jvanp75
new member
United StatesI had left TKR on 12/28/16. Approximately 6 wks post-surgery I developed 3 DVT's in my left calf and 2 PE's in my right lungs. Spent 12 days in the hospital on heparin to dissolve the clots. In April 2017 I started having more swelling and additional pain. I just figured this was normal. At the beginning of May I couldn't take the pain any longer and the swelling wasn't going down even with ice.
I contacted my surgeon and he had me come in right away. He aspirated the joint and said he had never seen fluid like this. Sent the fluid off to be tested and everything came back negative 4 days later. I had seen no improvement in the swelling and the pain was excruciating.
I returned on May 28, 2017 to my surgeon and he aspirated the joint again, except this time it was under the knee cap. Again the same colored fluid came out and he was perplexed. He personally called the lab the following morning after he reviewed the lab results from the first aspiration and realized the lab did not do the correct test for staph that he ordered. He made sure they ran all of the correct tests.
I had an appointment on June 5, 2017 and was advised to bring suit case etc because if the tests were negative he was going to have to go in to find out what was wrong. When I arrived at my appointment time on that Monday, he said he had his nurse call me to just tell me to come in on Tues, tests were positive for MRSE, and he already had surgery scheduled for Tues. However, his nurse reminded him that I drove approximately 2 hours to arrive to his office so she didn't call. So on June 6 and June 8th he performed surgery, removing the poly spacer, debriding and washing the joint profusely each time.
I was then put on 6 weeks of IV Vanco at home and then an additional 30 days of oral minocycline. Two days after I finished the minocycline I knew the infection was still in the joint. The swelling, pain and heat in my knee was the same as before my surgeries.
During this time my surgeon had accepted a position out of state and was no longer available. The soonest I could get into a new surgeon, recommended by my original surgeon, was 6 weeks away. Finally on November 6, 2017 I could not take the pain any longer and went to the ER. The surgeon I was supposed to see on November 16th was at the hospital performing surgery. The ER staff contacted him in OR and let him know I was there and what was going on. He sent his PA to see me in the ER and she aspirated my knee. The fluid she drew off was the same color and consistency as previously and I let her know that. They also had drawn blood and had it processed right away for sed rate and CRP. Sed rate was 99 and CRP was 21. They admitted me and started IV antibiotics and I had surgery on November 8, 2017.
On the 8th he completely removed the implants, debrided the joint and put the antibiotic cement spacer in the joint. Surgical notes indicate that he had to remove damaged pieces of bone from all three leg bones due to the infection. I was discharged and started a new course of 6 weeks of IV Vanco.
I am now 2 weeks past the end of the IV Vanco and the swelling, pain and heat has returned to my knee again. I am scheduled to see the surgeon on Jan 16th, however I am calling the office on Tuesday to let them know what is happening. I am hoping they can get me in right away to do the aspiration and find out if the infection is in fact still there or not.
I haven't been able to find anything definitive in my searches of what the options are now if the MRSE is still in the joint. Quite honestly at this point my gut says to amputate above the knee and let me get on with my life. In the research I did, I did find where it states that most people that have to have an amputation end up wheelchair bound. That part I don't understand. Why wouldn't a prosthesis be feasible? I definitely do not want to be wheelchair bound, but I'm also not convinced that re-doing the cement spacer and Vanco again will work either.
I have surgery already scheduled for Feb 5, 2017 and at that point I will have been dealing with all of the swelling and pain for 14 months and basically losing a year of my life to this...
I contacted my surgeon and he had me come in right away. He aspirated the joint and said he had never seen fluid like this. Sent the fluid off to be tested and everything came back negative 4 days later. I had seen no improvement in the swelling and the pain was excruciating.
I returned on May 28, 2017 to my surgeon and he aspirated the joint again, except this time it was under the knee cap. Again the same colored fluid came out and he was perplexed. He personally called the lab the following morning after he reviewed the lab results from the first aspiration and realized the lab did not do the correct test for staph that he ordered. He made sure they ran all of the correct tests.
I had an appointment on June 5, 2017 and was advised to bring suit case etc because if the tests were negative he was going to have to go in to find out what was wrong. When I arrived at my appointment time on that Monday, he said he had his nurse call me to just tell me to come in on Tues, tests were positive for MRSE, and he already had surgery scheduled for Tues. However, his nurse reminded him that I drove approximately 2 hours to arrive to his office so she didn't call. So on June 6 and June 8th he performed surgery, removing the poly spacer, debriding and washing the joint profusely each time.
I was then put on 6 weeks of IV Vanco at home and then an additional 30 days of oral minocycline. Two days after I finished the minocycline I knew the infection was still in the joint. The swelling, pain and heat in my knee was the same as before my surgeries.
During this time my surgeon had accepted a position out of state and was no longer available. The soonest I could get into a new surgeon, recommended by my original surgeon, was 6 weeks away. Finally on November 6, 2017 I could not take the pain any longer and went to the ER. The surgeon I was supposed to see on November 16th was at the hospital performing surgery. The ER staff contacted him in OR and let him know I was there and what was going on. He sent his PA to see me in the ER and she aspirated my knee. The fluid she drew off was the same color and consistency as previously and I let her know that. They also had drawn blood and had it processed right away for sed rate and CRP. Sed rate was 99 and CRP was 21. They admitted me and started IV antibiotics and I had surgery on November 8, 2017.
On the 8th he completely removed the implants, debrided the joint and put the antibiotic cement spacer in the joint. Surgical notes indicate that he had to remove damaged pieces of bone from all three leg bones due to the infection. I was discharged and started a new course of 6 weeks of IV Vanco.
I am now 2 weeks past the end of the IV Vanco and the swelling, pain and heat has returned to my knee again. I am scheduled to see the surgeon on Jan 16th, however I am calling the office on Tuesday to let them know what is happening. I am hoping they can get me in right away to do the aspiration and find out if the infection is in fact still there or not.
I haven't been able to find anything definitive in my searches of what the options are now if the MRSE is still in the joint. Quite honestly at this point my gut says to amputate above the knee and let me get on with my life. In the research I did, I did find where it states that most people that have to have an amputation end up wheelchair bound. That part I don't understand. Why wouldn't a prosthesis be feasible? I definitely do not want to be wheelchair bound, but I'm also not convinced that re-doing the cement spacer and Vanco again will work either.
I have surgery already scheduled for Feb 5, 2017 and at that point I will have been dealing with all of the swelling and pain for 14 months and basically losing a year of my life to this...
