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TKR Right TKR is done

Today at dressing change, the nurse felt that the undermining was going in the wrong direction with the measurements she got and there is a spot that is tender when touched. Plus the foam dressing had some gooey stuff on it when she took it out. So.....she called the wound clinic and talked to one of the nurses to be sure she should put the vac back on and the wound clinic nurse will talk to the dr about the tender spot and the gooey stuff to see if I should start an antibiotic and call me if necessary.
Told the nurse too that no news yet from UW. Later when I got home from running errands, I had a message to call UW. I'm guessing the wound clinic followed up since it had been a week today and I hadn't heard anything yet. The call to UW was to find out who did my surgery and where it was done so they could get those records for my knee surgery. I asked how long before I would find out an appointment day and time. All she would say is, she needs my records first before they call for an appt time and date. So, I guess finally something is happening.
I sure hope things aren't going backwards.
 
Oh Ginger, I am so sorry you are still fighting this mess, but at least you have many on your side, trying hard to heal you.
 
Sometimes the pace of medical care seems glacial. I hope you get an appointment, and answers, soon!
 
@sistersinhim @SusieShoes thank you for your thoughts and yes I think I am on a glacial pace for sure. When you were thinking global warming was actually "a thing'! ha.
Looking forward to getting a call soon to at least have a date for appt with the plastic surgeon. Even though it could be a while - that would be some progress. Even then, the plastic surgeon may not be able to help me.
One good thing, this morning my cousin who lives on a farm a half hour from here, brought me a nice sack of fresh sweet corn! Going to have good eats tonight! ;)
 
I hope the plastic surgeon visit can be set up soon and they can come up with a plan to finally close the wound.
 
Gosh do I miss fresh Wisconsin sweet corn! My brother has a farm near Watertown. We used to drive out and get the best corn thereabouts. I get Amish sweet corn now. It's sweet and good, but I think Wisconsin corn is sweeter and more tender.
 
Enjoy that corn! I like it cooked in the shucks in the microwave or roasted in the shucks on the grill. Yum, yum!!
 
Today was dr visit at the wound clinic. They did the regular routine of checking measurements and then the dr drew where the undermining goes under my opening on the outside of my leg.
After looking at it the dr felt like there was little change in it healing and maybe even larger than we started. Not good news. Then he said the wound vac was going to come off for good and they did a daikins flush and inserted hydrofera blue - a type of sponge product I'm told that has some chemical properties that will help inside the wound and then covered it with a large bandage. See me again on Monday.
Although it's nice not having the vac, I asked if this is just a 'stop gap' process until I see the plastic surgeon and the answer is yes. Ok. Now on to the plastic surgeon. Later this morning I got a call from UW and will see Dr there on Monday at 3:30 pm. So, I guess the glaciers are thawing a bit and a little movement is coming on my behalf. I don't have any idea what to expect from the appointment, but I do have a lot of questions. I saw one review of the dr and it said he doesn't have very good bed side manners. At this point, I want my body healed and if it's someone that knows what to do and get it done, fine. I'm not looking for a new friend or somebody to send Christmas cards to......
Sorry I can't upload my picture today, but you have all seen how bad it looks.
Oh, the sweet corn was awesome last night....delicious this time of year.
 
Thank God you finally have an appointment, and quick, too! Who cares if his bedside manner isn't that good as long as his procedures are!
 
good luck on monday with the plastic surgeon. did you ever watch "House"? when Dr. House was criticized for his bedside manner, he used to say "would you rather have someone hold your hand or cure you" lol? loved that show. good that you're not worried about bedside manners ~ good attitude you have. oh and that sweet corn sounds amazing!
 
Getting home from the plastic surgeons appointment. It wasn't much to reveal. He said he needs to hear from my surgeon that the integrity if my knee is ok and that it isn't the problem. Remember this is the surgeon that the nurse didn't want to have me see, because he was sorting out patients and such and I didn't meet his criteria for weight and all. Well, I have an appt with Dr. Negative on Wednesday. The first time we will meet you and he is to call this plastic surgeon and tell him my knee replacement is ok. That in itself is a horrifying thought.
I was told when they called me to set up the appointment for today that they had all the info they needed. Today the surgeon says he needs to see xrays and my records before he can give me a scenario for surgery. .....uh......???? So I guess I will call medical records and get the info for them to fax him. (Again, I assume)
His last piece was this, I'm going to be a difficult case. He will most likely have to involve an orthopedic surgeon in on my case and he is thinking of taking some of my calf muscle and that will be tied to what I have going on right now.
So.......I'm in a holding pattern for now. Again. Looks like it will be a while until the surgery to fix this happens.........
 
This is all so mind-boggling. Why can't they just come up with an answer! You have the patience of Job!
 
@sistersinhim thank you for recognizing my frustration. Mind boggling is a mild word for the frustration I have with all this. Right now, I feel like everyone I see takes one look and says 'I'm not touching that' and walk away and tell me to have somebody else pass the buck.
I actually just got a call from the surgeon I will see tomorrow's nurse. She asked that I get notes from the plastic surgeon sent to them and the notes from the wound clinic sent to them. Godh, the email I sent in preparation for tomorrow s dr visit worked. Thank you, Lord.
Off to get my records to where they need them......
 
Bless your heart. At least it sounds like the doctors and keeping you running here and there, keeping you busy. That will help to keep your mind off of it!
 
My saga continues......
Today I saw the ortho surgeon that took over for my surgeon that did my surgery for my tkr. I was worried after the interaction I has with his nurse, but his nurse was kind and he was thorough asking lots of questions. He took x-rays, but didn't say if they looked ok or not. We reviewed what I had been through with the wound vac and all and that I had been referred to a plastic surgeon at UW. He was surprised that I was referred there. I asked him for his best opinion because I don't know what to think anymore. I told him that the plastic surgeon wanted his opinion that the integrity of my knee was fine before he would consider a flap surgery.

He was concerned that it was 6 months since my surgery to repair the 1st hole. He told me he feels that I have an infection in my knee replacement and it is not keeping me from walking or doing things or causing pain. He felt my knee joint and said he didn't want to aspirate today because it could cause infection so he sent me to lab for a number of blood tests and in a week I will have something like a bone scan where they will give me some radioactive something and if it migrates to the joint then he will know if the joint has to be taken out. Oh my. My horror!

So, as I know it, one day at a time. I did blood tests today first.

Then, I went to the wound Dr. He asked what I found out from the plastic surgeon. I told him nothing really, since he wanted the ortho surgeon to say my knee replacement was ok. Then I told him what I had been through with the 'new' ortho surgeon and his concern that since it's been 6 months and I'm not yet healed that there most likely is infection in my knee replacement and that he is doing blood work first to be sure the joint is fine.

The ortho surgeon felt that there is a sinus tract that may be coming from the joint area and that is what is causing the fluid to keep coming. I told him that I am well aware that I carry more fat tissue on my thigh areas and being overweight and diabetic is likely a problem with it going on so long. He said others have those things too but doesn't take that long to heal. So. Maybe after all this time.

Is it my knee replacement that is causing me all this misery?

Many thoughts going through my mind right now.
Are there others out there that have such a thing happen?
What kinds of questions do I need to ask now?

The wound clinic could only say that all of what the other 2 Drs say makes sense. And, they are letting me change my dressing at home and will see the wound Dr once a week yet until we (I) find out more. The scan won't be until the week of Aug 21. At least I know that I will indeed have the scan and then have to see the ortho after to get results and go on from there. .......ready for the end of the book.

Tired of writing more chapters......
 
This has to be exhausting for you. Of course you're doing the only thing you can: getting the bone scan and finding out if it can provide some answer to your ongoing problem. That it's taking so long is... I have no words. My heart goes out to you. I am with you in thought and hope the scan doesn't show any infection, because who would ever wish that... but at the same time, what will this surgeon do or say if there is none? Just know you have friends here who care about you and what you're going through.

For what it's worth, I am diabetic and had a healing issue with my hysterectomy in part because of that. The other part was because of an infected stitch and seroma. The diabetes complicated my healing because at first I didn't know about it (it first appeared post surgery), but once I knew I was diabetic I kept tight control of my blood sugars through diet and medicine and my body healed the wound. For my knee replacements, the OS was not concerned (I'd lost weight and my blood sugar was still in excellent control) and the medical staff kept an eye on things during post-op. I'm sure your team did the same. Your problems healing are due to something, to be sure, but not that. I hope you track down the reason soon!
 
Oh Ginger, you've been through a lot lately! :console2:
My heart bleeds for all the anxiety and stress you're going through.

You're doing magnificently, holding it all together and running around organising notes etc. I don't really understand why the doctors can't contact each other directly, without you having to request things, but maybe they do things differently where you are.

Hang in there. This seems to be taking for ever, but I'm sure it will all get sorted in the end. Hugs!! :friends:
 
My experience with how my infection came to a head has seemed different from anyone's that I've read here on BS or known in person. But at the time that the infection became apparent my bff, who's had many infections, knew right away what the problem was. My incision was healed, but there was seeping and I had a high fever. I did not have a lot of pain and was bending my knee just fine. My OS office had me come in even though the only dr in the office was a spine/back specialist and PAs, they took one look and sent me to the hospital where a revision specialist was waiting for me. Because it was caught early I didn't have to have the knee removed and a spacer put in. The drs just knew from my symptoms that there was an infection. Blood work was done and cultures were taken during surgery to see what type of infection it was so the infectious disease dr could prescribe the correct meds.

I have LARGE legs. When I first decided on having a TKR the chances of infection was something my original OS mentioned as well as the fact that chances were higher because of the amount of fatty tissue in my legs. After the infection surgery and on two antibiotics the incision was still seeping. Both my ID and revision specialist said that the fatty tissue in my leg made it difficult for the antibiotics to work in my leg. Eventually (4 weeks after infection surgery) the seeping stopped.

I hope the blood work and a possible aspiratation confirms whether it is or is not infected as well as help the dr to know what direction to go. I know you want this resolved quickly, I would too. Hopefully, there'll be answers soon.
 
GingerP said:
What kinds of questions do I need to ask now?
Click to expand...
I think that one or two of these many doctors should take the initiative and set up a conference call between them all. In short, they need to speak to one another.
 
@Josephine I told them today that I felt I was in a rodeo and I didn't have a horse. I'm being bounced about and trusting that together they (meaning all of the drs) are doing their best for me. When I said something to one of the nurses about me asking drs to get in touch with one another, I thought it was odd for the patient to have to get them each to call/email/ or whatever they do - and she said that the patient now has to request things to be done. I'm sorry, but I was trained to be a home economics teacher. Medicine never was on my career path, so how do I know what they are talking about, let alone, protocol, or processes between doctors. All I know right now, I'm going down the path to see if the knee replacement is what has been causing me all this trouble the last 6 months.
I was afraid of seeing this ortho from the rough start I had with his nurse 6 weeks ago, but he was cordial and looked at this with fresh eyes and right away 'wondered' if my problem was coming from my joint.
His nurse told me that I was too heavy and he wouldn't do surgery on me back in June. I don't know what path we are going down, but I'm going to be really upset if my past surgeon who claimed he had done thousands of knees and seen a lot, overlooked my joint as a problem when he did the second surgery to "fix" my little hole.
I appreciate your comments. Don't know how I go about getting them to call and discuss me. Shouldn't be 'me' as the messenger from one dr to dr. That's what I do know.
 
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