daddydaygo
junior member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2023
- Messages
- 20
- Age
- 28
- Gender
- Male
- Country
United States
Major Update that is very well overdue: February 7th I had follow-up scans, and there was a concerning lytic region in my tibia near the stem of my implant. Had CT’s which further increased their concerns so they booked me for the OR the next week for an open biopsy, cultures, and washout. Good news-no cancer reoccurrence. Bad news-the infection is back. I had another surgery after cultures came back so they could go and bone graft and fill the lytic area.
After that surgery, scans revealed my femur component now showed evidence of the infection back up there. A decision was made to pull out everything and do a single stage revision, accompanied with suppressive antibiotics. (Infectious Disease said I’ll likely be on them forever, which I’m fine with) This was really our only option as the alternative was amputation. So they booked me an OR that following week. This whole ordeal was 3 surgeries, 4 weeks.
February 27th I got brought back to the OR for my revision. Everything went relatively smooth, with the exception of a femur fracture while took out the cemented femoral stem. I was inpatient for 5 days this time around. This recovery has been particularly hard. So. Much. Pain. I definitely have a very high pain tolerance but days 6-14 I had times where I was in tears for hours even after taking my pain meds.
After two weeks, things started looking better. I started going to physical therapy and we did some work in the parallel bars. That gave me the confidence to drop a crutch and switch to one. I lost my cane as my house flooded late January (we lost most of our house, so I think my cane got thrown out in the mix. But this is a knee replacement forum, so I’ll leave it at that). A day after switching to one crutch, I just randomly stopped using it and walking on my own. I feel stable and relatively strong. My PT eval showed I’ve lost a lot of strength in all of my muscle groups, but that was expected. Amazing how much your muscles can atrophy if they aren’t being used even just a couple days.
I have my follow up with infectious disease and Ortho this upcoming week to make sure we still don’t have any evidence of the infection. Assuming the single stage revision, cleanouts, and antibiotics have done their job hopefully it’s smooth sailing from here.
I found myself referring back to my previous journal throughout this recovery and comparing where I was before. It shows every recovery is different and there’s no reason to be discouraged that you’re not where you think you should be (whether it’s comparing to your previous surgeries, or someone else’s journey). I’m not sure what I’ll update from here on out as hopefully it’s just smooth sailing! Thanks for reading.
After that surgery, scans revealed my femur component now showed evidence of the infection back up there. A decision was made to pull out everything and do a single stage revision, accompanied with suppressive antibiotics. (Infectious Disease said I’ll likely be on them forever, which I’m fine with) This was really our only option as the alternative was amputation. So they booked me an OR that following week. This whole ordeal was 3 surgeries, 4 weeks.
February 27th I got brought back to the OR for my revision. Everything went relatively smooth, with the exception of a femur fracture while took out the cemented femoral stem. I was inpatient for 5 days this time around. This recovery has been particularly hard. So. Much. Pain. I definitely have a very high pain tolerance but days 6-14 I had times where I was in tears for hours even after taking my pain meds.
After two weeks, things started looking better. I started going to physical therapy and we did some work in the parallel bars. That gave me the confidence to drop a crutch and switch to one. I lost my cane as my house flooded late January (we lost most of our house, so I think my cane got thrown out in the mix. But this is a knee replacement forum, so I’ll leave it at that). A day after switching to one crutch, I just randomly stopped using it and walking on my own. I feel stable and relatively strong. My PT eval showed I’ve lost a lot of strength in all of my muscle groups, but that was expected. Amazing how much your muscles can atrophy if they aren’t being used even just a couple days.
I have my follow up with infectious disease and Ortho this upcoming week to make sure we still don’t have any evidence of the infection. Assuming the single stage revision, cleanouts, and antibiotics have done their job hopefully it’s smooth sailing from here.
I found myself referring back to my previous journal throughout this recovery and comparing where I was before. It shows every recovery is different and there’s no reason to be discouraged that you’re not where you think you should be (whether it’s comparing to your previous surgeries, or someone else’s journey). I’m not sure what I’ll update from here on out as hopefully it’s just smooth sailing! Thanks for reading.
You're doing so well. Fantastic news! I sense your joy and enthusiasm and I agree that you're blessed. Thanks for taking the time to share such an uplifting progress report.
The road ahead is full of possibilities, you've come a long way. Many blessings to you in this new year!
