Anyone else with osteomyelitis?

[Debra]

Thanks for your response Mark.

Yes, my osteomyelitis preceded the steroid injection. No other surgical procedure or puncture wound was involved. The infection was definitely hematogenous with no certainty as to its origin. The infectious disease specialist quizzed me quite a bit about possibilities. The best I could come up with was an odd and long-lasting sore on the roof of my mouth in 2009. I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months and the sore appeared shortly before a scheduled cleaning. I thought I should cancel, but my dentist wanted to take a picture of it. I recently asked if he could send the image to my NS and the infectious disease doc. Haven't heard any response yet -- not sure if they could make any conclusive judgment anyway.

The surgeon you mentioned is right. I fell several times in my home when trying to stand or walk. I simply collapsed. After I fell in the hospital, while washing my hands, I was no longer allowed to use my walker independently. After weeks of heavy-duty IV antibiotics, I still rely on my walker and spend most of my time on my side, in bed. The pain has mostly subsided to a constant dull ache that's tolerable, although I do still experience searing pain that elicits a scream and occurs when I'm moving. That's when I reach for the narcotics. I'm in my second week of PT though and am slowly getting stronger.

Do you have any references for autofusion? I don't mind ending up a little shorter, but am concerned that even after strengthening my core the vertebral misalignment will remain a zone of weakness. Also, I worry about the adjacent segments being compromised. My PT also thinks I have mild cauda equina syndrome.

Like all of us I imagine, I just want my life back. When asked by my PT what
my goal was, I said, "To hike the (Grand) Canyon with my son." He's 9. I truly enjoyed watching the video of you skiing. There's a lovely hopefulness there.

Thanks again.

Cheers, Debra

[mmglobal]

Debra, I forgot about Steve55... at several months post-op from 3-level cervical ADR, he had osteomyelitis. The case was very strange. The presentation was unlike a 'normal' post-surgical infection. Labs were not out of range and the onset of the infection was very late.... most likely not from the surgery. http://www.ispine.org/forum/ispine/1...ver-place.html

If you liked the ski video after my lumbar surgery, check this out at less than a year post-op from my 4-level cervical ADR: YouTube - Indoor-Skydive-ROM-Test1.mpg

Hiking the Grand Canyon sounds like a great goal. I'll bet you get there sooner than you think!

All the best,

Mark

[Maria]

Debra,
Welcome to the forum. Sounds like your general spine situation was well managed prior to the osteomyelitis. Did you by any chance have a procedure done like a cystoscopy anytime previous to this? Only because it's pretty rare I think to have this condition and usually the infection is carried by the vascular system hence reaching this location altho have seen reference to possibly related to UTI (procedures that might be carried out re UTI, tooth infection, pneumonia, skin infection). It sounds like your doctor went over all the possibilities re infection though so wishing you the best w/continued recovery.

I've a friend who had osteomyelitis of the great toe altho she is a diabetic and had an infection (didn't realize it until the pain in the toe) and I've seen a few patients with a diagnosis of osteomyelitis in my working days (RN,NP). My friend had a rather slow somewhat painful recovery tho did OK. This was about 15 years ago.

Glad to hear your doctor was good enough to know when to make the call for further testing and you were seen by a specialist pretty rapidly. Hopefully you're making a good recovery and the infection will be taken care of, pain alleviated and hopefully maybe no need for surgery.

BTW I have autofused at L5S1. I had a discectomy there in '89 and rebulged, then a discectomy at L4 which created more problems for me. In the last 10 years I was a candidate for 3 level fusion, 2 level ADR, and lastly fusion at L5S1 and ADR at L4. I started to feel better around '05 tho and decided not to have a 3rd surgery. After being on Neurontin for 12 years for neuropathies following my second spine surgery I have finally been able to go off this drug as I no longer have painful neuropathies (just numbnes, tingling). I'm still on a low dose pain medication every 24 hours however my OSS believes the autofusion is what has helped me pain wise and I believe so as well. I can now sit at least socially to eat and for a somewhat normal period of time w/o having to get up and move around or squirm in discomfort. For years I couldn't sit all and avoided sitting like the plague following my second spine surgery!

Wanted to mention that during the worst years of my pain that I think was much related to L5S1 I was getting ESIs (epidural steroid injections) for the last 10 years. While they may have done nothing for my bone density at least I had very good pain relief from them. I'm no longer a candidate for ADR at all according to my OSS re facet degeneration and I do have osteoporosis. I've never wanted fusion surgery so if that's out I'm ok with that as well. However if I had to have surgery if that were the only option, it was necessary I'd do what I have to (for neurodeficits/cauda equina, etc). Was hoping L4 would autofuse eventually as well as L5S1 or at least in terms of pain alleviation. If anything I think my spine is more stable because of the autofusion. It definately feels so. Haven't noticed being any shorter~ still 5'2". Can walk easily enough, long enough w/o probs with spine tho did develop bilateral posterior tibial tendonitis in my feet and that affects how long I can walk or be up much more than my back has for a number of years now.

I hope if you're autofusing it will be a relief for you as well as long as it creates no other overriding problem. Take care and please continue to post your progress.

[dshobbies]

Debra,

Welcome to the forum - You seem to have an excellent grasp on your own situation. I hope the next two weeks of a/b clear up your infection so you can concentrate on your other spinal problems. It sounds like you're in good hands but please keep the lines of communication open with your NS.

Please keep us posted. Hopefully, once the infection clears up, your 'old' life will be just around the corner.

My best to you, Dale

[Debra]

Thanks for the replies and support.

I did read the post Mark referenced. Steve55 mentioned osteomyelitis, but gave no detail. It's been anything but negligible in my life. Perhaps I'll reply to his post directly and ask...

Again, no diagnostic or exploratory procedures of any kind for many years. Aside from the basic low-level back pain I've been able to manage successfully, I've led a pretty healthy and active life. This is a completely new experience to be taken down so fully. The pharmacist who mixes and delivers my antibiotics said that the overwhelming majority of osteomyelitis cases he deals with are diabetics. We'll probably never know for certain how the staph entered my bloodstream and attacked my spine. Tomorrow I'm having an echocardiograph, entirely non-invasive, to make sure that the infection didn't touch my heart (at least I'm on antibiotics already!).

Maria, I'm very curious about your autofusion. It sounds as though you attribute at least some stability and pain relief to that process. Are your vertebrae well aligned? The fact that mine are offset causes me concern. The intermittent spasming and crippling pain that I'm currently experiencing is occurring only on the left side of my spine now. Previously, my problems were always bilateral. My scoliosis is convex to the right and I don't recall which vertebrae, L2-3, goes to the left or goes to the right. I'm having another X-ray in two weeks to see how the bones look. I get up on the right side of the bed, maybe I'm just tweaking my muscles unknowingly. My severe pain is generally initiated by raising from, or lowering to, a sitting position. Less frequently, I'll be struck when standing or walking. I do also have osteoporosis in my sacrum -- the docs did look for a sacral fracture via CT.

I very much appreciate this forum. Thanks again for the information and concern. The best to you all.

Cheers, Debra

[Maria]

Debra,
Prior to the autofusion I had a great deal of probs with my lumbar spine. There is DDD from L1-L5S1 worse in L3-L5S1, I had a disectomy on L5S1 and L4 and both rebulged, and L3 has an anular tear, and there is nerve root scarring at rt. S1.

The vertebrae are aligned I think tho there is some scoliosis in the lumbar verebrae (and thoracic). I used to have problems when getting up from a sitting position or going into it. Had to lower myself down with care and getting up had to hold on to something or pull myself up (usually avoided sitting because my back would go out too easily.

I used to experience a sharp pain across my low back that would lay me out for weeks at a time. Much spasming and couldn't move re the pain when it would happen. I'd have to say that I had debilitating spasms on a rather frequent basis and the duration or time I was down (in bed) was long in terms of weeks. Sitting too long still can throw my back into a tizzy but at least I can sit which is something I avoided for years!

Now this spasming doesn't occur much. When it does it still can lay me out however for a much shorter duration and frequency of spasms are much less.

I've also found that an injection of Toradol will usually alleviate the spasming and allow me to return to normal functioning that same day or by the very least the next day.

I definately think that the dessication of the L5S1 disc has made for less pain at that level at least. Not that I don't still have problems tho not nearly as much as in the past. (knock on wood)!