Monday, October 7, 2019

Been Laid Up Awhile

But feeling better.

I tripped in my garage two years ago (October 2017) and shattered my left shoulder such that it had to be replaced.  Unfortunately it became infected four months later and my surgeon opened me up again to clean it out. He thought he had it all... he didn't.

The infection came roaring back with a vengeance. After a bunch of useless tests this summer (a lump the size of a small potato on my shoulder wasn't enough - ultrasound, nuclear bone scan, CAT scan) he finally had another test that pulled nasty strawberry sludge out of the shoulder. He then admitted it was an infection but he was not comfortable doing another replacement, I looked for another surgeon and found one.

To make a long story short, the metal prosthesis was removed last Monday and a cement spacer impregnated with strong antibiotics was inserted. I was very fortunate in that although my shoulder was filled with pus and other fluid, the bone was not damaged by the bacteria.

The spacer must stay in for six weeks along with a heavy regime of injected antibiotics delivered through a PICC line in my right arm.  Twice a day my wife does the PICC routine. This takes almost six hours a day.

I came home Thursday. The constant pain of infection is gone now, I just have the discomfort from having my shoulder cut open again; a mild narcotic (do not like the oxy stuff) keeps that at a tolerable level.

Once I'm healed, I must make a decision on when to have the permanent metal replacement joint put in. I think I'll put that off for a bit.

But Thank The LORD for the science/knowledge that made this possible. The nursing staff at the hospital were simply awesome, they couldn't do enough for me.

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