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THR 2 weeks post op and miserable

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Just checking in here before tomorrow, for surgery #3 on my hip. As usual I'm very anxious and scared. They are going in to cut out about 2".of necrotic tissue and he wants to do a needle aspiration into the joint just to make sure it's still free of fluid/infection. This scares me too of course. I'm walking a bit better, but after sitting for a time, and getting up the hip still feels very stiff and achy. I'm about 10 weeks out from the replacement surgery and 5 weeks out from the deep tissue infection surgery.

Does this achy stiffness sounds about normal, or should I be concerned?

Of course the whole wound area and my poor blistered skin is still very uncomfortable, and I'm still taking a Percocet almost every day. Tomorrow is supposed to be outpatient, but I'm nervous that something else will show up. This sure has been way more of a journey than I anticipated. I'm very thankful for the warm support here. Wish me luck for tomorrow.

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I know very well how it feels to experience these difficult, unexpected bumps in the recovery road. Just wanted to wish you smooth sailing tomorrow -- hoping for good results & no surprises. We're pulling for you!!
 
dianehelen said:
I'm still taking a Percocet almost every day
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dianehelen said:
Does this achy stiffness sounds about normal
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Very normal ..... but taking meds 'almost' every day? Aching is pain - take your meds. If you don't want to take the Percocet, at least take Tylenol 1,000mg 3-4 times a day. Your life will be much more tolerable then.

Hope tomorrow will go well for you and do please try to look on this surgery as little more dental treatment.
 
Thinking of you, hope all went well and you're feeling comfortable now, Gill


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You were on my mind today. Hope by the time you read this & other posts that you're as comfortable as possible & maybe have a few answers & a little less anxiety.
 
well darn. no good news here awake from surgery but more ****. took cultures, possible infection now in hip joint. waiting for transport from outpatient surgical center, back to hospital for who knows how long. I'm pretty much hysterical and. just want this over. I'm so sad. I HATE my life. more depressing news from me later. :-(

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Ok so I'm in between hysterical outbursts for a moment. So when the dr did the needle aspiration, could not find fluid, so injected some saline, then pulled some out to culture. Then injected a dye to see if if made a connection to the wound, which initially he did not. But when he did the debridemnt, taking a culture from the wound,,he noticed some of the dye comng thru the wound. This makes no sense to me,, as the wound has been healing bottom up and getting smaller. But that's what he said and is concerned that something is going on, even totally freaked me, mentioning the hardware may have to come out depending on what the cultures reveal. So needless to say,, I'm hysterical, mad, sad, and just overall sick of this. Regretting ever doing this.
 
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Oh Diane... I am so sorry for you to go thru all this.
Will pray for you tonight.


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Oh gosh. Just what I wish we didn't have to read & you didn't have to write... So very sorry & upset for your having to go through this awful time. I teared up in commiseration & disappointment with you & would certainly feel exactly as you do. I so hope the cultures validate your keeping the hardware... Please don't give up -- this will eventually be resolved, although I know it seems never-ending. ❤❤❤
 
Very sorry to hear this DianeHelen. I'm keeping fingers crossed that they find your hardware is NOT infected. Hang in there- even though it must be so hard. Gill


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So, so sorry that you are going through all of this - I cannot imagine how discouraged you feel. I am praying that God guides the testing and the doctor's diagnosis and that, whatever the outcome, the decisions that are made are correct and your condition begins to improve. I also pray God will give you peace in knowing that He goes before you through this, and offers you His strength. Please keep updating us. Hugs


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Dear Diane

I hope this will not sound impossibly glib and thoughtless, but although I appreciate your fears and worries, the fact that you have a surgeon who is taking a pro-active approach, and would suggest replacing your hardware immediately should he feel that to be the right course, is, I believe, A Good Thing.

If you do have an infection on the prosthesis, then it seems from what I have managed to glean on the subject, that it is extremely unlikely it could be "cured" by antibiotics or other less drastic means.

The "great" thing that you have on your side is that this has happened early on. If the infection were to be left well alone, then it could do all the damage mine had done in the 18 months it went undetected, and you might well need extensive bone grafts. It is a rotten thing to have to be a member of the "Less Than 2 Per Cent Club", but some of us just get signed up for it without our knowledge.

I'm not sure at this stage if you have been told you definitely have to have a 2-stage revision. But in answer to some of your questions on Vetgirl's thread, I would tell you that each case is different, and there will be many, many factors for your surgeon to take into account.

In my own case I was told to expect a period of upwards of 6 weeks after the removal of the infected prosthesis, before the new one was fitted. For me, this turned out to be 8 weeks, which I think I am right in saying, is pretty quick. Gear yourself up to expecting longer, then you might be pleasantly surprised.

Although I think there are some spacers with which you are allowed to take a little weight, mine did not allow weightbearing. I needed crutches. Now, you may not believe this, but it is absolutely true: I quite liked the crutches. The reason is that they gave me a great feeling of safety and security as I moved - admittedly slowly - around the house. I did go out and about too. For the odd meal, simple shopping trip, and a short "constitutional". But I never ventured out alone.

I did find stairs difficult, though I noticed that others patients seemed to get to grips with stairs much more quickly than I did. Luckily the layout of our house meant that we could rig up an area downstairs where I had everything I needed, and my husband brought me the tiny amounts of food I wanted, which was more or less nothing, as I had no appetite. (My husband called my little den "Glynis' Pit".)

Going to the toilet was no big deal. I had a contraption which fits over the whole toilet to raise it up, and all you do is approach the toilet on your crutches, then you'll find you quickly devise a way of sitting down before you remove both crutches, propping them up somewhere where they can't fall, and are within easy reach. I found getting in and out of bed quite tricky, and at first always needed my husband to lift my "bad" leg in. But eventually I could do even that myself.

Basically, Diane, the whole thing is tedious and worrying and annoying, but: It Can Be Done.

Look forward to hearing what your surgeon says.

Glynis
 
As always Glynis I so appreciate your thoughtful, honest and candid post. How old and in what shape were you in when this happened. That's one of my big concernes. I am.63, and quite overweight. I can't imagine moving myself around with crutches.. I'm waiting to see the surgeon today to see what course we decide. He to is a bit on the fence as I'm kinda between an acute vs chronic infection. Many of my markers for infection seem not bad. His only real concern was,, when he did the needle aspiration,, and placed some dye in it, then went to the wound, h e saw s tiny pinhole leak of the dye coming thru. He does want to see what the cultures reveal. I'm just so sad.

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