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Joint infection after TKR

Posted , 8 users are following.

Snoozy69
Snoozy69

Hi all its been a while since i've posted been a bit busy with life. anyway the reason why i came onto this forum in the first place was to get answers due to a difficult recovery. I know recovery is hard so i thought what i was going through was the norm. I went for my yearly check up back in October and had an xray and was seen by an arthroplasty practitioner. There was a black shadow at the top of my Tibia and she thought it was a cyst and that she would refer me back to my consultant. i waited a couple if months and i hadnt heard anything so i saw him privately with my health insurance. He looked at my xray and said straight away that it looked like it had moved. He sent me for a bone scan and blood tests. The bloods came back normal no change in the inflammatory markers. The bone scan however shows a lot of activity in my left knee where i had the TkR . The radiographer has reported on it suggesting there could be an infection. I have been referred to another consultant who specialises in revisions and after seeing him he us sure there is an infection in my Tibia that has caused the loosening. He wants to aspirate the joint to confirm this. if there is an infection my implant has to come out and left out for 6 weeks and a course of Iv antibiotics given before doing the revision. Has anyone else here gone through all this. ive been told it is very rare

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • lynda49844
    lynda49844 Snoozy69

    Posted

    Really sorry to hear you have this problem. I've not heard of this being discovered so long after surgery. I used to work in medical insurance and we had a couple of clients who had infections post surgery and had to have their prostheses removed whilst the infection was dealt with. I seem to recall being told it was rare, maybe 1% of patients. It doesn't help if you're in that 1% though, does it? Wishing you the very best outcome as you go forward.

  • jenny61596
    jenny61596 Snoozy69

    Posted

    What country are you in?

    • jenny61596
      jenny61596 Snoozy69

      Posted

      I asked because my specialist said there were a lot of knee ops in uk that went wrong, he told me he spent his time there doing revisions. Hope you get it fixed this tine around

  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 Snoozy69

    Posted

    Not as bad as you but here is my story.

    TKR 7 years ago.

    No problem until 15 months ago.

    I had a urinary infection and it spread to my knee that had been replaced. Consultant said I had been unlucky but this can happen sometimes. If you have an infection anywhere in your body it can spread to a joint that has been replaced.

    I was on IV Antibiotics for 6 weeks.

    Consultant has also put me on antibiotics Flucloxacillin 4 a day for the rest of my life!! I am 68 years old. Hopefully this will prevent this happening again. Consultant was very worried at the time of infection.

    I went for a follow up appointment to consultant on Friday. Had an x ray which looks fine no sign of anything coming loose.

    I am very impressed with my consultant he has kept a very careful eye on me.

    Good luck with all of this.

    Do take care and keep in touch

    Sarah

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 sarah87162

      Posted

      He asked if I've been unwell but I haven't. The new consultant said that infections in joints are different to any other sort of infection in that they can stay localised to that area. I think it's been there for a long time as my recovery was very slow and painful. It's not until the joint has become loose that it's been investigated and that's after I've made myself a nuisance to get seen x

  • jenny80029
    jenny80029 Snoozy69

    Posted

    aaah! so sorry to hear this.... hopefully someone on here has experience..

    😯 why do they have to remove it? does it feel odd or painful?

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 jenny80029

      Posted

      HI Jenny on the xray it looks like it has become loose and they think its due to an infection which is underneath the implant. infected or not i still need a revision

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 Snoozy69

      Posted

      gosh, well I hope it all goes well. I feel sorry for you having to go through it all again though...you are going to be a true expert in this business! it's just as well you were assertive and got it looked at...

  • rosemary63666
    rosemary63666 Snoozy69

    Posted

    Hi I'm very interested in your story...I have a similar story..I too had to ask to be seen by a consultant as I'm 7 months after my TKR...I was seen 5 weeks after op and that's it..no call back since...I have constant pain but like you I thought this was normal, I was thinking it will take 12 months to be back to normal..I was told yesterday in the hospital that the pain is because my knee is loose and stretched....I had 2 options...one, do nothing only wear a knee brace...2, have it revised...no way am I getting the same knee done again...he did bloods test for knee infection...I didn't get a call today with results so I'm hoping no infection...so are you saying if there is an infection, we have no choice...we'll have to get it done again..😰

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 rosemary63666

      Posted

      Hi Rosemary if your bloods come back normal it doesnt rule out an infection. They have to aspirate the joint to confirm an infection. if it is infected it has to be removed and treated to ensure all the infection has gone before doing a revision. its all a bit doom and gloom im afraid. i just want mine sorting

    • rosemary63666
      rosemary63666 Snoozy69

      Posted

      Hi Snoozy,Thank you for reply, he did mention if bloods were abnormal he would do asperation of fluid and send to lab....i rang secretary this morning for results she said shell get back to me later...feeling very anxious now....

      i dont want a revision....

      i got my TKR in june 2018 i have never been free of pain since the day it was done....like you i thought this was normal as it took 12 months to heal.... i wasnt told anything about the risks of having it done....

      i think the surgon didnt fit it properly and thats the problem....it didnt get loose....it was loose from the day of insertion...

      where are you now in your progress?.. ill let you know how i get on and you let me know.....i live in Ireland.

      Rose.

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 rosemary63666

      Posted

      HI Rose, like i said before my inflammatory markers are all normal but this doesn't mean there isn't an infection in the knee it just means i haven't got an infection anywhere else that has spread to my knee. I'm still waiting for a date for the aspiration to take place but i will indeed inform you of any progress. Its going to be a long bumpy road so I will just go with the flow ..... i live in England

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