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Oh goodness. I am glad your at the hospital, they need to figure out exactly what is going on. Equally we always feel so much better in our own beds. Keep us in the loop.
Knee Infection* Infection at 7 Months Post Op - Back to Crutches
- Thread starter Mrs. Ciz
- Start date
I agree @Mrs. Ciz . Fingers crossed they figure out what is going on and get you to a more comfortable place. We are here for you!
You have lots of people holding you up with prayers!
SpaceGirl
senior
Oh man, I was hoping to read some better news, but I am glad you were proactive and kept on your dr and are getting treated now. Sending healing prayers!
Day 3 in the hospital:
Bloodwork from the ER showed my white blood cell count was very low. This is not what you want when you are already fighting a knee joint infection. My ID doctor took me off the vancomycin right then and pulled blood cultures to see if my picc line is infected or clean. Yesterday my white blood cell count dropped even further! Today it is finally starting to rise, but it is still really low. The blood cultures are slowly growing and look clean so far. So it seems that the vancomycin was the problem all along. I have to stay in the hospital until my white blood cell count is back to normal, and my blood culture is finished growing. I have a feeling that should happen by Monday. That will be 5 days in the hospital - keeping my fingers crossed!!!
My daughter is still here. She decided to stay because she doesn’t want her daddy to be all alone in the house so soon after he lost his father. She’s keeping him company, watching movies, playing games, having meals together. It’s just what he needs right now.
Bloodwork from the ER showed my white blood cell count was very low. This is not what you want when you are already fighting a knee joint infection. My ID doctor took me off the vancomycin right then and pulled blood cultures to see if my picc line is infected or clean. Yesterday my white blood cell count dropped even further! Today it is finally starting to rise, but it is still really low. The blood cultures are slowly growing and look clean so far. So it seems that the vancomycin was the problem all along. I have to stay in the hospital until my white blood cell count is back to normal, and my blood culture is finished growing. I have a feeling that should happen by Monday. That will be 5 days in the hospital - keeping my fingers crossed!!!
My daughter is still here. She decided to stay because she doesn’t want her daddy to be all alone in the house so soon after he lost his father. She’s keeping him company, watching movies, playing games, having meals together. It’s just what he needs right now.
What a comfort to know that your daughter is keeping your hubby company. I'm sure that's one worry off of you. You are in the right place to get that infection 'kicked to the curb'!
I got out of the hospital Monday afternoon. My white blood cell count was up to 3.6 on Monday morning (normal is 4-10). It had been steadily moving up almost a point a day from its lowest point on Friday. And all my blood cultures came back clean (no infection in the picc line), so my doctors felt comfortable sending me home as I was out of the woods. Turns out the fevers and wbc drop was from the vancomycin. They took me off of that Thursday afternoon when I first went into the hospital. I was on 2 different antibiotics in the hospital, but they sent me home with a totally different one, which I started Monday evening. Yesterday (Tuesday) I got a really itchy red rash all over my arms, back and chest from the new antibiotic (daptomycin). My ID doc told me to take Benadryl, but it’s not really helping. I’m calling him today. It is so ITCHY!
Good news - taking 2 Benadryl during each infusion and putting hydrocortisone cream on the rash has worked! The rash started fading and the bumps went away over the weekend. I’ll be on the new IV antibiotic for 3 more weeks and then we’ll re-evaluate. I’m really hoping for no more detours on my road to recovery!
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That is great! Hopefully clear sailing now 
I had my follow up appointment with the Infectious Disease doctor this past week. He was happy with the healing incision and happy with my bloodwork. Two tests he needed to see weren’t being done, so he ordered those for the next 2 weeks. If they come back as good as the rest of my bloodwork, then I’m off the IV antibiotics in 1.5 weeks. Then the waiting period starts. If I stay infection free during that 4 to 6 weeks and have 2 clean knee aspiration cultures, then I can get my new knee at the end of May - I hope. Fingers crossed!!!!
I’m kind of stressed out about the waiting period and work. I’m a school teacher. When I left to deal with the infection, they hired a long term sub through the end of the year. I’m worried my surgeon will clear me for work during the waiting period, and I’ll have to go back to work. If the infection comes back, I’ll have to leave again to deal with it. If it doesn’t come back, I’ll have to leave before the school year ends to get my new knee. I could be in and out the whole time I’m back at work, and that won’t be good for my students and will stress my school and me. Plus I’d be navigation a 3 story building with no elevators with my cement spacer.
Does anyone have any insight about how the waiting period goes with a really active job? Am I being realistic to think I may get my new knee towards the end of May? I just want to have this all behind me and to be healed up for the start of the new school year in mid August!!!
I’m kind of stressed out about the waiting period and work. I’m a school teacher. When I left to deal with the infection, they hired a long term sub through the end of the year. I’m worried my surgeon will clear me for work during the waiting period, and I’ll have to go back to work. If the infection comes back, I’ll have to leave again to deal with it. If it doesn’t come back, I’ll have to leave before the school year ends to get my new knee. I could be in and out the whole time I’m back at work, and that won’t be good for my students and will stress my school and me. Plus I’d be navigation a 3 story building with no elevators with my cement spacer.
Does anyone have any insight about how the waiting period goes with a really active job? Am I being realistic to think I may get my new knee towards the end of May? I just want to have this all behind me and to be healed up for the start of the new school year in mid August!!!
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I would be surprised your surgeon would want you going up and down 3 flights of stairs, and all the standing and walking you would be doing on a spacer.
Tell him your concerns and that you do not want to increase any inflammation or swelling from doing too much on your knee right now.
IMO, the best path for success is for you to be off and have time to heal, so you are able to work when school starts in August.
Tell him your concerns and that you do not want to increase any inflammation or swelling from doing too much on your knee right now.
IMO, the best path for success is for you to be off and have time to heal, so you are able to work when school starts in August.
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I don't think the OS will release you to work yet. Glad to hear everything is going well.
These folks are right. Most surgeons will try to accommodate your needs and wants during the process of fighting an infection. It's very serious business and it should take priority over your job. I'm pretty sure your doctors (enlist the infectious disease doctor too) can write up any documents your school would require you to have to ensure you can take things easy until you get your new knee.
Oh @Mrs. Ciz - I haven't been on here for a while (have had a bout of Shingles). I have just been reading and catching up with your situation.You poor thing - you have been through so much! I do so hope you have turned a corner now and things will now look up so you can move forward with the new TKR. My thoughts are with you - I wish there was a hug emoji.
Thank you everyone. I think the thing that has me freaked out is when my surgeon did my short term disability paperwork, he put the end date as April 14th. That would be the end of the 6 week IV antibiotics. And he has told me that the antibiotic spacer I have has lasted as long as 2 years in some patients, so I don’t have to rush to get the new knee done. Maybe the April 14th date was just the date he was going to do a check in/extension with my work and short term disability insurance company? I really hope so. I want to get this infection process and new knee done as soon as safely possible, and I don't want to feel guilty about leaving my students again. If I don’t get it all finished in this calendar year, I’ll be up against ANOTHER very high deductible. Plus I would like to be ready to go back to work by mid August when the new school year starts if possible.
It is so hard having absolutely no control over the infection healing process.
It is so hard having absolutely no control over the infection healing process.
Hi Mrs Ciz! I have not been on for awhile, but your long ordeal sounds exactly like mine. I also had infection, spacer with picc line and same antibiotic! I also had reaction to Vancomycin with heart palpitations and Cefapim with rash. Was in hospital for reactions and put on other antibiotics which then helped. Had final surgery on Dec 28, 2020, so am just 12 weeks out. Hoping your recovery goes well as I am still in lots of pain, with Dr. telling me my knee is ANGRY! Doing light stretches and walking around house couple times daily as I do work from home. They are thinking that I have sciatic issues which is why I have pain down leg into ankle and foot. I have major hamstring issues which I did not have with spacer. But hopefully on road to recovery! Good luck with your healing!
