I'm back but leaking

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Coppernob

graduate
Joined
Sep 2, 2008
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522
Age
74
Location
Bradford
Country
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Gender
Female
At last I can get back on the site. I'm post-op but it was a bit of a rollercoaster and things didn't go quite as expected. I had my surgery on Mon 17th as planned (tibial tray replacement) and all was fine. By Thurs 20th I had flex of 97 and could go up and down stairs, and I was told I could go home. Just as I was ringing my husband to ask him to come and and pick me up I noticed my foot was sitting in a puddle of blood and liquid which was pouring out of my knee. No going home that night then! By Friday 21st the leaking hadn't stopped but had slowed down a lot and so I was able to go home in the afternoon.

Saturday 22nd was as good as the first day out of hospital can be, but when I woke on Sunday 23rd my dressing was soaked through again. So it was back to hospital via Casualty and I was re-admitted. On Sunday night I lay in my hospital bed and wept! To cut a long story short, after various blood tests, injections and physio I was finally allowed home again on Wednesday 26th. The District Nurse has been to re-dress the wound and is coming again tomorrow to take the first of the staples out - she thinks to start with she may only be able take every other one out so I'll have to go through that ordeal twice! The good news is that my ROM wasn't unduly affected and on Wednesday was at 86. I'm exercising regularly so hopefully it's more than that now. I go to the Outpatients Clinic on Thursday 4th Dec (providing I get an appoointment through) so they can check that everything is ok. It's definitely better than it was but I can tell by the dressing that there is still some leakage. Has anyone else had this problem? The general opinion seemed to be that it was because this was the third time the same site has been used for access and so the scar tissue isn't healing very quickly.

I've loads of posts to catch up on so I'd better get reading. It's good to be back! Linda x
 
Linda....how frustrating to have things going so well and then have such a problem!! I hope you have all that behind you now and can go forward with healing. Good luck to you and let us know how things go. It sounds like the doctors and nurses are looking out for you!
 
Be careful you keep that wound and area clean and dry. Make sure your nurses wash their hands properly before they touch it and after, also the doctors!
 
Linda
I hope you are feeling better now and totally stop the leaking stuff!!
I can only imagine what you have been through. Good Luck with the staple removal.
Keep us posted
Judy
 
Linda, So sorry to hear of your ordeal. What a scare that must have been and then to have to be readmitted to the hospital. Hopefully everything goes much better now and you will have a speedy recovery. Good luck, Rowdy
 
The good news is the the District Nurse has taken all the staples out in one go (33 of them). The bad news is that the wound is infected and so I'm having to go on to anti-biotics. I am soooooo fed up! Linda x
 
Oh, Linda! So sorry to hear about the infection. Please, please take care of yourself! Can you get an appointment with your surgeon to check things out?
 
Linda
You are having a very rough time. I am so sorry. Be careful with that infection. I hope your doc is very concerned and treats it aggressively.
Judy
 
So sorry for the troubles you're having, Coppernob. I was wondering (Josephine?), is the UK having the awful problems with antibiotic-resistant bacteria like we are in the states? To be honest, that fear was my #1 reason for opting not to go to a rehab facility after my surgery. Those places seem to be where there's the highest incidence of those stubborn bugs.

Hoping for a speedy recovery for you, Coppernob. Will keep you in my thoughts.
 
Thank you all for your concern. I'm due to see my surgeon in Outpatients this Thursday so will talk to him about the infection. He um-ed and ah-ed about putting me on anti-biotics when I was readmitted but decided against it. I can't remember what his reasoning was but it seemed logical at the time! It's so good to be in touch with people who understand the pain and frustration. My husband is a treasure but he hasn't 'been there'. I'm so glad I stumbled across this site. Linda x
 
We're glad you stumbled across us as well! It is good to have people who understand your ups and downs and offer encouragement and sympathy. I hope this infection comes to heel quickly.

Linda2--there's many of us of "a certain age". lol
 
I think MRSA is pretty much world-wide, Shamrocker. But to be honest, the moment I saw Coppernob's post I guessed that if it wasn't infected it pretty soon would be. I cannot imagine why your surgeon would have prevaricated about putting you on anti-bs. Most in my experience would have done it immediately as a matter of precaution.

Which hospital did you go to?
 
Bradford Royal Infirmary. I'm not convinced that anywhere is much better than anywhere else as far as infection control is concerned. Certainly all the doctors and nurses regularly washed their hands and used antiseptic gel when dealing with me. Just the luck of the draw I suppose. Linda
 
Coppernob, bless your heart! You are very calm with all of this and that is a good thing. But, take note of your surgeon's reaction when you see him Thursday. In my opinion, he should be VERY concerned about the infection and take an aggressive stand to fight it. If that doesn't happen, you might want to consider a second opinion. This is nothing to fool around with. I will be praying for your recovery from this setback. You are one strong lady!!!
 
Just what I was going to say, Jamie!
 
Just what I was going to say, Jamie!

Ahhh, Josephine.....you have trained us all sooooo well!!! Where would we be without you!!!
 
Indeed! Where would we be without Josephine and each other? 2.35pm tomorrow is the appointed hour to do battle with my surgeon (always supposing I see him and not one of his underlings)! Linda
 
Linda, when you get to the outpatients clinic and sign in, get one of the nurses or preferably the sister and tell them you want to make sure you're seen by the consultant. If you're firm and assertive, they should comply even if it means your waiting a bit longer. If he's not available, see the registrar or whoever but tell them you want another appointment soon to see the consultant soon. Like early next week.
 
I despair of this country. Where else does everything grind to a halt at the first sign of snow? The reason for my gripe? All outpatient clinics cancelled today as none of the consultants could get in because of the snow. My appointment will be re-arranged but no idea when. Thanks for your reply Josephine. I was all fired up and ready to go but it will have to wait! Linda
 
Oh Linda, you must be wondering if it will ever end for you. I was so hoping to hear from you today. I have been in your situation before when things get cancelled indefinately. I was once going for an orth apt to get released from using crutches. On a sunday nite, I was called from the docs office to find out he would not be in for 2 weeks. I just panicked. He had hurt his back and was home in bed. The office did end up calling him the next day to ask what I should do.
I was told he said to use just one crutch. I had no idea how, so I ended up using both for an additional 2 weeks!!!

I hope you can enjoy the beauty of the snow.
Judy
 
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