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Jennifer-
Please understand, the wound is on the ankle bone, and although it had not fully healed the doctor at the wound center gave me the option in August of continuing my weekly follow ups or watching it on my own for awhile with the understanding that if it bothered me much longer I’d come back in to have it checked. I opted for the latter…I re-injured it in September and have been treating it at home with topical antibiotics. It just refused to totally heal, so I re-upped with him this week, and he seemed quite concerned, prescribing a heavy dose of antibiotics capsules, and instructions for keeping it clean and treating it with a new dressing each day.
I understand it’s serious and don’t intend to ignore it.
Thank you for what you do for Mayo Connect.
I’ve been a caregiver for my wife, s lung cancer patient for nearly 7 years now, and a staunch advocate of Connect and Mayo for that matter…
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!
Bill
Replies to "Jennifer- Please understand, the wound is on the ankle bone, and although it had not fully..."
@burrkay Bill, I'm relieved to hear that you are addressing the infection. Bless you for being a caregiver to your wife. That is hard work but it's what we do for love. It's important not to neglect your own health while you are focused on your loved one.
I do know lower extremities take longer to heal than other parts of the body. I had a serious compound ankle fracture in 2020 with a bone broken through the skin, and infection was a concern for my doctors because it was a horse back accident and I had been around horses. The day before, I had seen a doctor because I found a tick on me, so at the time I was injured, I was already on antibiotics which was probably a good thing, and I did not develop an infection. I am a spine surgery patient too (cervical fusion). Both of those surgeries were at Mayo, except the initial surgery to debride the wound and place an external fixation cage on the ankle fracture because I was on a trip when it happened. Does your neuropathy mask the pain of your ankle infection?
Thank you for your holiday greetings and I also share your enthusiasm for Connect. I am here because of my experience of being a Mayo surgical patient and my excellent care. My path to spine surgery took a few years and doctors kept missing the real problem before I came to Mayo because spine problems are tricky. During those years, I was a caregiver to my disabled parents while my dad was at end stage heart disease.
I'm glad you asked the question about bone infection because it is important for others to understand the seriousness of that type of condition. What injury did you have in addition to the infection?
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My husband had a bone infection in his foot last summer. It went undiagnosed for weeks. When he was finally admitted to the hospital he needed emergency surgery and 6 weeks of IV antibiotics. His was diagnosed by MRI. He was ultimately referred to an infectious disease doctor who oversaw his care. I would recommend a consult with an infectious disease doctor since a bone infection is very serious.-