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Knee Infection* The girl with the two fake knees

Wow @ACDCJen i just caught up on your thread so sorry to see you have been through the ringer. I pray that you are now over the worst and it will only be up hill from now on. Take care
:console2:
 
Jen, I have been following your journey. You amaze me on how strong you are. Hope all works itself out!!!
 
Wow, that is a wound! It does look clean though. I know you were hoping it was nothing and that your surgeon was just being cautious but at least knowing what the bug is means the antibugs can be prescribed specifically for killing the little blighters.

All power to you for keeping on keeping on. Hugs.
 
Wait, Jen---is the Proteus the cause of your infection? If so, It is a Gram negative infection and I really think you need to have an Infectious disease specialist on your team. Has your doctor had experience with this type of infection? I know that it is not convenient for you to see a specialist, but this is serious and you need to get a friend to drive you to see one. I would feel so much better if an Ifectious disease specialist was working with your doctor.
 
I've been trying to research proteus, but I haven't felt like wading through all the research articles I found. I am going to ask my visiting nurse when she comes next. @Josephine could you tell me the basics? Anything you could share would be helpful to me. Thank you in advance!!


I should have a dressing change Thursday or Friday, so I'll take an updated picture before we pack it again. I hope it looks smaller, even just a little, and that it's red and "beefy." I'm hoping my nurse will let me help because it always makes me feel better when I am a part of the process. Plus, I'm much more gentle!!! I know that it has to be packed more because I'm not getting the drainage I should be. It's not a pleasant experience at all, but it has to be done....several more times over the next few months, might as well get used to it!!

Still feeling sicky but it seems to be a bit better every day. I still stay in my jammies all day and rest, but I hate it!! My infected knee hurts more than before the I&D surgery so it's harder to get around. Thankfully, my left knee is doing wonderfully!! Just want to get back on track as I have active plans for the summer and I desperately want to get back to working.

I hope everyone is well, and I welcome hearing from anyone about proteus, wound vacs, puppies, rainbows, whatever!!!!

Jen
 
I guess it helps it heal better, when they make the wound beefy looking. Yours like mine, the edges get like they are healed off and would be unable to mend the way they were. Your stronger than I was, when I had the tunnels I wanted no part of the packing process, once it was just the wound with out the tunnels I didn't mind tending to it. Although getting that wound vac dressing on correctly requires the help of Houdini or a octopus, always felt the nurse that helped me could have used another hand or 2, lol.
Every day is step in the right direction.
 
My nurse is coming today to change the dressing and start the new unit. I already took 2 of my Oxycodone 10s because this is going to HURT! I'm anxious to see what the wound looks like today. Hopefully, we can get as much sponge in there as possible so the drainage comes out better. I am so not looking forward to this, but it has to be done!!!!

Jen

ETA: What a difference! I think my nurse is the woumd vac whisperer!! So much less painful and she had some tricks up her sleeve to help with the really painful parts. The wound looks better than it did on Tuesday, and it is still beefy and now granulating. There is some swelling on either side of the hole, especially the lateral side. I'm going to start icing it to see if that helps. The measurement is smaller too, but I'm not sure if it was meaaured in the same spot as Monday. Pictures to come later. I'm even more optimistic now!
 
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Thank you Josephine!

Here are a few pictures from today. There is a tunnel at 3 o'clock. Not sure if it's new or if it was revealed in surgery. You can kind of see the swelling by the hole to the lateral side. I'll be sure to have my questions ready for my appointment on Tuesday.

The ever hopeful Jen

[Bonesmart.org] The girl with the two fake knees
[Bonesmart.org] The girl with the two fake knees
 
Please get and Infectious Disease doctor in on your case as the type of bacterial infection can have disastrous results if not handled correctly.
 
Jen, I realize you are in a relatively small town in New York and there doesn't appear to be an infectious disease doctor close by. I'm willing to help you find someone to see in either Rochester or Buffalo if you would be able to drive there for a consultation. I know you have faith and confidence in your surgeon, but an infection like this can be very serious rather quickly if things are not handled properly. Problems are not always evident for someone who doesn't routinely work with serious infections like yours. A second set of eyes on your wound would help ensure that the course of action your doctor is taking is all that can be done. Infectious disease is a highly specialized corner of the medical world and it doesn't mean your surgeon is not a good one....just that this may not be an area he specializes in. Please consider my offer. I feel strongly that it's important for your well-being to be seen by a specialist.
 
Jen, an infectious disease dr can order blood work that can tell him/her how the infection is coming as well as how your other organs are handling the antibiotics. It will give you an idea of how things are going. My labs would tell the ID what my inflammatory markers were, as well as how my white cells were handling the antibiotic and if my body was fighting an infection. They deal with infections like this daily where as an OS most likely does not. As Jamie said, it's nothing on your OS, it's just not their area of expertise. My OS was a revision specialist who was experinced with infections, but I still had an ID while dealing with my infection.
 
Jen, please listen to the council of these smart ladies. It's your knee and your life here and should be taken very seriously.
 
I asked my nurse about an infectious disease doctor and she knows a great one in Brockport. I'll look tonight to see if she is covered under my COBRA and whether I need a referral. I probably need to involve my primary care doc too at some point. I guess I didn't realize how serious this infection was. I did read what Josephine provided about it. I think I'm just in shock and don't know what I don't know.

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll get moving on it ASAP!

Jen
 
Jen, my friend.....you will not regret taking this very important action. I'm glad it has sunk in that this is not just a minor infection. I agree that your primary doctor should be brought into the picture. I'll see what I can find on an infectious disease doctor in Brockport. Nothing showed there on the search I did, but sometimes an internet search is not perfect.
 
I'm so glad you're moving on this, Jen. An ID is a good next step, once you find one you can probably have your records and lab results sent to the ID, then they'll probably want to run blood labs of their own.
 
Jen, further searching of physicians in Brockport doesn't reveal an infectious disease doctor in Brockport. If you find out the doctor's name, could you please post it here? I'd like to read up on the person. It is so important to have the right people involved in your treatment and I'm still not completely convinced you can get that expertise in a small town. You want someone who has seen a lot of this type of infection. It's actually somewhat rare and can be difficult to treat. You don't want to be this person's first or second gram negative case.
 
Where did you have your surgery done? Who was your doctor? Just curious I live on the east side of Monroe County.
 
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