Fever and night sweats after complete knee replacement

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hi, i am on day 12 post op for my 2nd knee surgery. had 1ST in may 2018 and it went well. i have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis affecting my hand joints at the moment. on day 2-3 post op still in hospital i developed low grade fever, not constant it varied with and without meds like paracetamol but never higher than 38 C( one occassion). they did blood tests and CrP AND sedimentation was elevated but Crp was elevated even before surgery and they said it could be due to rheumatoid arthritis. for this blood works they said both can be also elevated due to trauma of surgery and coupled with low grade fever i was released home on day 8 post surgery and told fever is standard post op and because there is some bruising and a hemathoma that could be causing it. i asked how long can this last but wasnt given a clear answer. my surgery was done under spinal epidural and some pills that put you to sleep so it wasnt classic anasthesia where you might expect your body flushing meds out, at least not for this long . since then i had low grade fever continue but also extreme night sweating- literally drenched waist up (no sweat smell) several times a night. my daughter insisted i do urine test for uti as i had catheter with my gp and she felt my urine was darker and smellier and test showed high leukocytes count so gp put me on antibiotics. now its day 3 of antibiotics, i finally have some feeling in my bladder ie feeling full and actually needing to go. but fever and especially sweats and general fatigue remains. gp assured me these symptoms should resolve with antibiotics but while i see some bladder and urinary tract progress i still dont feel well at all and now really getting worried its something far more complicated. the wound looks ok and dry, still a bit swallen and there is a haematoma thats starting to look better a bit. My fever is rarely over 37.5, yesterday it started late afternoon and evening and resolved on its own; today i just had to take paracetamol for pain so it went down from 37.3, i am trying to not take paracetmol for pain as trying to see if at least fever is going away but finding it difficult as obviously there is pain especially at the back around the calf and knee itself; also night sweats wake me up and when i measure temp after- its low- 36.3 to 36.7. this is such a different experience than last surgery and i am really now starting to get worried and super anxious and i havent slept in days which isnt helping with recovery obviously. any feedback or experiences from you guys with any of this would be greatly appreciated.

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3 Replies

  • Posted

    Bruising? Sleepless nights? You've just taken your first step on a one-year journey in The TKR Zone...and there is no escape. Although everyone's experience is their own, we all have a whole lot in common. Some people get an infection of the wound site but it gets cleared up pretty quickly.

    Hope some of these help...

    The TKR Experience

    ROM Work At Home

    Other Pain

    ...and post this one on the fridge...

    Reality

    Click on my name, Discussions and See All. I have about 30 of them out there on all sorts of topics. Enjoy...

    • Posted

      hi CHICO thanks for the response and the links.

      sadly this isnt my first rodeo with knee problems and knee surgery. i am prepared for pain and discomfort and sleepless nights. but i am asking about specific set of symptoms like low grade fever and sweating that i didnt expereince before and that do not feel normal part of the healing process. whats more i battled depression and severe anxiety before so mu subjective feelings about this are probably very much amplified as are my worries. my first knee was and still is a good steady recovery that saw me battle pain swelling stiffness sleeplessness crying and anxiety but also it enabled me to be able to walk later on better which was becoming a real struggle. the expereince so far with the second knee is not the best, while i am mobile insofar that i can walk on crutches for a bit and i can flex 90 degrees 6/7 days after surgery but otherwise physically and emotionally its wastly different - i feel extreme fatigue coupled with two symptoms mentioned before which really make me worried. the surgeon is a nice chap that did a good job on first knee but a lot is sort of waved off as normal and it turned out to be an uti complication there. the gp as many gps can simply alot so much or so little of their time to deal with my concerns and i am left pondering during sleepless nights million scenarios why is this different and has anything gone wrong. so i am curious is there anyone else who has gone through this with these specific set of symptoms.

    • Posted

      Depression is very common. I have a discussion out the on the topic. We have heard of people with infections and fever after the op but it's not that common. Typically, the doc and hospital follow up and it gets handled quickly. I hope your case turns out the same.

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