My Knee Infection Private

⁣The Story ~ I had my left knee replaced May 2011. I developed an infection on the top 1/4 of it. I only have 1 photo, taken with my cell phone, of the actual infection, thus the quality is not as nice as I would like it to be. I also have a picture of what my knee looks like now.

I developed the infection just after I got my staples out. I asked my surgeon’s PA about 1 staple hole that looked inflamed. She said not to worry about it. Well, you can guess the rest right? That is the hole the infection started from.

I was in a rehab center when I got the infection. The floor nurse called my surgeon to tell him about it.. She was so surprised when he showed up himself. She came into my room and said your Doctor is here. Didn’t sound out of the ordinary to me!

He took one look at my knee and said start on Rifampin (I forget how many times a day). I was to keep my wound covered 24/7 unless a nurse was changing the dressing. I had to have 3 dressing changes a day. I was not a pretty sight. Didn’t really hurt to much. I was on Rifampin for 4 weeks before it completely healed.

After my Doctor left the floor nurse came and told me the 5 years she had been working at the rehab center she had never seen a Dr come himself. Either phone in a medication or send PA to check on it. This is one of many reasons why this Doctor is the only one I allow to touch my joints/bones.

All that I’m left with now in a gnarly looking scar. Healed knee picture took tonight as I was writing this. LOL