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OP
THR 2 weeks post op and miserable
- Thread starter dianehelen
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shrinkette
graduate
@dianehelen
Totally understand when you comment about being envious of those who report joyously smooth & quick recoveries. While I know intellectually that comparisons can be self-defeating, there IS a little bit of "poor me" going on when I see how far others have come in the same amount of time.
I'm 3 months+ from surgery & am now doing things that many others accomplish within the first 2-4 weeks. But then again, they didn't suffer nerve damage post-op like me... Or infections that leave you & Sally @Vetgirl having to deal with everything that THAT entails, including major fear & worry & anxiety about what future treatment will involve. Frankly, I sometimes feel both self-pity & a little angry at my situation; to counter that I keep a list of all my accomplishments to remind myself of how far I've come. But even then...
This has been a huge downer for you both... terribly demoralizing, I know. I feel your fear about your upcoming OS visit, Diane, & can imagine you're envisioning worst-case scenarios. Whatever happens, you'll deal with it somehow & eventually be on your way to complete recovery. I just wanted to tell you I'm so sorry for what you're both going through & am hoping for a pain-free resolution of some kind. You'll get there.
Ellen
Totally understand when you comment about being envious of those who report joyously smooth & quick recoveries. While I know intellectually that comparisons can be self-defeating, there IS a little bit of "poor me" going on when I see how far others have come in the same amount of time.
I'm 3 months+ from surgery & am now doing things that many others accomplish within the first 2-4 weeks. But then again, they didn't suffer nerve damage post-op like me... Or infections that leave you & Sally @Vetgirl having to deal with everything that THAT entails, including major fear & worry & anxiety about what future treatment will involve. Frankly, I sometimes feel both self-pity & a little angry at my situation; to counter that I keep a list of all my accomplishments to remind myself of how far I've come. But even then...
This has been a huge downer for you both... terribly demoralizing, I know. I feel your fear about your upcoming OS visit, Diane, & can imagine you're envisioning worst-case scenarios. Whatever happens, you'll deal with it somehow & eventually be on your way to complete recovery. I just wanted to tell you I'm so sorry for what you're both going through & am hoping for a pain-free resolution of some kind. You'll get there.
Ellen
Hello dianehelen
I'm so sorry to hear that you "never felt more like singin' the blues". Pain and discomfort and being unable to be active are very debilitating, both physically and emotionally.
But, hark at me! I am hardly in a position to be giving anyone any advice. I have been a high-placed runner-up in the Miss Doom'nGloom contest on many an occasion. On my better days my husband will say: "You have a tendency to get things out of proportion". At other times his counsel will take a rather more abrupt tone.
I wonder if some of us are just pretty much hard-wired along these lines. My gran used to say: "It takes all sorts..." and I think that just about sums it up. Otherwise we'd all have a lifetime's membership of The Stepford Wives' club, and could make a lot of money grinning inanely on tooth-whitening adverts.
This is starting to sound as though I mean you are exaggerating your problems, and believe me that it not my intention at all. You are currently playing with a stacked hand of cards. That's a given.
I'm just casting around for something useful to say, and here's what I've come up with...
If you were going to get an infection at all, it is so much better that it has been identified early, and that you're receiving pro-active treatment. (A bit too pro-active in the case of the Vac, maybe, but you know what I mean.)
In my case, my infection was not hinted at until 18 months after my initial surgery. It was nearly 2 years before I had my 2-stage revision. And it was not a minor infection. It had done massive damage, and I had to have numerous bone grafts. Despite my puzzling lack of symptoms, it seems likely that it was introduced at the time of surgery, or during the healing of the incision.
Hang in there. Get this lousy setback out of the way, and come out the other side.
Atta girl! Rootin' for you! Way to go!
(... and other similar expressions, which I hope sound genuinely American...)
Best wishes.
Glynis
I'm so sorry to hear that you "never felt more like singin' the blues". Pain and discomfort and being unable to be active are very debilitating, both physically and emotionally.
But, hark at me! I am hardly in a position to be giving anyone any advice. I have been a high-placed runner-up in the Miss Doom'nGloom contest on many an occasion. On my better days my husband will say: "You have a tendency to get things out of proportion". At other times his counsel will take a rather more abrupt tone.
I wonder if some of us are just pretty much hard-wired along these lines. My gran used to say: "It takes all sorts..." and I think that just about sums it up. Otherwise we'd all have a lifetime's membership of The Stepford Wives' club, and could make a lot of money grinning inanely on tooth-whitening adverts.
This is starting to sound as though I mean you are exaggerating your problems, and believe me that it not my intention at all. You are currently playing with a stacked hand of cards. That's a given.
I'm just casting around for something useful to say, and here's what I've come up with...
If you were going to get an infection at all, it is so much better that it has been identified early, and that you're receiving pro-active treatment. (A bit too pro-active in the case of the Vac, maybe, but you know what I mean.)
In my case, my infection was not hinted at until 18 months after my initial surgery. It was nearly 2 years before I had my 2-stage revision. And it was not a minor infection. It had done massive damage, and I had to have numerous bone grafts. Despite my puzzling lack of symptoms, it seems likely that it was introduced at the time of surgery, or during the healing of the incision.
Hang in there. Get this lousy setback out of the way, and come out the other side.
Atta girl! Rootin' for you! Way to go!
(... and other similar expressions, which I hope sound genuinely American...)
Best wishes.
Glynis
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
Thank you @shrinkette and @glynis for adding a bit of perspective and personal sharing. Ellen,, that 18 months out infection stuff also scared the hell out of me. Just as in life,, there is no guarantees with this or any surgery, I fear that down the road, this late infection, that would compromise the hip itself could strike, after dealing with all this. Ya I know that's a real doom n gloom thought, but that's the dark place my brain goes at times. Of course I do try to focus on getting this early discovered infection, surgery, vac, dealt with and able to move on. But with endless time on my hands to think, this is where my brain wanders at times. @glynis I don't think I read your whole story, can you point me to it? Thanks again to you both for your encouragement. And Sally @Vetgirl, hope you got out of bed, at last a little bit today.
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Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
What absolute balderdash! Never heard such a fair story! When the swelling is hard like that, the response in the skin is to blister but it's got nothing to do with the fluid having to 'escape through the skin"!
Obviously I've not seen this but based upon my experience in other wounds that are being allowed to heal up from the bottom, there can be areas that get a litting gungy and need to be cleaned up a bit. But often as not they can also be left alone and sort themselves out.
Yes, that is around the ballpark as I believe I said earlier.
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
So @Josephine are you saying the blistering on my skin,, even several inches from the wound, is a normal response, to swelling but it's not because fluid is trying to escape thru the skin? Also what would be involved in such a skin clean up if needed?
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Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
Exactly. The same thing happens when a leg is badly fractured - you get fracture blisters from the soft tissue trauma.
The cleaning up of the wound, depending upon what it looks like - I don't know remember - generally consists of scraping out the yellow stuff and leaving it all nice and clean and ready to heal properly. It's called a debridement (pronounced dee-breed-mont). Depending on the size and depth of it, it's usually quite a small op but done under a general anaesthetic.
The cleaning up of the wound, depending upon what it looks like - I don't know remember - generally consists of scraping out the yellow stuff and leaving it all nice and clean and ready to heal properly. It's called a debridement (pronounced dee-breed-mont). Depending on the size and depth of it, it's usually quite a small op but done under a general anaesthetic.
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
More bad news for me . My blood work came back with elevated levels, after the 2 weeks of iv antibiotics. It's all so confusing to me, because my white counts are fine, but something called crp and sed are high. I see surgeon today about the skin issues and the one area on the edge off the wound the nurse is concerned about, but my appt with the infectious dr is not till 5/21. home health is concerned that's too long to wait. tryng to get in earlier, but nothing available. waiting on a call back to see if they can somehow squeeze me in. I'm freaked, scared, sad, and just over this. I'm regretting ever doing this surgery, it has not improved my quality of life, it has destroyed it. ok back into my corner to cry and scream some more
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Diane
Please come out of your corner - it's lonely in there. By all means have a good cry, and an added scream or two won't hurt, but try and stay in the mainstream of your home life. Things take on scary proportions when you're in a dark place like a corner.
You say this surgery has destroyed your life. It hasn't. What has happened is that you are having a series of major setbacks, thoughts of which are beginning to dominate your every waking minute. You will get through this. It is possible that you may never be the agile, totally fit, energetic and strong person we would all like to be (in our dreams), but you will get back to a functional and comfortable level which accommodates your lifestyle.
I walk slower than I used to do, and I tire more quickly. I find bending down very difficult. I have to have pedicures now, and can't envisage a time when I could do that stuff myself. (My husband, who is very long-suffering, will do many things for me, but he draws the line at anything to do with my feet. He would rather spend the night of Hallowe'en in a haunted crypt than go anywhere near them.)
You have so much going for you. You are intelligent and articulate, and you won't let any medical professional fob you off with half answers to your many questions. You have a great sense of humour. In your photo you and your husband are obviously very close and warm towards each other.
You've had major surgery. You are having some complications recovering. It's lousy. You're only 2 months out. Give it another 2 months, then review the situation.
You know the old aphorism: "She who hides herself away in a corner gets herself all wound up and miserable. She who comes out of the corner feels loads better."
(Actually, it's possible you don't know that one. I just made it up.)
Glynis
Please come out of your corner - it's lonely in there. By all means have a good cry, and an added scream or two won't hurt, but try and stay in the mainstream of your home life. Things take on scary proportions when you're in a dark place like a corner.
You say this surgery has destroyed your life. It hasn't. What has happened is that you are having a series of major setbacks, thoughts of which are beginning to dominate your every waking minute. You will get through this. It is possible that you may never be the agile, totally fit, energetic and strong person we would all like to be (in our dreams), but you will get back to a functional and comfortable level which accommodates your lifestyle.
I walk slower than I used to do, and I tire more quickly. I find bending down very difficult. I have to have pedicures now, and can't envisage a time when I could do that stuff myself. (My husband, who is very long-suffering, will do many things for me, but he draws the line at anything to do with my feet. He would rather spend the night of Hallowe'en in a haunted crypt than go anywhere near them.)
You have so much going for you. You are intelligent and articulate, and you won't let any medical professional fob you off with half answers to your many questions. You have a great sense of humour. In your photo you and your husband are obviously very close and warm towards each other.
You've had major surgery. You are having some complications recovering. It's lousy. You're only 2 months out. Give it another 2 months, then review the situation.
You know the old aphorism: "She who hides herself away in a corner gets herself all wound up and miserable. She who comes out of the corner feels loads better."
(Actually, it's possible you don't know that one. I just made it up.)
Glynis
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
Back from surgeon, who btw I really do like, I think he genuinely cares. He has decided to take charge of all the different and conflicting info from the different labs, home health, the infectious dr I fired, and the new one I have not seen yet. He ordered blood work directly from him so he gets the results directly and consistently. I'll go tomorrow for that.
He took apart the wound dressing and saw the skin issues/blisters,, he is still saying it's from tape and not concerned. The wound nurse still says it's from the swelling,, so no clear answer on that. As for the infection, he seems to think, I'm ok, and those sed and crp rates are not indicators of infection, and the fact that my white cells normal, and no fever, bp 110/76, and other factors, that the vac is healing, and I am progressing.
As for the patch of dead tissue, says that does need debridement, under anesthesia, and as long as he needs to do that, just to be 100% sure, the hip joint itself is not infected, he will do another needle aspiration into the joint, like he did before the infection surgery, where he found no fluid at all, showing that there was no path connecting the infected tissue to the joint. He also said that sed rates of older people are higher in general and he has seen people with sed rates of 100, that are fine.
So much is still so confusing, but he really did not seem overly concerned with infection for now. He says if I can get in earlier, fine, but if not, see the infectious dr when my appt is and he will consult with him. The deepest part of the wound has gone, from post surgery 16cm deep, to today 8cm deep. Monday 1pm (ughhh nothing earlier) back to hospital (npo from midnight) for the debridement and hip joint needle aspiration. I'm a little less frantic, just so over all this. 2013 sucked sooooo bad, with my breast cancer. I really thought 2014 would be a good year. Guess I can start hoping 2015 doesnt suck.
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He took apart the wound dressing and saw the skin issues/blisters,, he is still saying it's from tape and not concerned. The wound nurse still says it's from the swelling,, so no clear answer on that. As for the infection, he seems to think, I'm ok, and those sed and crp rates are not indicators of infection, and the fact that my white cells normal, and no fever, bp 110/76, and other factors, that the vac is healing, and I am progressing.
As for the patch of dead tissue, says that does need debridement, under anesthesia, and as long as he needs to do that, just to be 100% sure, the hip joint itself is not infected, he will do another needle aspiration into the joint, like he did before the infection surgery, where he found no fluid at all, showing that there was no path connecting the infected tissue to the joint. He also said that sed rates of older people are higher in general and he has seen people with sed rates of 100, that are fine.
So much is still so confusing, but he really did not seem overly concerned with infection for now. He says if I can get in earlier, fine, but if not, see the infectious dr when my appt is and he will consult with him. The deepest part of the wound has gone, from post surgery 16cm deep, to today 8cm deep. Monday 1pm (ughhh nothing earlier) back to hospital (npo from midnight) for the debridement and hip joint needle aspiration. I'm a little less frantic, just so over all this. 2013 sucked sooooo bad, with my breast cancer. I really thought 2014 would be a good year. Guess I can start hoping 2015 doesnt suck.
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shrinkette
graduate
So glad to find you a little more 'up' with this post now that you've seen your OS; I'm really gratified that he is caring & engaged & not an alarmist. I hope you feel a bit relieved albeit with the prospect of another aspiration & a debridement. Here's to one step closer. And @glynis, touché on that post! Good stuff.
charmed-life
graduate
So glad your doctor is taking charge and coordinating things! You really need that with all these things going on. I hope for you that you'll feel like 2014 was not so bad by the time you get through more of the year. Good luck with the procedure tomorrow and I hope its all good news!
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
Hi Diane
I'm glad things seem to be moving forward for you, and you might soon be getting some of your questions answered. Sometimes there just seem to be too many imponderables, and our minds go into overdrive trying to follow through on all the scenarios. Particularly if, like me, your medical knowledge is limited to women's magazine articles hastily scanned in the dentist's waiting room.
You asked about my thread. I don't have one of my own, for a couple of reasons.
Mainly because my experiences seem to be quite dissimilar to many of the stories here. First of all, my initial surgery was not due to arthritic pain, but as the result of a fall, on holiday in Peru. The language barrier meant that I did not find out as much as I might have done in those early days, and my zilch medical understanding - as previously mentioned - meant that I could not take the opportunity to glean much information from my surgeons over there.
Some of our consultations undoubtedly belonged in a surrealist movie. I cringe now when I think of the stupid things I asked. But perhaps it didn't matter so much. I never understood the responses anyway.
Then the story of my infection is hardly textbook stuff. A powerful infection, which, by the time of my 2-stage revision, had done a great deal of damage. But this one had another trick up its sleeve. No symptoms. Plus countless tests and procedures coming back in most cases "normal", and at the very worst "borderline".
Even new-fangled (well, to me, anyway) "nuclear medicine" - coming in at a cool £3000 - failed to give more than "an indication" of the presence of an infection. I was lucky that a highly-skilled surgeon acted on a strong belief that I needed a revision. Any further damage might have been devastating.
That's one reason why I don't have a thread. The other is that - at the risk of being immediately excommunicated (not such a worry for a devout atheist) - I do not always agree with general Bonesmart wisdom. For one thing I think there is too much "advice" generally bandied about from those without genuine medical qualifications. "My friend's sister's brother-in law's next door neighbour" may have a jolly interesting tale to tell about his own experience, but I'm not quite clear how that would relate to a total stranger on an international message board.
Another example is that there seems to be a bit of a general down on physiotherapy. The phrase "Hips have a way of looking after themselves" is often quoted. Why then, one wonders, the need for this forum? Believe me, I know there is no shortage of lacklustre physiotherapy out there. I've met quite a few of these merchants. But a good physio, I believe, can be invaluable.
Have a good weekend, and I do hope you get some answers, and some action, next week.
@shrinkette Thanks for the compliment. When I was a young teenager I thought I would like to be a psychiatrist
when I grew up. Problem was, I never grew up.
Glynis
I'm glad things seem to be moving forward for you, and you might soon be getting some of your questions answered. Sometimes there just seem to be too many imponderables, and our minds go into overdrive trying to follow through on all the scenarios. Particularly if, like me, your medical knowledge is limited to women's magazine articles hastily scanned in the dentist's waiting room.
You asked about my thread. I don't have one of my own, for a couple of reasons.
Mainly because my experiences seem to be quite dissimilar to many of the stories here. First of all, my initial surgery was not due to arthritic pain, but as the result of a fall, on holiday in Peru. The language barrier meant that I did not find out as much as I might have done in those early days, and my zilch medical understanding - as previously mentioned - meant that I could not take the opportunity to glean much information from my surgeons over there.
Some of our consultations undoubtedly belonged in a surrealist movie. I cringe now when I think of the stupid things I asked. But perhaps it didn't matter so much. I never understood the responses anyway.
Then the story of my infection is hardly textbook stuff. A powerful infection, which, by the time of my 2-stage revision, had done a great deal of damage. But this one had another trick up its sleeve. No symptoms. Plus countless tests and procedures coming back in most cases "normal", and at the very worst "borderline".
Even new-fangled (well, to me, anyway) "nuclear medicine" - coming in at a cool £3000 - failed to give more than "an indication" of the presence of an infection. I was lucky that a highly-skilled surgeon acted on a strong belief that I needed a revision. Any further damage might have been devastating.
That's one reason why I don't have a thread. The other is that - at the risk of being immediately excommunicated (not such a worry for a devout atheist) - I do not always agree with general Bonesmart wisdom. For one thing I think there is too much "advice" generally bandied about from those without genuine medical qualifications. "My friend's sister's brother-in law's next door neighbour" may have a jolly interesting tale to tell about his own experience, but I'm not quite clear how that would relate to a total stranger on an international message board.
Another example is that there seems to be a bit of a general down on physiotherapy. The phrase "Hips have a way of looking after themselves" is often quoted. Why then, one wonders, the need for this forum? Believe me, I know there is no shortage of lacklustre physiotherapy out there. I've met quite a few of these merchants. But a good physio, I believe, can be invaluable.
Have a good weekend, and I do hope you get some answers, and some action, next week.
@shrinkette Thanks for the compliment. When I was a young teenager I thought I would like to be a psychiatrist
when I grew up. Problem was, I never grew up.
Glynis
Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
Those are indicators of an inflammatory process, not infection per se. People with skin conditions like eczema have high high numbers in these tests (which in my young day we called it an ESR!).
I found this very useful comment in UK patient site
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and plasma viscosity are blood tests that detect inflammation. These are useful tests to help diagnose and monitor the activity of certain diseases.
I've always thought it was the tape and most likely because she was applying in under tension which causes tension blisters. I have had them and for years assumed I was allergic to things like Micropore but I'm not. If it's applied properly (laid on the skin and patted down) it's fine. I know we had that conversation the other day about blistering but even then I thought it was the tape. But nothing to support my premise, couldn't say so.
This is a VERY good sign! It's what is known as allowing the wound to 'granulate up from the bottom'. Granulation tissue is an odd form of scar tissue and allowing it to develop slowly like that, you are less likely to get pockets of infected material left behind like you would if it was sutured closed.
OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
Thanks @Josephine , very informative info. I'm still puzzled about this blistering, and how its just in one area. And it's an area not really near the wound. I'd take a pic, but it's really too gross looking to share.
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OP
OP
dianehelen
supremo
@Josephine question for you. With my impending surgery Monday, for the debridment of the bad patch of skin, do you think the wound vac will go back on right after that surgery, or will it stay off for any time as the debridement area recovers? I asked my home nurse, and she thinks it could go either way, so just looking for your opinion on this as well.
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