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Knee Infection* Question about dizziness

@Catalien45 I empathize with you having an infection. I've gone through a washout and a spacer replacement. I got very ill with my infection. Hopefully yours was caught earlier and you can get through this without a lot of problems. I wound up with a PICC line so that I could go home and give myself the IV antibiotics. After that I was on oral antibiotics for several months I had and ID (infectious disease) doctor to follow up with while i was on the antibiotics outside the hospital. I hope you feel better soon.
 
Thanks, everyone. It is Tuesday now. The clean out was yesterday afternoon & went well. The Dr used general anasthesia, as he wasn’t exactly sure just what was going on inside until he got in. He removed & replaced the lining, everything else is intact. It appears the infection did not get deep, or into the metal, a huge relief! They are running cultures to determine if I’m on the best antibiotic, & have an infectious disease dr involved in that. I had a pic-line installed into my right arm, & will be on 6 weeks of IV antibiotics, then a while longer on oral antibiotics. We’re about to get my pain meds sorted out. They have found a liquid form of Vicodin, which I took about 10 years ago with a tumor removal, also tramadol backup, and zofran for the nausea ( finally tackled!). Since I don’t have a colon, pills & tablets race through me, or don’t really dissolve, & often don’t do me much good.
Hopefully, home again within the next couple of days.. my pain is a challenge at the moment, it is Extreme when I get up or try to put any weight on it. Hopefully, better tomorrow. Definitely a totally different experience than my TKR. The nurse reminded me that each knee is different, this one involved an infection, and tissues are inflamed. Also this follows a pretty recent surgery. .This has Definitely been educational! The pic-line was a fascinating experience ( and, eliminates the need for the IV when you have lousy veins). I’m very fortunate, the staff here is incredible, although they are, like many places, understaffed. The hospital is about half hour from our home, roughly the same from our daughter’s house. So she & my husband sorta “ trade off”, & she calls him when she gets here, he leaves & she comes up. They only allow one visitor per patient right now due to the Covid crisis here. Our little kitty, Felicity, is generally asleep on the couch where I sleep downstairs. My blankets are there, so I suppose she smells me on them. ( she Never sleeps there!) Then at night she bunks in with my husband. She’s pretty happy to see him when he gets home. He stayed here last night, probably will tonight. There is a small couch in my room, so he can stretch out. ( good thing we’re both short!) It’s nice to have him here, this has been a tough trip. One thing I learned yesterday, we spent roughly 14 hours in emergency, there are folks who have spent up to 20 hours, simply because there are no available beds. So everyone try to stay well, and avoid emergency rooms if you can. Will try to catch up a bit later, getting drowsy again, combination of poor nights sleep & recent pain medication. Have a good week, everyone.
 
I hope your pain gets handled for you. I'm glad that the infection didn't get all the way down. Hang in there, it does get better.
 
Good luck with your recovery. I guess your expierence is going to be like starting over with recovery? Lucky you that you avoided the second revision stage, where I am currently. Hope you do well with your antibiotic tolerance. Being home will help with sleep and comfort. Onward and upward with your recovery.
 
I'm glad you're on this side of the procedure and it does sound like you have a good and attentive surgeon. That's half the battle. Hang in there. Things should improve once your pain is under control for a while.

Are they icing your knee? If not, I'd certainly ask for it. That can make a real difference with pain levels. You can ice as much as you want as long as the ice is shielded from your skin by your knee dressing. At home you can do the same but keep a towel on your leg so the skin doesn't get too cold.
 
Catalien45 said:
Hi. We’re back from Dr, pharmacist. Dr said it is a “ surface infection” does not appear to be deep. I did have fever.....100.4 We are to watch it...... If pain, oozing, fever, Anything gets worse, I’m to check into the hospital, put on intravenous medicine, & probably have it flushed out. Meanwhile, I’m on a week of Bactrim. Hopefully, it does the job. I must admit, I am miserable right now, but hopefully, it clears up. No PT tomorrow, just rest this weekend. I felt like I was doing so good, now this happens!oh, well, I have seen some folks go through some pretty awful stuff. I can’t really whine too much hopefully, this is just a hiccup in the journey. Meanwhile, I’m coaching my husband how to make teriyaki chicken - the sauce is from the America Heart Association cookbook, an old edition I’ve had for years. He’s pretty proud of himself, me too
We’ll get this infection whipped- hopefully without a trip to the hospital!
Click to expand...
I had an infection in my TKR wound too. A weeks course of antibiotics cleared it up within a few days. Mine was caused by dissolvable stitches inside deciding to poke through the skin.
 
Hi everyone - it’s Sunday now. I came home Thursday afternoon, the past few days a flurry of antibiotic & equipment deliveries, home nurse visit, setting up various appointments. And, I sleep a lot. I’m trying to walk ( with my walker!) fairly often, & am finally able to bear some weight on my right leg.
The Dr told me that this is a particularly tough surgery. He used staples this time & my knee looks like a zipper..@cocopug, they aren’t sure, but mine was likely caused by those “dissolvable” stitches that decided to poke through.
It was an interesting challenge getting into our house...we have 3 steps from the garage. My husband had put a railing in on the one side he could,but, my right leg was so weak, it took us 10-15 minutes for me to conquer those stairs! It still was Incredibly painful to put any weight on that right foot, or to lift it. I have been working hard on trips back & forth, & it is a Lot better, I can now put all my weight on that foot as well as lift it unassisted.
I still get really tired, really fast. I’m doing good to sit at the table for my infusions & a light meal. My sister had a double mastectomy a few years ago, & she said it took a good 2-3 weeks for the general anasthesia to work out of her system, & she had real fatigue. I’m also still fighting the nausea ( again). We were able to get some guidance from our Drs office on gradually weaning down, then off, the Vicodin, & switch to Tylenol. It controlled my overall pain well before this infection. I’m trying hard to eat protein, but still very little appetite with this nausea. Maybe this is common, particularly with the 2 surgeries in less than 6 weeks?
@newlybionic....is this how you remember your experience with this surgery?
This time is definitely more difficult than the initial TKR
On a happy note, we’ll get to see our family Thanksgiving! Our daughter stayed with us Thursday through Saturday, bunked on the floor here in the living room with me, & helped us get organized. Sweet grandson, Mom & Dad, will come here Thursday & we’ll have salmon, rice, asparagus & a pie. Super simple, non-traditional, but my family here. ❤️. I can’t wait.
 
Wow - grab as much joy as you can with your family (and then rest :)). I hope the next few days are good for you.
 
Thanks, Hawkie. I’m gaining a little strength each day & sleeping pretty well at night. Mostly, I’m just super tired, & still no appetite. My Drs office said this is probably because of the 2 surgeries in under 6 weeks. At least no temptations to try & be a star member of the ODIC! ☺️. I’m really excited to have our daughter, her husband, & grandson here. They’re so wonderfully supportive, all 3 of them,... & my husband!I always laugh & say that he has “ the patience of Job” to be married to me for 51 years! This time, I’m remembering, and adhering to, your advice in your first message to me..... slow & steady, slow & steady.........
Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful also... and take good care of yourself. And thanks for the encouragement....
 
Awwwww, your kitty missed you! :kitty:

My goodness, you sure have been through it, haven't you? I'm glad you are home now. Like Hawkie said, grab all the joy you can with your family, your Thanksgiving plans sound lovely. I'm sorry you have to go through all this pain again and nausea. Are they able to give you a prescription for the nausea? Take care, rest and keep us posted when you can. :console2:
 
That was exactly how I remember my post op infection surgery. I was in much greater pain than after the TKR. I had a problem putting weight on that leg for a while and went back to using a walker again. I hope you start to feel better soon.
 
Hi, SusieQ... thanks for the encouragement. Yes, Miss Felicity did miss me, and my better half, he was at the hospital with me a lot, waiting for cultures, Dr decisions, etc. she’s happy to have us both home! ( she sleeps with me every night, I just have to persuade her to sleep Beside me, not on my stomach!)
I’m still really weak, this infection & surgery has really hit me hard. But just a tiny bit better most days. I have in-home physical therapy 3x a week, and he is good. And yes, I do have zofran. I pretty much have to take it before my antibiotic infusion, ( 3x day), it often causes severe nausea, but I think the overall nausea is improving. Still very little appetite ( new for me, for sure!), hopefully that resolves itself soon. I really love cooking & baking (and, eating it!).
I think of both you & Hawkie especially with Thanksgiving coming up & hope you two don’t overdo yourselves. You both sound like wonderful cooks.... don’t wear yourselves out! Our daughter makes a delicious salmon , I have taught my husband how to do brown rice, & she will grill some asparagus & some dressing, a pie. And I’ll snuggle with our grandson & visit with son- in- law, unless he gets in on the cooking. I’m really excited. I have a physical therapy session today, then plan to rest up tomorrow.
Have yourself a wonderful Thanksgiving, and both you & Hawkie do take care of yourselves...
 
@newlybionic ... thank you for your note. I’m using the walker still... I still feel pretty weak, kinda like someone pulled out my stuffings! Still fighting the nausea, although the overall is improving, but I am taking a zofran before my infusions, as I often have a severe bout of nausea right after my infusion. And my appetite is still really off. Most things don’t even sound, much less, taste good. Was this something you experienced?
I’ll see my surgeon next Monday, and I believe he removes the staples then. No more “dissolvable” sutures, my body didn’t seem to like them. I’m going to see if my therapist thinks I can try the stairs when he’s here... I think I can, but figured I should check with him first. I’m fortunate, my home therapist is much like the one I was seeing here locally, and she is Great.
OK".....been up for a while, think I will lay down for a bit. .....
 
Take it easy!
 
Wow, @Catalien45 ! I'm so sorry that you've had to go through all of this. Glad you have your family with you and can enjoy Thanksgiving with them.

Remember to be kind to yourself!
 
Thankfully I am not hosting this year, I'm leaving it up to my sister, who is a better cook than me. (our mother was a good teacher) I'm making two side dishes and an appetizer. We will have enough for an army and there will only be 6 of us. I'm dreaming of leftovers already. Your salmon and asparagus sound lovely, I hope you will have the appetite to eat it. Snuggling with a grandson, how wonderful..:hugzz:... My kids are 23 and 27 and not married so no grandchildren in my immediate future....that's ok, all in due course.
 
Catalien45 said:
Most things don’t even sound, much less, taste good. Was this something you experienced?
Click to expand...

@Catalien45 I can't imagine all you've been through. You are amazingly strong. My TKR was 4 weeks ago and I'm going through the same thing with food. I don't feel the nausea you do, but food doesn't sound good or taste good. I try to eat something, but my appetite is very minimal. I'm attributing it to the oxy, which I am weaning myself off of, but who knows. Or the NSAIDs? Or maybe just the trauma of this surgery. Taking it day by day. It's 5:30 pm right now and I'm lying in bed. So tired. Probably won't go to bed for the night, but need to take a rest.
 
Hi, Barabooproud. Hopefully you are getting a little rest as I type this. I’m trying to remember 4 weeks post TKR. I seem to remember that sleep did not come easy... but, that Does improve!
The nausea....and lack of appetite.... we still aren’t totally sure of the cause. The opiods affected me pretty strongly & made me pass out. So we switched to Tramadol, which dealt with the pain, but then I had this constant nausea, & nothing tasted good. I went to Tylenol only, & the nausea got much better. But food still did not taste good . Then this infection cropped up! And a second surgery, this time a general anasthesia. That Could be playing with my appetite.
It’s still not “there”, but in the past few days, I Am seeing just a little improvement. Also, I came home with a liquid Vicodin- nasty tasting stuff! ( tablets don’t not stay in my system long enough to be effective, my entire colon was removed when I was 20 due to colitis). We think that could possibly be causing some of the nausea & lack of appetite. So I have weaned to Tylenol, it keeps the pain manageable.
My Drs office said that just the surgery itself could have played a part in the nausea & lack of appetite. I Do seem to have “spurts” of appetite lately. For instance, I Love Wendy’s Jr bacon cheeseburger! It actually Tastes good to me. And someone brought us some homemade macaroni & cheese tonite, & that really did taste good. But not a lot else still. And I do love to cook, bake, & enjoy it with everyone else. So this is a rather unusual phenomena for me. My husband says we will go with what I Can eat, and what Does taste good, & it will come. I’m trying to shoot for high protein, as that aids in healing, but so much of it is unappealing. But maybe if you can find 1 or 2 things that Do taste good..... we’ve done some takeout, & a few frozen entrees. I Do empathize & understand. Easier said than done, for sure. We’re encouraged I'm finding at least a few things that taste good.
Today is 7 weeks since myTKR. I’m set back some, back to the walker for the time being, working with my cane Friday when Physical therapist comes. It’s frustrating, I’m behind where I should be, & definitely weaker & fatiguing faster than I’d like ..... but it Does remove any temptation to vie for star member of the “ over-did-it club”! I’m seeing my surgeon Monday, &infectious disease dr Tuesday, so should know more after that. Our daughter, her husband & our 6 year old grandson are coming tomorrow, she’s been baking today, pie, dressing Her cranberry sauce, & tomorrow, she will bake salmon ( simple, but delicious, she has a magic touch), and she & my husband will make rice & grilled asparagus. It actually all sounds good to me. Maybe even a taste of pumpkin pie. Btw, that’s one other part of my appetite- sweets.....can’t eat anything sweet. I normally love a good dessert, or good cookie. Weird, but I just can’t stand sweets right now. Maybe it’s just gonna take time for us both. I’ll be watching for your progress. I do know that sleep improves; there will be occasional bouts of insomnia now & then ( note it is after 11 pm, & here I am, typing on this!) ☺️ But, it does get better, for sure. It is kinda funny, I often notice folks posting at wee hours in the morning on this forum... I guess TKR insomnia.
Miss Felicity the kitty has just come in & informed me that it is time to Go To Sleep. She’s actually laying down by my feet & not on my stomach! So maybe I should take advantage.
I’ll be looking for your posts, and thinking of you, and hoping your appetite will improve soon. Maybe we both just need a little more time. And, thank you for referring to me as brave. The 2nd surgery was tougher than I was expecting, but we’re hoping the worst is behind us now, & I’m making a little progress each day. Tomorrow is snuggle & read with our grandson!❤️
 
@Catalien45 Just catching up with your thread. It sounds like you have really been through the mill. I understand about the lack of appetite, mine has been non existent since surgery and now with the UTI antibiotics and added nausea, it’s difficult to eat. Most unlike me! I usually crave sweet things, but the thought of eating chocolate makes me want to gag!

I hope that you are enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend and that you are feeling a bit better :)
 
@ DogTiredKnees...Thanks so much! Lack of appetite & food in general more or less repulsive is frustrating for a foodie . I’m still down 9 lbs, didn’t really need that. I Am beginning to see little bits of food tasting good. Our daughter has been gluten free for a long time, & she made some gf dressing from a box, adding her own little touches... That tasted really good to me. She carefully put up leftover salmon, rice & dressing for us, I have enjoyed that the past 2 nights. And the occasional Wendy’s jr bacon cheeseburger ( meat, cheese, lettuce & tomatoes...protein!). My tastebuds are still terribly off, still often have to make myself eat, but I’m encouraged that there is even tiny improvement.
We had a wonderful, non-traditional Thanksgiving, I got plenty of hugs, kisses & snuggles from our grandson, & we were all together.still cherishing it.

Breakfast is a big challenge, another “weird”.... I normally Love breakfast! I do enjoy some old fashioned oatmeal, a 7-grain hot cereal, & occasionally a fried egg & slice of bacon right now, not much else. But I generally don’t want to eat early . Sweets still sound terrible, taste terrible when I try, so I just don’t. But hopefully, we are seeing the light somewhere in there at the end of this tunnel, just not sure how long the tunnel is. Patience. What a difficult quality to master! ( do we ever truly master it?) .
I keep reminding myself, I’m improving Just a little bit each day.... and there are folks like you, with other battles. A UTI is rough.... and the treatment, antibiotics, rough on your body. Could be part of our appetite problem..maybe we’ll get some input from the infectious diseases Dr on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I still have several more weeks of the IV treatment, followed by several weeks/ months of oral antibiotics.. But that beats the infection.
Just re-checking... your surgery was a day before mine, and you’re still having appetite problems too. Maybe our infections & antibiotics Do have a role in this appetite thing. Like I said, I Am seeing tiny improvements now, baby steps, as I saw in one post. I’m getting a little stronger each day, back to my cane. My therapist is good, he works me well, but not overly aggressive. He sees improvement, that’s encouraging. We even took a short walk outside in the beautiful fall afternoon, hopefully, a longer one Tuesday.
I do hope your UTI is clearing up. They can be so mean! And hopefully your appetite will begin to revive as you begin to heal from it. I’m sure some of it is time. ( there’s that old word patience, rearing it’s unpleasant, but necessary, I suppose, face again!). But I’m convinced that our appetites will return. I’m really looking forward to that. Meanwhile, as Booger put it, just keep on trucking, looking to next year being in our garden, walking regularly with my husband, playing with grandson, creating in my kitchen ( and eating it!) and more! Hopefully you & I will both be back on track soon.
Hope your day is a good one, & tomorrow just a Little bit better, tiny steps. Do take care. I’ll be looking for your posts. I still get a bit confused navigating this forum, but my husband helps me with it. ☺️
 
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