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In chronic pain, NHS won't help due to weight

Hi there,
I'm new to this forum so apologies if I have posted in the wrong place but I'd love some advice on behalf of my mum. I won't give you the full story or you'll be in for a novel so I'll just try to highlight the important bits.
My mum is a 51, non-smoker and full-time worker for the NHS, we come from Coventry, UK.
She has been suffering with a meniscus tear in her knee for a number of years now, previously misdiagnosed as arthritis. The more she has had to walk, climb stairs etc the worse the pain has gotten and it is now at the point it's affecting her daily life. She has to pay out for taxis to get to work, has been discriminated against at work due to her disability, is in agony when walking for more than 5 minutes and often breaks down in tears as she can no longer do mundane tasks such as cleaning and walking the dog. Her other knee has also started to experience similar problems, currently diagnosed as arthritis.
After finally being diagnosed correctly, she has been told she is to heavy for surgery and they will not operate on her till she has a BMI of 40. Since she is pretty much unable to exercise and also suffers with severe depression, trying to get weight off is a struggle when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. We used to go to the gym and for walks etc to keep fit, which is now not possible for her.
If anyone on here has had similar problems with the NHS, we'd really like to hear your advice and stories. We are just not in a place where we could afford to pay privately.
I just desperately want my mum to have her life back, as I'm not only worried about her knee condition, but her depression this illness is making worse.
Thanks everyone for reading.
Abbie H
I'm new to this forum so apologies if I have posted in the wrong place but I'd love some advice on behalf of my mum. I won't give you the full story or you'll be in for a novel so I'll just try to highlight the important bits.
My mum is a 51, non-smoker and full-time worker for the NHS, we come from Coventry, UK.
She has been suffering with a meniscus tear in her knee for a number of years now, previously misdiagnosed as arthritis. The more she has had to walk, climb stairs etc the worse the pain has gotten and it is now at the point it's affecting her daily life. She has to pay out for taxis to get to work, has been discriminated against at work due to her disability, is in agony when walking for more than 5 minutes and often breaks down in tears as she can no longer do mundane tasks such as cleaning and walking the dog. Her other knee has also started to experience similar problems, currently diagnosed as arthritis.
After finally being diagnosed correctly, she has been told she is to heavy for surgery and they will not operate on her till she has a BMI of 40. Since she is pretty much unable to exercise and also suffers with severe depression, trying to get weight off is a struggle when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. We used to go to the gym and for walks etc to keep fit, which is now not possible for her.
If anyone on here has had similar problems with the NHS, we'd really like to hear your advice and stories. We are just not in a place where we could afford to pay privately.
I just desperately want my mum to have her life back, as I'm not only worried about her knee condition, but her depression this illness is making worse.
Thanks everyone for reading.
Abbie H
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Replies
If you're asking if there's anyway she can still have surgery without meeting the fitting criteria (or weight) then it is highly unlikely as even if your GP did refer her it would be kicked back by the surgeon.
Some things you can do however would be.
1, Go back to the gp and ask for help with your mum's weight, they will be able to discuss options with her and hopefully put a plan in place to try and help her the best way they can.
2, Also go back and discuss pain management with them,if your mum's in that much pain then they need to know so they can provide proper care.
3, There are exercise she can do without damaging her knee further a good rule of thumb for lower joint pain would be any low impact exercise for example swimming or a recumbent bike.
4, Also if not already, getting treatment for her depression should be a priority.
5, Looking at her diet would also be beneficial for obvious reasons.
Hope this helps somewhat and I hope she feels better soon.
One things does spring to mind as she is struggling has she looked into claiming PIP which can be paid even while she is working?
She was referred for surgery by her GP so I guess the weight-loss is the only option. At least we know for sure now.
She's had a phone call appointment with a dietitian and we're waiting for an appointment with the pain clinic, but this has been delayed due to the pandemic. I've also found some upper body exercise videos on YouTube you can do sitting down and we tried them but I think it's just the motivation and struggle at the moment, the pandemic certainly isn't helping.
Hoping when the pandemic is over she'll be able to regularly attend appointments with a dietitian and visit the pain clinic, I think it might just be a waiting game for this to be over.
I hope you get it sorted soon good luck.