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bursitis knee operation complications

Posted , 5 users are following.

t&malston
t&malston

hi everyone, just a word of caution for you all if you have been given the option to have your knee bursa removed. if I could turn back time I would rather of changed my job so I didn't have to kneel on my leg.

I am a 47 year old marine engineer physically fit but not super fit.

within the last 12 months I was getting swelling in my right knee more and more, caused by frequent kneeing, if the type of work changed I got no swelling at all, but work demanded I use my knees a lot, I went to several different private doctors who prescribed injection, anti inflammatory drugs leading up to an appointment with a traumatologist,I explained the past eight months had been difficult to work so he recommended minor surgery to remove the bursa sack and stated I should be back to normal in 4 to 6 weeks,I of course did as you are doing now reading up on the net first.

so on the 16th Dec 2009 I had my surgery, the small surgery gave me a 1 night in hospital, 10 cm scare on my knee, a little swollen which I thought was obvious and very little discomfort from the healing process all seemed well.

unfortunately my knee filled up with fluid again restricting my job, I returned to see the traumatologist who seemed un-surprised at first and drained about 50ml of pale red fluid from my knee this problem persisted for 1 month more the last time I visited him he made a small cut with a scalpel to help remove more fluid and small blood clots.

but it still filled with fluid, so he suggested a second op to do negative drainage? not sure what he meant but I was desperate to get back to normal.

the surgery took place on the 8th Jan 2010 this was a total failure ime sorry to say my leg swelled up like a football, the pain was terrible but I was discharged the next day to rest, I had only been home 3 hours with my leg raised up when I became tired and confused, luckily my wife was with me and noticed I was bleeding heavily through the thick bandages onto her new cushions, she got me an ambulance to the emergency depot, where they did very little except bind it up too tight and kept me in hospital again so my surgeon could see me the following day.

I cant express in words the severity of pain I went through that afternoon when the doctor performed drainage of my knee in my hospital bed, along with 2 bags of blood transfusions, I honestly cant believe how strong my heart is, it did me proud.

the next day the 9th Jan 2010 my surgeon called to see me and suggested emergency surgery, within 1 hour I was being operated on under gen anaesthetic.

today is Sunday 14th Jan 2010 I should be out with my lovely wife celebrating St valentines day but I am still in hospital, with a drain tube in my leg.

I look awful, I am so pale I feel totally deflated, I cant wait to get better, and get out of here.

please reconsider the full necessity why you need your op, think about your options, there probably has been hundreds of successful bursa operations but I have been so unlucky.

family and friends have already indicated I should take the private hospital to court, but I would not know where to start I just want my life back soon and I pray he has not taken away anything inside my knee that will stop me doing a job I love.

if anyone's interested I will update my experience next month.

on a lighter note the blood stain washed out of the cushion.

take care of yourselves

Tony

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • vanessa04224
    vanessa04224 t&malston

    Posted

    I have been considering surgery to remove a chronic prepatellar bursitis on my knee

    but have been warned that it can back.   Tried all sorts of treatments like drainage and cortizone shots but nothing has worked.  Your surgery story has worried me .

    • heat
      heat vanessa04224

      Posted

      i actually answered back online. dont know if u saw it, but please look!!! if u dont see it I'll answer. I had my first surgery on Feb 5th. My next is May 17th. he wanted to do it next Thursday!!!! Apparently your blood supply can be cut off by your patellar after the first surgery (happened to me). If u dont deal with it in a timely manner it will kill your kneecap!!!! Yup!! Good times!!!

  • andy43566
    andy43566 t&malston

    Posted

    Hi, we are from the West Kootenays in British Columbia Canada. My husband had the same surgery in Trail Hospital. Had numerous drainages from his knee, and one came back with a staph infection. So the bursa was removed, all was going well, then the leg started swelling and turning red and swollen. Was told by surgeon it looked like cellutlitis. Which is a bacterial infection. Also was told he had hematoma .  The blood that was taken out of the swollen knee was black. So he had to have a second surgery to clean and wash out the blood, and to look for a vien that could be  bleeding out.  A note to this, my husband is flagged for MRSA , a bacteria he carries on his skin which regular antibiotics don`t cure. So after surgery he was put on intervenus antibiotics and then on oral. While he was on these, he was doing OK. After 2 weeks, his leg started started getting a bit red and the insition on the bottom part of the knee refused to heal and continued to bleed. It kept bleeding and the leg turned red and swollen. The insition was not healing. He was put on a pump to take out the blood at the insition, not much is happening, and the leg is continueing to get darker, as in purple now, and swollen. As of this point, no one seems to know what the heck is going on. My insticnt is cellulitis has set in, because of the MRSA and the doctors don`t take this as serious. A bacteria of staph that most antibiotics don`t treat!  What do we do now, well it all depends on what our surgeon knows about this bacteria next weeks appt. I guess. I hope your situation is getting better!
    • Connie96372
      Connie96372 andy43566

      Posted

      I have this surgery 4 weeks and having tremendous swelling despite my best efforts.
  • heat
    heat t&malston

    Posted

    I actually would love to talk to you in person. I Read this BEFORE my Feb 5th surgery but never thought it could happen to me either because i worked out 4 to 5 days a week. I am in total pain. i cannot kneel on my knee at all. i look like im 90 years old going down staircase(IM 47).I have a cleaning business!! I need my knee!! You understand what i am feeling!!! I cant bend down at all and i cant kneel on it it all or i will punch your lites out!!!! Everything u posted was right. i just thought i was being paranoid if i listened to you!! I am literally getting depressed because I want to get better and now im worse!!!! At least I know im not alone!!!!

    g

     

    • heat
      heat

      Posted

      you are a mirror image of me!!!! Workout  all the time and I own my own cleaning business!!! I fell at a wedding. I dislocated my knee. But when the final result came, it was just bursitis!!! I could not even kneel on it. Absolutely no weight!!!! I had cortisones shots - not even one bit of help!!!!! I did the bursectomy surgery!!! It made it worse then it was before the surgery!!!!! NOW I HAVE to have surgery within the month AGAIN because my patella is going to cut off blood supply to my kneecap!!! I will talk to you if u want to hear my story. I was once totally energetic!!! I am always in pain and STAIRS are the WORST!!!! DOWN is worse then up!!!!Trust me!!!!! I know!!! I tell everyone I feel like I look like an old lady!!!!!

       

    • heat
      heat

      Posted

      having more surgery

       

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