Posted: 12/15/2002 8:14:43 PM EDT
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If you guys can remember back about a month or so, I was posting a few questions about artrhoscopic knee surgery. Well, i had the origional surgery on the 19th of Novembor and everything went great until the day before Thanksgiving. I was coming down a flight of stairs at school after my last class before break and was exited about heading home for some good food for once. I slipped just a little and twisted my knee. I heard a pop and was real nervous but I started walking again and everything felt fine until that night. It really started to stiffen up and swell a little. Thanksgiving morning it was so stiff and swollen that i couldn't even put weight on it. I went to my family doctor the next day to have some blood drawn and to have him look at my knee. He tells me I probably tore something and just ice it and take it easy and go back to my surgeon. That night I ended up going to the emergency room because i was in so much pain. They gave me a few demerol shots in the ass and a leg immobilizer and sent me home. Over teh weekend, it swelled up to be bigger then my thigh. my blood results make it back to the doctor on tuesday and my white cell count (the one for in fection that should be between 3000 - 6000) was 38,000. SO he makes me go to the hospital and admits me under the conditions that it will be 24, maybe 48 hours, max. so the next day, the infectious disease doctor comes in and tells me that some of the cultures they did on my blood showed a massive infection and I am going to have to stay in the hospital for at least a week. To say the least, i am kinda mad and start giving the guy a little bit of crap. He looks me right in the face and tells me that if my doctor hadn't caught the white cell count, I would have died in about a week. When somebody comes in and tells you that you could have very easily have died at 20 years old, it hits you damn pretty hard to say the least. That night, I have another surgery to clean out the infection and this time everything goes good. I spent the next 5 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics and pain meds. They only let me out on the condition that I would agree to wearing a fanny pack with a pump and bag of IV antibiotics around with me for the next 3 weeks. And on top of that, I haven't been able to walk since thanksgiving. My leg is so week that I need to use crutches to get around with. So I am sure everyone is wondering how this infection all came about. Well, from what everyone (doctors) can gather, someone forgot to disinfect something before my first surgery! Now I am not a sue happy person but this is bullshit! Thanks for listening to my rant Keving67 |
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That really sucks man, I hope you heal properly and fast. I've know of a couple other people get infections after their surgeries, but not nearly as bad as what yours sounds like. They just took some antibiotics, and that took care of it. I beginning to realize more and more that I was super lucky with my ACL replacement that everything healed properly and I have full strength and full range of motion. Best of luck in your recovery. Do you have any PT to go, or can't you go till after the infection is gone? |
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Quoted: Do you have any PT to go, or can't you go till after the infection is gone? Yes sir, I have in home physical therapy. The doctor's don't want me leaving my house for some reason so 3 times a week I have a physical therapist and a nurse stop in and work on me. Its easier then getting up and out every other day. Keving67 |
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Well, I'm glad that you're still with us. Three years ago I had a similar incident with my leg when I tore a muscle playing softball. It got sore and infected and I ended up having surgery due to a Salmonella infection that had set up in my leg a week an a half after the initial injury. Nobody had ever seen anything like it and I was in the hospital for over a week. I was told that I would have died as well if I had waited a couple more days. I don't believe it though, after all, I'm 10' tall and bulletproof. [:)] |
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Quoted: Yes sir, I have in home physical therapy. The doctor's don't want me leaving my house for some reason so 3 times a week I have a physical therapist and a nurse stop in and work on me. Its easier then getting up and out every other day. Keving67 That has to be nice, having a nurse and therapist come out to you. I know the day after my surgery they had me going to PT, I was still woozy from the anistecia(sp) and could barely use my crutches. It had to be a sight to see my trying to get in and out of my mother’s car. The first few weeks of PT were hell, especially that damn electric shock thing they attach to your knee that extends it. That and that platform with the ball underneath it, was really hard and hurt too. Do the exercises they tell you to do, they do help. Best of luck to you in your speedy recovery. |