Knee Infection* JSA's OA and RA Journey

[PegGar16]

My goal was to be walking when my grandson was born (my fist). I learned to walk with him...LOL

I love a good beach and here I am in the desert. We usually do trips to the coast with our RV but this summer all our trips were cancelled. Hopefully the COVID will settle down. I can't believe it has been going on for for almost 10 months.

 

[jsa]

An RV... I'd love that but hubby won't be in it.
This has been a very long year for everyone dealing with our health problems plus having the Covid situation as well. In June hubby and I were supposed to be going with my sister-in-law and her husband to Fiji, Vanuatu and NZ but that never happened. It was her 60th birthday and I felt so bad for her. We never got any money back on the insurance we took out as they said, we weren't covered for pandemics. I tried to explain it was because of my health but they wouldn't listen. The silly thing is that we used the insurance from my health fund so they have all my details. In the end we had the airlines and hotels give us credit instead of chancing losing all the money by fighting the insurance company... Now I am just dreaming about taking the trip when we open back up so its incentive for getting back on my feet (lol literally).

 

[PegGar16]

Hi! How are you doing?

 

[jsa]

Hi... sorry my laptop's touchpad broke and it was too difficult to use those small keys on my phone when writing lots...but I've finally got a whole new laptop to play with...lol.
I went back to the specialist this week and he is going ahead with a 2 stage revision to begin on the 17th Dec. He will first pull out the old one that they put in as a revision in April. It's a big one (3kg worth haha) and they used loads of glue so he said "it will be no easy task getting it out". He is also a bit concerned because I have a soft spot in the femur called a cortical defect and last time when removing the prosthesis they accidentally fractured it through that part of the femur. But fingers crossed that the same thing wont happen this time, I reckon I'd have to be very unlucky for it to do it again. He will pop in an antibiotic spacer and I wont be able to put weight on it until he does the 2nd stage which will include fixing the quad with a graft, cutting out all the arthro-fibrosis and then putting in a hinged joint - tho he isn't sure about exactly when he will do the 2nd stage yet.
So not long now. All I can hope for is that this pain goes away and I get more movement in my knee so I can get on with life and get back to being my usual happy self.

 

[Celle]

I'm sorry you have to go through more surgery, @jsa .

It sounds as if your surgeon is now treating your knee for a joint infection. The 2-stage revision usually works well, but it's a tedious process.

Best wishes for the 17th, and I hope you have a restful Christmas.

 

[jsa]

Thanks for the well wishes @Celle...

Re the infection: he doesn't like that the Gallium scans indicated infection even though the cultures were negative but he told me it just might be a culture negative infection which happens from time to time. The Infection Disease doc advised to go ahead with a 2 stage as its red, hot, swollen and my ESR and CRP are also elevated. I told them that with the RA, they always are, so it's hard to tell. They also said its been like this for way too long so they will treat it for infection anyway. Yes a two stage is not a quick fix but so long as it IS fixed I'll be content to sit it out.

I spoke with the Anaesthetist today and its a go too. He asked if I had any questions and I just asked him to keep up the pain relief followed by "I promise I wont become an addict"... lol. Unlike the GP's in the past, he said "you can have as much as you need" but added "I will pull out everything in my arsenal that I can give you but you will have some serious pain because I cant give you a spinal like I do with the others"... hmm I've been here before...

Oh well, here we go again ... taking deep breaths with all ten fingers crossed!!

 

[jsa]

@PegGar16 ...

Hi! How are you doing?

Sorry I didnt tag you when I answered up above.
You had extensor mechanism surgery with a graft which is what my doc is thinking of doing on the 2nd stage too. But how well did it go once you had the immobiliser off? How long were you in it and did you have a wheelchair? I'm worried that I will just develop more arthrofibrosis while its immobilised which will mean it wont bend again. Ive had the af cut out twice now and this will be the third time but going on past history, it just regrows when I don't move it. The 2nd stage is a while off yet but I was wondering what happened when u went through it.

 

[PegGar16]

This might be hard to compare because they needed to put a flap over my knee because the infection got a lot of the tissue and they needed to make sure there was enough flesh to cover everything. They did the flap surgery in September along with changing out the spacer and added two rods. The leg was immobilized with a plastic brace; looked more like a plastic cast from toes to upper thigh until my surgery in February. I did use a wheelchair a lot during this time because it was non-weight bearing.. After the Feb surgery when everything was put in I had to go six weeks immobile because of the allograft. They wanted all the attachments (my wording) bridged and healed before stress was put on the tendons. From that point I got a brace that they adjusted the ability to bend each week...think it was 30 degrees each time.

Your treatment may be different because of the AF. Are they doing the whole extensor mechanism? It was nice to feel a knee cap again

 

[jsa]

Hi @PegGar16 and @Celle ... sorry.
I keep trying to write on this new iPad but I find it so difficult. Because I take Ventolin I have shakiness in my hands and fingers, the cursor jumps around and I type everything wrong. And I jerk heaps and fall asleep holding keys down etc and I delete things accidentally not to mention those silly auto text things keep interfering with wrong predictive words. The good thing is, I am learning..ll

Ah Well I hope I get to finish this time...

I had the first stage done and was told the joint was full of serum fluid and pus. However, it was not until yesterday (Day 10) that I was told a few of the swabs grew bugs. I am still unsure of the exact bugs but the infection control doctor will see me tomorrow and my surgeon is coming in the day after.
Originally we planned on having the 2nd operation 6-12 weeks after the 1st but when it failed to grow anything, we started talking about having the 2nd one on the 7th or 14th Jan.
Its been very painful so far because the surgeon cut a lot of bone away as it was “mush”. I haven’t been able to get out of bed except once or twice a day I go to the toilet. Thankfully they left my catheter in which has made it easier. So now we are going to have to see what the infection control doc wants to do.

 

[sistersinhim]

I pray the bacteria attacking you will be discovered quickly and that the antibiotics will eradicate it!

 

[jsa]

Thanks so much @sistersinhim ...
I hope to find out today and then I can at least start planning . I had also started given up any future but now at least I have antibiotics to me.

 

[PegGar16]

I am sorry this is going so badly for you. I hope they figure out everything soon and you can get started with the appropriate antibiotics. The hardest part at times is the waiting.

 

[jsa]

Hi @PegGar16 and thanks for writing. With new year celebrations and hospital staff taking holiday breaks nothing is how it usually is so I‘m still waiting to hear what the next step will be. What I do know is that the infection control doc thinks that the 2 cultures that were growing were rare so they think they won’t be significany enough to say it’s positive for infection because they took lots of swabs but only 2 grew anything. So we are back to waiting in hospital until the surgeon decides when I will be alright to have stage 2. At the moment I’ve been in lots of pain due to the unstable joint where the spacer is. He said not before early to Mid January.

 

[jsa]

Hi.. @PegGar16 @Celle

Just briefing you a little on what's happened.
I spent xmas in hospital so it was little more than an ordinary day but I was hoping mid January would come around fast so we could do the 2nd stage of my 2 stage revision. Good news was that they found no infection but movement was unbelievably painful with no prosthesis and only the spacer in the joint... I'm sure you would know about that Peg!
I am not sure what happened but the doc said I had to wait a while for my leg to be ready and said the soonest he could do it was on the 13th Feb. He was so proud they fitted me in and not wanting to burst his happy bubble, I smiled and thanked him.
I've got to say that I was disappointed at how far away it was but its normal for this man to do 8-11 TKR and revision patients per operating list x 2 per week so I didn't complain.
I wasn't allowed to weight bare at all and so they said they would transfer me to the nearby Rehab Hospital to see if they could get me moving enough to be more mobile.
It was almost the end of January when my hubby and granddaughter wheeled me for the first time outside the hospital doors into that beautiful sunshine and we ate cherries while we watched our g/d climb a small tree. Little did I know it would be the last time for a while that I'd enjoy such a small pleasure because the next morning I was in the bathroom with my 4 x wheel gutter walker when I tilted my head sideways and promptly felt dizzy and lost my balance. I saved the leg but at the expense of my wrist which immediately fractured... I knew straight away it was broken. I hate my luck but since I also hit my head, I was just grateful not more damage was done!
Because the impact was great, I fractured multiple bones in the wrist, radius and ulna and was promptly transferred back into the private hospital for first a reduction (GAMP) then an ORIF with screws pins and plates - apparently I did a good job with in falling!!
It's been 2 weeks since the fall and almost a week from being operated on. I've been catheterised to make it easier but I cant go anywhere except on the commode once or twice a day to go to the toilet and shower. My leg is in an immobiliser and my arm in a plaster back-slab (soon to be changed into a different caste or splint) so I'm not allowed on the walker at all and spend most of my day in a chair or in the bed.
It wasn't the fact I went through the stuff with my arm, the thing that is upsetting me is that the doctor now wants me to wait 6 more weeks until he will operate on my leg for the 2nd revision. His secretary phoned to say she cant fit me in until 29th April but after I explained the doc said I have to remain in hospital until he operates, she said they would try to fit me in somehow when I'm ready.
I feel bad thinking it but I need them to fit me in in 5 weeks with no excuses like "the lists are full" that they said originally. I've been bumped from lists before and I didnt complain... if I get in during mid March, I might be lucky to be out by mid April (if Rehab goes well) making it a total of a 4 months stay - I just dont think I can be like this for an extra 6 weeks just because they couldnt fit me in.. :(

 

[jsa]

My leg at week 4 and 7. And arm post ORIF.

 

[Jockette]

Oh my, I’m sorry you’ve been through so much. And here I just posted on my thread about my “poor“ outcome of my partial and I’m ashamed to complain about it after reading your post.

Do they know what caused the dizziness that caused your fall?

 

[jsa]

Hi @Jockette ... No No No ... Dont ever compare yourself with others - we all suffer or are disappointed or fly through things differently, no one is the same and no-one can measure someone else's misfortune or fortune because we have different experiences that influence our outcomes.
I will read and reply on your thread.
Every so often I get Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and I've had it since just before my original surgery in December so its no mystery thats what kicked in.
Thanks for asking and your kind words, I always feel less alone when I come on here.

 

[Celle]

Oh my!
I'm so sorry to hear of all that's happened to you.

I also get BPPV and it's caused me to have one fall, but thankfully with no injuries.

I really hope that your surgeon will fit you in before much longer. You deserve better luck than you've had so far.
((((((((HUGS))))))))

 

[jsa]

Thanks @Celle . Yes BPPV is very annoying ... Like being on a cha cha ride at the show isn't it..lol.
Well I know they cant change what happened but I have all fingers and toes crossed that it wont be much longer.
I hope you are doing ok thanks for. the hugs.

 

[Jaycey]

@jsa Gosh, just read your update! You have been through so much! Please take care of yourself. Here's hoping they can fit you into the lists early.