Fastest way to find cold therapy machine for knee replacement recovery?
August 12, 2020 2:26 PM Subscribe
My mom was discharged from the hospital today following a knee replacement surgery, and her cold therapy machine does not work. How can we get a replacement as quickly as possible?
My mother, who lives in northern VA, was discharged from the hospital this afternoon following a knee replacement surgery yesterday. She thought she had a working ice therapy machine (like this) at home, but it turns out that the machine does NOT work. Now I'm trying to source a machine (to buy or rent) as soon as possible.
I've left messages with the joint nurse specialist from her hospital, and with her surgeon's office (both were closed by the time she told me about this), so hopefully someone there will be able to point us in a fast direction, but I'm worried that they will need multiple days to have something ordered (this was covered in pre-op a week before surgery, but turned down bc she thought she had one at home). I would just order one myself, but bc of shipping delays, offerings from Amazon/other big box stores won't arrive until 8/18 at earliest.
Is there another option I may be missing? Somewhere online with 2-day shipping? She has a friend staying with her who could drive to pick something up.
Or if you have any tips for substitute/DIY cold therapy while we source a machine, that'd be appreciated.
TIA!
My mother, who lives in northern VA, was discharged from the hospital this afternoon following a knee replacement surgery yesterday. She thought she had a working ice therapy machine (like this) at home, but it turns out that the machine does NOT work. Now I'm trying to source a machine (to buy or rent) as soon as possible.
I've left messages with the joint nurse specialist from her hospital, and with her surgeon's office (both were closed by the time she told me about this), so hopefully someone there will be able to point us in a fast direction, but I'm worried that they will need multiple days to have something ordered (this was covered in pre-op a week before surgery, but turned down bc she thought she had one at home). I would just order one myself, but bc of shipping delays, offerings from Amazon/other big box stores won't arrive until 8/18 at earliest.
Is there another option I may be missing? Somewhere online with 2-day shipping? She has a friend staying with her who could drive to pick something up.
Or if you have any tips for substitute/DIY cold therapy while we source a machine, that'd be appreciated.
TIA!
Do you have any frozen veggies? A pack of frozen peas wrapped in a small towel makes a good impromptu ice pack.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 2:46 PM on August 12, 2020
posted by a humble nudibranch at 2:46 PM on August 12, 2020
Post on local groups (Facebook/Nextdoor) to see if anyone has one they can lend.
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:54 PM on August 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:54 PM on August 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
I would call whatever medical supply companies I could find listed on Yelp that's still open and see if anybody will do you one for cash rental, which is likely a fraction of insurance rental prices. If you have any 24-hour pharmacies, they may have a list of oddball sources for last-minute equipment failures/replacements as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:58 PM on August 12, 2020
posted by Lyn Never at 2:58 PM on August 12, 2020
Or if you have any tips for substitute/DIY cold therapy while we source a machine, that'd be appreciated.
Emphatically seconding the ice pack idea. We used one like this but it can be as simple as a large ziplock half-filled with icecubes and water (so it's flexible) and wrapped in a thin towel. She could even have a ziplock inside a ziplock to ensure no leaking icemelt. The towel protects her skin from the cold and also helps the ice mix last longer.
My mom has done both knee replacements over the years and we used ice packs exclusively because she hated unstrapping the machine all the time for restroom visits and physical therapy exercises.
Best to your mom. Is she going to do physical therapy? It's very hard work but sticking to the prescribed exercise plan worked wonders for my mom.
posted by mochapickle at 3:16 PM on August 12, 2020
Emphatically seconding the ice pack idea. We used one like this but it can be as simple as a large ziplock half-filled with icecubes and water (so it's flexible) and wrapped in a thin towel. She could even have a ziplock inside a ziplock to ensure no leaking icemelt. The towel protects her skin from the cold and also helps the ice mix last longer.
My mom has done both knee replacements over the years and we used ice packs exclusively because she hated unstrapping the machine all the time for restroom visits and physical therapy exercises.
Best to your mom. Is she going to do physical therapy? It's very hard work but sticking to the prescribed exercise plan worked wonders for my mom.
posted by mochapickle at 3:16 PM on August 12, 2020
Yes post on Nextdoor and/or a local Facebook group, especially if you just need one for a few days. Lots of people have one they're not using around.
posted by brainmouse at 5:24 PM on August 12, 2020
posted by brainmouse at 5:24 PM on August 12, 2020
My husband had this surgery in February. The program prescribed home made ice gel packs.
Recipe: 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 70%, to 3 cups water in a gallon size ziplock bag. Double up to prevent leaks. Freeze well. Apply to the front and back of the knee for 15-20 minutes several times a day. Insulate with towels; they are really cold.
Make several, as they take a few hours to refresh.
Ace wraps help to hold them in place. Abdominal binders work better.
Hope this helps temporarily.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:34 PM on August 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
Recipe: 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 70%, to 3 cups water in a gallon size ziplock bag. Double up to prevent leaks. Freeze well. Apply to the front and back of the knee for 15-20 minutes several times a day. Insulate with towels; they are really cold.
Make several, as they take a few hours to refresh.
Ace wraps help to hold them in place. Abdominal binders work better.
Hope this helps temporarily.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:34 PM on August 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
My mother in law had a hip replacement in June. She rotated three or four gel ice packs, and kept them in a portable cooler next to her bed or chair.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:59 PM on August 12, 2020
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:59 PM on August 12, 2020
I had cold therapy for a joint recently and while my physiotherapist used a cold therapy machine in office, she said Nexcare cold-hot packs were perfectly sufficient at home. Get one big enough to wrap around the knee or two of them. A long thin fabric scarf is better than a towel because you can tie it on.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:03 PM on August 12, 2020
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:03 PM on August 12, 2020
Frozen peas are the best impromptu ice pack I've ever used, mainly because once the peas are all separated (which can usually be arranged without a lot of thumping) the bag will mould nicely to pretty much any body part while the contents are still well frozen. Wrapping the bag in a towel or putting them in a hot water bottle cover avoids freeze burns.
Assuming the peas are not eventually going to be eaten (or if they're going in something like a pea soup, where their texture is going to get destroyed anyway) you can re-freeze and re-use them several times. Eventually they do get unsticking-resistant enough to want replacing, but they're cheap and readily available.
posted by flabdablet at 5:03 AM on August 13, 2020
Assuming the peas are not eventually going to be eaten (or if they're going in something like a pea soup, where their texture is going to get destroyed anyway) you can re-freeze and re-use them several times. Eventually they do get unsticking-resistant enough to want replacing, but they're cheap and readily available.
posted by flabdablet at 5:03 AM on August 13, 2020
Oh hey, this was me back in late February! Call local medical supply shops - I was able to find one in stock to rent on the same day I called. If the cooling patch for your mom's existing cold therapy machine isn't compatible with the rental unit she may be asked to purchase one outright. It's 10000000% worth it for that first week of TKR recovery, though.
posted by Vervain at 6:21 AM on August 13, 2020
posted by Vervain at 6:21 AM on August 13, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! We (well, her local friend) got her a bunch of ice pack holders (very similar to the ones mochapickle posted) from the local pharmacy and are using those for the time being and hoping the offices I've contacted will be in touch this morning. Also asking her to post on her NextDoor account--good thought.
She had this surgery previously (other knee) and bought the machine then (but didn't test it until post-surgery this time, of course its lifespan has run out) and seems to think the machine is necessary, so it's actually great to hear that others have navigated this using only "regular" cold therapy options.
I may try to get her to make some of the homemade gel packs per SLC Mom's recipe, too. That's useful to know in general.
posted by alleycat01 at 6:40 AM on August 13, 2020
She had this surgery previously (other knee) and bought the machine then (but didn't test it until post-surgery this time, of course its lifespan has run out) and seems to think the machine is necessary, so it's actually great to hear that others have navigated this using only "regular" cold therapy options.
I may try to get her to make some of the homemade gel packs per SLC Mom's recipe, too. That's useful to know in general.
posted by alleycat01 at 6:40 AM on August 13, 2020
You can rent a Game Ready, which is a super high-end cold therapy machine, and it might be covered under insurance: https://gameready.com/rent-game-ready/ I know several people who have managed to get one pretty quickly after knee surgery.
Otherwise, cold packs really will work just as well. You can combine with ace wraps or other compression bandages to get the benefits of compression+cold. Remind your mom to only keep it on for ~15 minutes at a time (until it goes numb), not longer.
posted by autolykos at 7:35 AM on August 13, 2020
Otherwise, cold packs really will work just as well. You can combine with ace wraps or other compression bandages to get the benefits of compression+cold. Remind your mom to only keep it on for ~15 minutes at a time (until it goes numb), not longer.
posted by autolykos at 7:35 AM on August 13, 2020
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posted by zeusianfog at 2:34 PM on August 12, 2020