Group: sci.med.orthopedics
Orthopedic Surgery, related issues and management. (Moderated)
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Ankle Osteomyelitis
Ankle Osteomyelitis
I had an arthroscopy in January to remove some loose bodies and scar
tissue in my ankle that had accumulated since a surgery in 2000 to
repair the ligaments after years of playing volleyball. The surgery
went well, and I was back to my normal activities after only a few
days. After a week, I developed a large hematoma which caused one of
the incision sites to re-open. The area was open for a few weeks,
and, in that time, it seems that I developed a staph infection. I
went through three courses of antibiotics and two weeks in a boot, and
it seemed that the infection had gone away.
In early April, my foot began to hurt, and I was soon unable to walk.
In the same area that I had previously experienced the hematoma, I had
a golf-ball sized swelling that was red and warm to the touch. The
doctor drained most of the fluid, and I started two more rounds of
antibiotics. He determined that I was suffering from septic arthritis
and the doctor performed surgical debridement. I spent another two
weeks in the boot went through another round of antibiotics. In the
six weeks since the surgery, the subcutaneous stitches have all made
their way to the surface of the skin and the doctor has removed them
as they have come to the surface. The incision has still not fully
healed even though the incision was only 1 1/4" long.
Over the last few weeks, my energy level has been decreasing daily and
malaise has increased significantly. I have been experiencing
continued pain in the foot, but never to the extent of the pain
experienced when suffering from the septic arthritis. Last Monday, I
was feeling particularly bad and was suffering from severe chills. I
went to see the doctor and had my blood taken and the still open
incision site swabbed.
The blood tests came back normal, but the swab of the incision showed
that the staph infection had come back. I am going in tomorrow and
Tuesday to have some sort of bone scan performed to see if I have
osteomyelitis - a bone infection.
I am quite scared about the prospect of having osteomyelitis as the
doctor said that it would involve surgery to remove the dead tissue
from the bone and six weeks of IV therapy. This it the conservative
approach, and, if the infection if really bad, then it could involve a
lot more.
If anyone has any experience with this disease or could shed some
light on whether they think this is an appropriate diagnosis, I would
really appreciate your input.
I had an arthroscopy in January to remove some loose bodies and scar
tissue in my ankle that had accumulated since a surgery in 2000 to
repair the ligaments after years of playing volleyball. The surgery
went well, and I was back to my normal activities after only a few
days. After a week, I developed a large hematoma which caused one of
the incision sites to re-open. The area was open for a few weeks,
and, in that time, it seems that I developed a staph infection. I
went through three courses of antibiotics and two weeks in a boot, and
it seemed that the infection had gone away.
In early April, my foot began to hurt, and I was soon unable to walk.
In the same area that I had previously experienced the hematoma, I had
a golf-ball sized swelling that was red and warm to the touch. The
doctor drained most of the fluid, and I started two more rounds of
antibiotics. He determined that I was suffering from septic arthritis
and the doctor performed surgical debridement. I spent another two
weeks in the boot went through another round of antibiotics. In the
six weeks since the surgery, the subcutaneous stitches have all made
their way to the surface of the skin and the doctor has removed them
as they have come to the surface. The incision has still not fully
healed even though the incision was only 1 1/4" long.
Over the last few weeks, my energy level has been decreasing daily and
malaise has increased significantly. I have been experiencing
continued pain in the foot, but never to the extent of the pain
experienced when suffering from the septic arthritis. Last Monday, I
was feeling particularly bad and was suffering from severe chills. I
went to see the doctor and had my blood taken and the still open
incision site swabbed.
The blood tests came back normal, but the swab of the incision showed
that the staph infection had come back. I am going in tomorrow and
Tuesday to have some sort of bone scan performed to see if I have
osteomyelitis - a bone infection.
I am quite scared about the prospect of having osteomyelitis as the
doctor said that it would involve surgery to remove the dead tissue
from the bone and six weeks of IV therapy. This it the conservative
approach, and, if the infection if really bad, then it could involve a
lot more.
If anyone has any experience with this disease or could shed some
light on whether they think this is an appropriate diagnosis, I would
really appreciate your input.
