TKR Question about infection?

[LucyBelle]

I had a LTKR on July 9th. I was scheduled for a teeth cleaning on Sept 4, but the nurse at the surgeon's office wants me to wait until three months post-op. I get that and that is fine because I do not like getting my teeth cleaned and also I don't want to introduce any infection. Today I cancelled the appointment.

So...later today I saw our family doctor about a cyst on my back. I am starting antibiotics, as it is infected. We decided to make a dermatologist appointment, thinking it would take at least a month, in case it needs to be cut out. But they called back and the dermatologist has a cancellation on Monday.

So.....given that it is already infected, do I go ahead and have it removed on Monday if the doc wants to? I am also scheduled for a RTKR in early Oct.

I will call to see what the OS says tomorrow. But I'm just wondering what folks think.

 

[Nyland]

Hi LucyBelle!
I honestly don't know, but wanted to wish you well.

 

[maryo52]

Good that your calling your ortho's office for guidance. I had similar questions when I had a colonoscopy. Since they took a biopsy I was given an antibiotic. There are certain antibiotics recommended for prophylactic use when a procedure causes a lot of bacteria to enter the bloodstream. I'm guessing you'll be fine to have this procedure and you'll be given the appropriate antibiotic.

 

[Josephine]

From the sound of it, your cyst is a sebaceous cyst.

Two things come to my mind:
a) it's already infected so the sooner it's removed the better
b) the infection will be very superficial as sebaceous cysts are nearly always infected to one degree or another because they develop on a hair root which is open to the air
c) the surgeon won't be cutting into the infection but around it so there is unlikely to be a bacterial 'dump' into your circulatory system
d) the infection around your implant is susceptible for an entirely different reason which you can read about here Infection: peri-prosthetic infection - also known as late onset infection

 

[LucyBelle]

Thank you, Josephine!
The cyst is the weirdest thing. My dh says he can't see it, but we can sure feel it. It was just a small thing, for over a year, and within the past couple of weeks I could feel that it was getting big under the skin. So he poked at it. Uh-oh! Nastiness! Then I went to the Dr.
Today I can feel that it is a lot smaller, and not so sensitive.

Thanks for the info. I will read the article that you linked.

 

[Josephine]

Actually, the goo that comes out of it is not pus but sebum, the natural oil that keeps our skin and hair healthy. Of course, as I said, this is naturally contaminated with bugs but it's unlikely to be actively infected like an abscess.

The anatomy of it is that in every hair root there is a sebaceous gland which secretes this sebum. If the duct to the gland or the hair follicle gets blocked, the gland keeps producing sebum and the gland and duct swell up, thus creating the cyst. Considering the hundreds of thousands of hairs we have on our bodies, the amazing thing is that we don't get more of these cysts but we don't!

But what I am saying is that you don't need to worry about this in connection with your hip. And the coming and going of it is very normal as the duct unblocks a bit from time to time, allowing some of the contents to exude and then it dries, seals up and then starts enlarging again ! Some people have them for years and years, coming and going, and never do anything about them. I've seen older chaps with them on their scalp (popular place for them - on old men's scalps, I mean!) that were the size of a bantam's egg! In some areas of the UK they are called a "when".

 

[LucyBelle]

The PA I saw said it was infected, but I kind of think it was just built up and gross. Maybe she is getting a kick back from the dermatologist.
I'm taking the antibiotics she gave me anyway and will go ahead and have the dermatologist look at it.
What fun. I may have her cut off a couple of moles while I'm in there. Kill a few birds with one stone.
Thanks for the info!

 

[Josephine]

I didn't say it wasn't infected. I said the goo that comes out is mostly sebum.