Connect
← Return to Living without a hip
Discussion
Comment receiving replies
Hi Catherine @babypanda, Welcome to Connect. I see that you've already connected with @cmarsh. I thought I would add a pointer to another discussion where members have shared experiences with antibiotic spacers.
-- What kind of mobility can I expect with an antibiotic spacer in my hip:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-kind-of-mobility-can-i-expect-with-an-antibiotic-spacer-in-my-hip/
Here's an article that may provide answers to your question on how a staph infection could occur so many years after your surgery.
"A total joint may become infected during the time of surgery, or anywhere from weeks to years after the surgery.
The most common ways bacteria enter the body include:
- Through breaks or cuts in the skin
- During major dental procedures (such as a tooth extraction or root canal)
- Through wounds from other surgical procedures..."
-- Joint Replacement Infection: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/joint-replacement-infection.
Did your doctor or surgeon have any thoughts on how the infection may have occurred?
Replies to "Hi Catherine @babypanda, Welcome to Connect. I see that you've already connected with @cmarsh. I thought..."
Connect
Hi John,
Thank you for your helpful reply. I feel very alone and afraid right now and am so grateful to have a place to ask questions. I have not talked to my surgeon about the origin of this infection, but I am starting to think it may be dental in origin. Since I’ve had a feeling I’d need a revision I went to my dentist two weeks ago. She found that a large filling had fallen out, but it had not progressed to needing a root canal. I admit I was overdue for a dental visit (it had been one year), but I had an ACDF neck fusion in the summer that came as as a complete shock to me. Whole different topic, but two discs had calcified and almost vanished. I’m going to get dental insurance so I can get my teeth cleaned 3 or 4 times a year after all of this. That actually raises a whole different question…how many times a year should I go to the dentist and get cleanings with hip implants? During the pandemic with no visits I developed an infection and had a root canal as soon as my dentist could see me.
Thanks!!!! Catherine