A picture says a thousand words

Just a quick post showing what PVNS can do to bone and realising why I was in soooo much pain because of it.

The photos are quite graphic, so just a warning for those who have a weak stomach.

I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy, I am soooo lucky that my PVNS has NOT recurred.. these photos were taken exactly 10 years ago and surgery this year confirmed i was in the all clear.

My PVNS was eliminated by the use of cryotherapy (freezing) to a temperature of -150 degrees Celsius. This was done to ensure the PVNS hadn't gone through to the inside of my pelvic wall. Cryotherapy also destroyed my cartilage which then meant I required a total hip replacement.... give me a hip replacement any day, if it means the below never comes back.

My femoral head after it was removed from my leg in theatre before my Total Hip Replacement in 2001.  The PVNS had eaten into each side.. The two cuts are where the surgeon made a cross section to see inside - see below.

This is a cross section of the femoral head.. The PVNS had taken a bite out of each side and pretty much destroyed my joint overall... It had also gone in and through my socket and left 2mm of my pelvic bone before it broke through to my "lady area". Imagine what it would have done to my soft tissue in there, if it does this to bone!!

Wear your scar with pride, the reason it is there may be more important to your well being than anyone could ever know.

 

Infection!!

It does happen.... and its happened to me!! My poor scar is looking rather nasty, but its whats underneath that is worrying me!!

The day before I noticed the infection       The day the scar became hot and inflamed

I am currently 6 and a half weeks post op of having a bone cyst removed from my pelvis. This is the 4th operation I have had on my hip in the last 12 years. Its the first time I am going through the experience of having an infection :(

BE AWARE OF INFECTION AND WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR AFTER AN OP!!
1. Hot Incision (could fry an egg)
2. Swelling/Hardening of the Incision (ewww it looks yuk)
3. Redness (with flames)
4. Drainage From the Incision (I didn't have this)
5. Pain (tell me about it)

I never thought it would happen to me! Its actually quite common, but come on really, I look after myself, it wont happen! Yeah well it has.

18 days post op, my scar became hot to touch, red and inflamed!! The key signs of infection!! (see pics above). This was also 2 days before xmas! My GP, surgeon and anyone with a brain in the medical profession was now on holidays! My gland in my groin was swollen and sore to touch, so I gave myself a phd in medicine and made it my task to find someone who could write a script!

I found the nearest medical centre and tell the doctor what is happening and what I need. He doesn't even look at my scar, writes me a script and at the chemist I fill a prescription for an antibiotic! I only get one of the two I was discharged with from hospital (I couldn't remember the other one, so for now I thought it was better to have something rather than nothing). Xmas was here and I'd get to a better doctor in a few days!

Xmas day was spent on the couch with ice on my leg, Boxing day was spent at the hospital in the after hours clinic... more antibiotics were ordered. This seemed to settle the redness and also calm down the raised scar tissue for the next week or so. It was still hot to touch and my hip was still quite painful, but it seemed to be sorting itself out. New years happened and I had a fantastic night sending off 2011!! She had been a tough year!!

2012 started with me sleeping away a lot of day 1 and 2! It was like I was abnormally fatigued so I decided to head off to my own GP a few days later, I just didn't feel right and the scar still didn't look 100%. She asked me to get my bloods taken, gave me my 3rd course of antibiotics and given the look of my scar, advised me to book an appointment with my surgeon.

He was still overseas on xmas holidays so I was to see his assistant. Actually the assistant who was involved with my operation, so that was promising! Boy was I wrong.

I was told it wasn't infected as my bloods came back normal, he said it was normal for an incision to look red, especially after bone graft surgery and to stop taking my antibiotics. You know I actually believed he was right. I think I was at my wits end with everything going wrong that I thought "you know what, he's the doctor, i trust him, my health is in good hands.... sweet!"

Back at work a few days later... I was on the mend!

4th day back at work, and my scar was raised again. That's it! I called my surgeons office, he was heading down to theatre in 40 mins, so i jumped in the car and got to him before he left. The look on his face was enough said... holly shit, I was now worried.

Bloods were taken again and an ultrasound ordered. $240 later but hey, infections can be nasty, whats $240 to look after your health. It was confirmed, I had a 2.5cm x 1.5cm mass of thickened tissue (not scar tissue) and 15cm x 2.5cm x 1.5cm of fluid underneath the entire scar.... faaaarrrkkkk!!! It looked superficial, but a deep wound infection still couldn't be ruled out.

This morning, I saw the doctor first thing. Bloods are clear, the ultrasound reviewed, more tests needed to be done. Local anaesthetic, biopsy and a cat scan of the scar and it shows what we all wanted to hear. It isn't a deep wound infection! My surgeon grabbed my hands, looked me in the eyes, smiled and danced up and down celebrating my 15cm of superficial fluid :) stoked!

After I was poked and prodded to find out exactly what was going on

So now it is just back on the antibiotics and wait and see what this thing really is once the biopsy results come back. I may still need to open up the wound and curette the infection out, but worst case is..... whats a couple of days back in hospital compared to weeks of cleaning out an open, deep, infected wound... I can count myself a very lucky girl.

My scar looking it's worst :( the black dots were markers to show where the red had spread too
Wear your scar no matter what the pattern is!! Its when it decides to be sexy red and smokin hot that you cover it up!

At least I have my legs!

Not only is this something I have always told myself since I had my first operation when I was 18.... 12 years ago!! I seem to have been saying this to complete strangers more than to myself in the past 4 weeks!

I guess strutting around in crutches to parties, weddings, the beach, the supermarket, the bank, in the lift of my unit block.... pretty much every where I go, ALWAYS attracts the question "So what have you done to yourself?" I find it quite comforting to see jaws drop when i reply "I had my hip replaced", and they say "oh wow for someone so young?" Then I smile "Well actually I had it replaced 10 years ago and just had some revision surgery done a few weeks ago"... The fact they are gobsmacked and would never have picked something as crazy as a hip replacement instead of a broken leg does more good to my self esteem than they know.

I'm happy to tell my story, its my way of self therapy with dealing what I have gone through and even though I am telling others that everything is OK, I really am telling myself too.

The thing is people listen and then instantly feel sympathetic, or sorry for me, of which I completely understand! Why wouldn't they, I am most probably worse off than they are. This is where adding the final comment "At least I have my legs" seems to floor people, and i see them thinking, shit I really am lucky! This chick was 19 when she lost her natural hip, and she still has the ability to recognise that there are others out there that worse off than her and she just walked away smiling or turned the conversation onto something else, like asking me how my kids are or what I did on the weekend! This is what gets me through, that people really care to listen and understand, and that I hopefully help people appreciate that what they have in their own lives is always better than someone elses.

So right now, I am still hopping around on 2 crutches, which is 4 weeks post op from having a bone cyst curetted out of my pelvis (above my socket cup) and my bone stock grafted into the hole remaining. Its like I have cement that is setting but it still isn't dry, another 2 weeks and Ill be good to go :)

Unfortunately though, 2 weeks ago I noticed my incision became really inflamed and I am now on my 3rd course of antibiotics to treat an infection :( of which I hope is not in my bone, but as always Ill get through it, just means i have been given a great excuse to be forced back onto my backside! DVD's and day time TV here I come!

It helps to have the most amazing friends and family supporting me through all of this, so for those of you reading this, thank you! You know who you are xxx

Wear your scar like a cute new dress, it will leave a lasting impression, more positive than you think :)

Love Bel....

P.S. photos below with my artificial pair of legs for now - they make great accessories :)

At a wedding at the Siebel Pier One in The Rocks, Sydney Harbour!



After midnight at a Hawaiian themed New Years Eve party. The crutches were used more than just for my leg, helping me with my intoxication worked wonders :)