At wits end - knee problem - desperate!

TipsyNurse

Hi all,

Used to post as Obukit, unfortunately that account needs a password reset to an old email.

I appreciate none of us are doctors but having been seen by loads of doctors and Googled till my fingers are raw I'm asking in desperation in case anyone has experienced similar

In December by right knee swelled up. This was aspirated (drained) by needle four times before I was admitted to hospital with pneumonia. I was also treated with antibiotics twice, once as a precaution prior to the first aspiration and once for cellulitis in the leg. Whilst in hospital they washed out the knee in theatre & inspected with a camera.

Every aspiration & the washout in theatre has come back with no infections. The surgeon said they couldn't see any signs of infection in the knee except for the fact it was swollen up.

When I was discharged they said the plan was to stop IV antibiotics (from hospital) and see if it reoccurred. They've also referred me to the rheumatoid arthritis team but said this is unlikely as young and no other risk factors.

Since discharge the knee is still really warm and also red on the right hand side. It's really painful to walk on, I'm on crutches or an electric scooter most of the time. I can't work and it's doing my head in . Other than being hot and red there is also a large, hard lump across the top of the knee, surrounding the joint.

I have a review on 13th Feb and was wondering whether there was anything worth asking them? Whether anyone has heard/experienced anything similar? I wouldn't mind if they knew what was wrong but at the moment they seem to have no clue and the lack of any *plan* for recovery is driving me crazy.

Thank you in advance.

TN

onwards&upwards

Even if there were doctors on here I don’t think they’d be allowed to give you medical advice i’m afraid.

Your appointment is only 2 days away, and it sounds like this is being taken seriously, I expect you’ll get the rheumatology referral, being young has nothing to with autoimmune conditions sadly, and RA isn’t the only one that can cause joints to swell.  Be patient, nobody can plan until they know what’s actually going on!

I’m a bit concerned that you’re using a scooter though, it seems a bit of an extreme reaction for a young person with a pretty short term (hopefully) issue, surely reducing your mobility like that could just make it worse?

Spoonie_Turtle

onwards&upwards said:

I’m a bit concerned that you’re using a scooter though, it seems a bit of an extreme reaction for a young person with a pretty short term (hopefully) issue, surely reducing your mobility like that could just make it worse?

Mobility aids only reduce mobility if it's for a systemic issue and you basically let the muscles atrophy. In this case I doubt that applies because a) it's short term and b) it's not a systemic issue as far as we/OP knows, just the knee that's the problem at the moment and whatever aid they use, they can't usefully walk on it anyway. A scooter is probably a lot easier for getting out and about and using for longer periods of time than crutches.

(Regards from a young electric wheelchair user - for fatigue more than pain  )

OP I have nothing useful to add about your knee, I just hope they do solve the mystery so that you can start recovering!