiotic beforehand. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

As for the side effects, tell the dentist and your doc your concerns about them. What side effects does the medication say she can experience? (if you do not mind my asking) Has she started taking the meds and has already experienced them?

[havanaholly]

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that if you have a certain condition and you are going to have any kind of surgery (especially dental) you are supposed to take an antibiotic beforehand. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Rheumatic fever and endocarditis are two that come to mind, in addition to any organ transplants, cancer chemo, advanced HIV disease or any other condition that suppresses the immune system to the point of compromising it.

[Shaleace]

I've had both my knees replaced and I was told to be sure to have a course of antibiotics before I had any dental work done.

[Wolfie]

I don't understand why the dentist has anything to do with the hip replacement? If he does, perhaps he and your mother's hip replacement doctor should do a consult of some kind before he prescribes something?