Outpatient Hip Replacement -- You Never Know!

[ESquared]

With lots of great support and advice from members here, I zoomed through my hip replacement on May 4th, which was followed by 6 weeks of PT and a complete release by my Ortho shortly after that.

Fast forward to 12 weeks post-op, and last Tuesday I spiked a fever and teeth-chattering chills, shortly followed by acute pain in the surgical area. Had Blood drawn and took a COVID test on Wednesday. Whatever markers the Ortho was looking for in the blood work were "elevated," but not to crazy levels.

By Thursday, the pain was worsening, still no COVID results, and the Ortho was more concerned/less dismissive.

On Friday AM, he called me in, and another Doc withdrew about 12 oz of fluid from a couple areas around the hip joint. Please note that having this kind of thing done on a Friday is not good. Nothing happens over the weekend, and the weekend apparently starts at noon on Fridays.

The weekend was more of the same, but I dialed in my meds to manage the pain as best I could. Last night, I got a NEGATIVE COVID result, so scratch that as concern.

Today, his PA called to inquire about my well-being, and I updated her, along with the COVID outcome and "still hurts like hell" diagnosis. Within minutes she called me back, saying the Doc wanted a sit-down to discuss my surgical options. An hour later, we were face-to-face.

From the juice they extracted on Friday, my white blood cell counts are 10X normal levels and 94% of them are "odd looking" WBCells. Some sort of infection confirmed, but the real story lies in the cultures that tell exactly what bug it is we're fighting. Those cultures take a while to grow, but he doesn't want to wait.

Long story longer, I'm going back in tomorrow for surgery to flush the original site, and they'll also install a PIC line so they can begin carpet-bomb levels of antibiotics until the labs reveal exactly which one we should be using.

Needless to say, more to come, but I guess it just goes to show you can't ever really tell. For this to have popped up 3+ months post-op is a way less than 1/2 of 1% scenario. Maybe once we figure out the strain, we'll be able to piece it together.

Will keep all you posted, but, in the meantime, send your good vibes, mojos and whatever else ya got!

[JEBar]

thoughts and prayers .... take your time and take care of yourself

[RanchRoper]

Prayers and speedy recovery.

[cooperhawk]

Wow! Hang in there.

[RetiredSeabee]

Mojo sent! Hope it helps.

[CT_Shooter]

...in the meantime, send your good vibes, mojos and whatever else ya got!

Good vibes are in the westward air, Evan. Hoping for the very best outcome. And, play the lottery before you go! With odds like ...way less than 1/2 of 1%, it sounds like you might be next in line to win.

[Lyman]

Prayers for a speedy recovery.

[BigAl52]

Hey Evan sorry to hear about this. I hope all goes well and you get the help you need. Prayers for the best.

[Grunt67]

Evan, that's a tough row to hoe. Hang tough buddy, we're all pulling for ya.

[Shakey Jake]

Sorry to hear E! Hope they get things under control after the pathology report. Hope your doc but a rush on it.
Jake

[markiver54]

Evan,
Sending everything positive I know of your way. Hope results and recovery come swiftly!!
You have too much to enjoy to be tied down with this for long. Hang in there!!!

[Ernie]

You have my best thoughts and prayers. Hope to hear good news soonest.

[ESquared]

Many thanks to you all for the well wishes, and apologies for the delay in getting this update out there. Wasn't discharged until after 2PM on Friday, 8/14.

Tuesday's surgery was more than I bargained for, as the buried hematoma presented itself as a pretty big deal once the surgeon got in there, and it led all the way down to the joint. SO, he popped it all apart (meaning my hip joint), replaced the ball on the top of the femur, as well as the heavy-duty plastic liner that fits inside the hip socket. Flushed the heck out of it, took some more samples for labwork, then put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Tuesday night was the beginning of 2X per day doses of I/V vancomyacin (sp?), which take 2 hours each to administer. Vanco is apparently one of the "carpet bombers" of antibiotics, which is a good thing, because they have yet to find a bug growing in all those samples in the lab incubators. Vanco it is, I guess, because the statute of limitations on how long it takes a bug to grow in the lab is rapidly expiring.

They kept me until Friday, hoping for the identification of a bug, while planning for what happened, which is "we still don't know." They set me up with a small division of CVS Pharmacies, who visited/trained me in the hospital on how to DIY this whole I/V thing at home, and by 5:00 Friday night, I had two large boxes (iced down) with a week's worth of vanco, dozens of syringes full of saline, smaller syringes with pre-dosed heparin, tubing, a tripod pole for the bag to hang from, hundreds of alcohol wipes, etc. In addition, a home health nurse will drop by once per week to change the dressing around the PICC line and draw blood samples. Beats being in or around hospitals for this kind of thing, so I'm very grateful.

So, every 12 hours, I've been doing the Vanco Drill, and it's not too bad. Better than almost all of the alternatives, I'd say. Will be visiting the I.D. Doc this week, my Ortho the following week, and we'll see how long this journey is going to be.

In the meantime, the hip feels better than it has a right to, I'm getting around pretty darn well, can drive myself wherever, and it'll probably be motorcycle time by next weekend! Clearly, all of the prayers and support from here have put me on the path to recovery.

This coming week will also have me meeting up with Mr. & Mrs. JEBar as they pass through KC on their way back home. We've decide not to shoot, but will have at least a dinner together and maybe some good ol' "hanging out time" at his campground this week (gotta work around the aforementioned I.D. Doc appt).

Thanks again to all of you.

[Ernie]

Wow, you have been handed a plateful. You seem to have a good attitude which is great. Will still keep the good thoughts coming and hope everything works out well shortly.

[CT_Shooter]

Thanks for the update, Evan. Glad you're home and improving. And, I hope you won't need the self-administered IV drip for too long.

[markiver54]

Thank you for the update Evan!!
As Ernie said, you do have a lot on your plate. So glad you're feeling as good as you are, and are able to get around.
Keep us posted and enjoy your visit with the Boss!

[BigAl52]

Glad to hear you are the mend Evan. Maybe when you get back to shooting strength you should hang that murphy target out and put a few holes in it. Sounds like Murphy is alive and well at your house. I know he hangs around my place even though he isnt welcome at all.

[ESquared]

I feel like I've got some perverse version of "the operation was a success, but the patient died."

My hip is feeling better every day, but the treatment of the "mystery bug" is proving to be the bigger challenge. Doc doesn't like the reaction to the vancomycin, so he's switching me to another flavor tomorrow. Once per day dose, no hanging bags for two hours (just a slow push - 10-15 minutes).

The only bad news is they won't do it in-home without doing a "first dose" in a clinical setting to make sure I don't have some wacky reaction, so it's back to the hospital tomorrow for said first dose and some period of observation. I'll try not to twitch uncontrollably.

Getting there!

[BigAl52]

Wow Evan sounds like this bug aint playin fair at all. Good luck were all pullin for ya for sure. Keep us posted.

[CT_Shooter]

I feel like I've got some perverse version of "the operation was a success, but the patient died."

Good luck today, Evan. I hope this one does it. Sounds like you'll get a bit more than just a paragraph in the next infectious diseases textbook.