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THR Designer girl has a shiny new hip!

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designergirl Isn't it nice to be away from the hip pain every time you move? I am 4 months since I had my last replacement. I will never regret having it done. I still have some stiffness but I am miles ahead from where I started this journey. BarbaraR how are you doing? It's good to see you on here again.
 
Hi everyone! Just made it past the 9 month mark and the hip is so good, I almost forget has been replaced. Had a bit of a scare this week. Saturday evening one of my back teeth started aching. Sunday morning I promptly filled my script for antibiotics and started taking them. Got in to see the dentist on Monday morning, got dx that I would need to have a root canal. The dentist said this must have been brewing for a week or two even though it didn't hurt. So now I'm on 2 gm of Keflex for ten days with a root canal scheduled for this Thursday and I'm a bit freaked out that the infection has traveled to the hip. I have no pain or swelling in the hip. Could the lag time from the inset of the infection and the actual pain be bad? The dentist who has many hippies as patients was not worried, he said the infection would have to be really bad before it traveled to my hip and stated quoting statistics. I'm still a bit concerned.
 
Hi Susan. This issue of potential infection is one that scares all of us. My sense is that the concern with a root canal is that there is a huge dump of bacteria at one time...when the root canal is occurring....and the immune system can't work fast enough to protect you. But you have started the antibiotic prior to the root canal, so IF the antibiotic is really needed, it's there for you. Here's a good article to read about the current thinking:

Infection: peri-prosthetic infection - also known as late onset infection

Really, if it were that easy to develop an infection in the implant, all of us hippies (and kneesies) would be in dire straits, because infections happen with regularity. Sinus infections, ear infections, over-scratched mosquito bites that get infected, in-grown toenails that get infected....there's a long list. But most of us are just fine in spite of these events. We have to use common sense, and you have done that.

Jo's away for a few days, but I'll tag Jamie to see if she can add any information on the subject.

Sharon
 
Hi Susan,

I wish you good luck with your teeth. Hope you'll get over with it very soon.
I agree with Sharon, no worries since you've been taking antibiotics for a while and your dentist is aware on the matter.
Its nice to hear that you've forgotten that you had a replacement.
Similarly i also feel so good with my new hip. I recall we were a week apart with each other' operation.
Take care
Selin
 
Hi Selin and Barbara! Good to hear from you. I'm glad your hips are behaving themselves. It's wonderful to be normal again. I'm trying not to worry too much, they have me on very powerful antibiotics for 10 days. I just wish I could have known the abscess started and treated it right from the beginning. Maybe it was so minor to begin with that it wouldn't matter.
 
Please don't let your mind get too worked up about your upcoming root canal. I don't think you have anything to worry about with your hip. As sharon said.....if the correlation between dental infections and an infected joint were that profound, we'd all be in trouble!

Any correlation has just been a supposition. There have been no studies that point to the possibility of an infected joint resulting from an oral infection. More and more medical professionals are backing off from the idea that one needs antibiotics for routine procedures such as cleanings and root canals. Our body is a wonderous machine that fights infections very well under most conditions.

I can tell you a personal story that may ease your mind. I learned about 6 weeks after my TKR that I probably had an infected tooth for some period of time BEFORE the surgery. Unfortunately the problem could not be easily seen on xrays and it was not discovered in my pre-surgery dental checkup. Shortly after surgery, I began to notice pain in this one tooth. But I decided to wait to see anyone about it until my 6-week checkup with my surgeon. By then, my tooth was fairly painful and I thought I could feel an area of decay at the root level. I was okayed at 6 weeks for dental work and made an appointment with my dentist. The problem was STILL difficult to see on xray, but careful examination by her and an endodontist revealed a pus pocket at the base of the root and a tooth that was in "resorption" (basically destroying itself). Root canal was done and it was a doosie. I've seen a couple of them done with virtually no problem for the patient. Not so with me, probably because my problem had been brewing for so long. But the root canal was done and a crown placed. That was about 4 months ago. I'm happy to report both tooth and knees are just fine. I just had checkups with my surgeon, my dentist and the endodontist that confirmed all looks good.

So....try to relax. Congratulate yourself that you have discovered this quickly and are taking action. My feeling is that you're going to be just fine once the tooth problem is taken care of.
 
designergirl, Good to hear that your hip is doing so well. Hope your root canal goes well. Sounds like your dentist has you on the right track. Take care.
Annie
 
Jamie wow that does make me feel much better! Everything has been going so well, I just don't want anything to mess it up. Dental problems are very sneaky, lurking quietly in the background.
 
I just attended a webinar this evening that reinforced what I posted even more. So....even less to worry about!
 
designergirl hey how are you doing? Sounds like everything is going well once you get the tooth taken care of. I suppose you have gotten on with life. Both my replacements have gone without any problems and life is so much better.
 
BarbaraR nice to see you on here again. Life must be treating you well. How is everything going for you? I was going to post on your page but I couldn't find it.
 
Part 1 of root canal successfully completed, part 2 is on Monday. The worst part is that bloody novocaine shot, after that they can drill all they want. I will be on antibiotics for another week. I'm taking probiotics to lessen the intestinal discomfort they sometimes cause. My regular dentist told me today that he will be getting a knee replacement in December. He thinks he will be back at work in 4 weeks. He'll find out the real deal soon enough.
 
designergirl said:
My regular dentist told me today that he will be getting a knee replacement in December. He thinks he will be back at work in 4 weeks. He'll find out the real deal soon enough.
Click to expand...

I suppose he won't listen to you at this point. Oh well.....just tell him about BoneSmart....in case he needs us. Sounds like he might when reality sets in!!!

Good for you on the root canal. I'm glad this part went well. It's the worst of it.
 
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