Anyone else with osteomyelitis?

[Debra]

Hi,

I'm new to the community, and after searching the forums haven't found anything comparable to my situation. Hoping this might engender some new discussion.

First, an introduction. I'm a 51 year old woman with a 30 year history of intermittent lower back pain, always alleviated quickly through exercise and massage, UNTIL 12 August. I bent down from my office chair to scoop a cable off the floor. As I brought my back up to vertical, I felt that very familiar lumbar discomfort. I initially thought, OK, I know how to deal with this, and began stretching. However, by the following day I could no longer sit without excruciating pain. Shortly thereafter, I couldn't do anything without intense pain. I began having disabling spasms that circled my pelvic girdle and radiated bilaterally to the knee. I saw my GP. His prescription was 2400+ mg of ibuprofen, soma, and hydrocodone. After 12 days of this I could no longer eat (although I wasn't exactly ravenous anyway) because my stomach was destroyed. Besides, nothing touched the pain, even when he upped the narcotic to oxycodone. In the interim I began seeing a chiropractor upon a friend's recommendation. Initial X-Ray summary: DDD at L2-3 w/ assoc. spondylosis and lower lumbar facet arthropathy; Mild scoliosis below L3. After two weeks of treatment with little relief other than the spasming becoming more localized, my chiropractor, to his credit, said, "I'm not helping you, there's something else going on and I think you should get an MRI."

I contacted a neurosurgeon I know superficially who has a good rep. (I live in Flagstaff, AZ -- you sort of know everybody after a while). He looks at the image the same day and schedules an office visit for me 3 days later, coming in early just to get me in! He suspected initially that I might be a candidate for fusion and discectomy, but when seeing me said that my palpable pain level did not match what he was seeing on the MRI. A CT-guided steroid injection stopped my leg pain, but didn't touch my back. Blood work showed a sed rate (ESR) of 100 and a high WBC. He puts me in the hospital. More imaging and a biopsy confirm osteomyelitis with the infectious agent staph aureus. A few more issues, e.g., stenosis, sacral bony demineralization, but everything is background to eliminating the staph.

Since release from the hospital I've been on 3x/day IV antibiotics. Four weeks down, two left to go! Two weeks ago an X-Ray showed that my vertebrae are self-fusing but are laterally offset. My NS said that shouldn't be too problematic for mobility, but I found the image pretty disconcerting. No guarantees about surgery down the road.

Sorry this is so long. If anyone out there has been down this road, I'd love to hear about you experience.

Thanks so much, Debra

[mmglobal]

Debra, welcome to the forum.... sorry you need to be here.

If I understand correctly you have never had any procedures done until the steroid injection. I also understand that the infection is unrelated to the injection????

I've handled over 600 clients now and have seen only a few cases of osteomyelitis. One case was secondary to discitis introduced with a PLLD (percutaneous laser lumbar discectomy) procedure. The other cases were long before I was involved and had to do with infections following open spine surgery.

From the tone of your post, it sounds like things are nicely controlled and you are making progress. I assume that the pain of the osteomyelitis is similar to tha pain of discitis. As one surgeon told me, "most patients are unable to ambulate." My client was like that... could hardly walk or sit up... just getting to the ER was an amazing ordeal.

Fortunately, he had a successful debridement surgery. The recovery was long, but he did recover well and the level ultimately auto-fused.

Thanks for posting. I look forward to learning more about your situation and hopefully we'll get some good news about your recovery!

All the best,

Mark

[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)!

[robbo_australia]

Originally Posted by Debra

Hi,

I'm new to the community, and after searching the forums haven't found anything comparable to my situation. Hoping this might engender some new discussion.

First, an introduction. I'm a 51 year old woman with a 30 year history of intermittent lower back pain, always alleviated quickly through exercise and massage, UNTIL 12 August. I bent down from my office chair to scoop a cable off the floor. As I brought my back up to vertical, I felt that very familiar lumbar discomfort. I initially thought, OK, I know how to deal with this, and began stretching. However, by the following day I could no longer sit without excruciating pain. Shortly thereafter, I couldn't do anything without intense pain. I began having disabling spasms that circled my pelvic girdle and radiated bilaterally to the knee. I saw my GP. His prescription was 2400+ mg of ibuprofen, soma, and hydrocodone. After 12 days of this I could no longer eat (although I wasn't exactly ravenous anyway) because my stomach was destroyed. Besides, nothing touched the pain, even when he upped the narcotic to oxycodone. In the interim I began seeing a chiropractor upon a friend's recommendation. Initial X-Ray summary: DDD at L2-3 w/ assoc. spondylosis and lower lumbar facet arthropathy; Mild scoliosis below L3. After two weeks of treatment with little relief other than the spasming becoming more localized, my chiropractor, to his credit, said, "I'm not helping you, there's something else going on and I think you should get an MRI."

I contacted a neurosurgeon I know superficially who has a good rep. (I live in Flagstaff, AZ -- you sort of know everybody after a while). He looks at the image the same day and schedules an office visit for me 3 days later, coming in early just to get me in! He suspected initially that I might be a candidate for fusion and discectomy, but when seeing me said that my palpable pain level did not match what he was seeing on the MRI. A CT-guided steroid injection stopped my leg pain, but didn't touch my back. Blood work showed a sed rate (ESR) of 100 and a high WBC. He puts me in the hospital. More imaging and a biopsy confirm osteomyelitis with the infectious agent staph aureus. A few more issues, e.g., stenosis, sacral bony demineralization, but everything is background to eliminating the staph.

Since release from the hospital I've been on 3x/day IV antibiotics. Four weeks down, two left to go! Two weeks ago an X-Ray showed that my vertebrae are self-fusing but are laterally offset. My NS said that shouldn't be too problematic for mobility, but I found the image pretty disconcerting. No guarantees about surgery down the road.

Sorry this is so long. If anyone out there has been down this road, I'd love to hear about you experience.

Thanks so much, Debra

Hi Debra,
I found your post very interesting. I am 37 yo male from Australia I am currently in hospital being treated for Chronic Osteomyelitis in my right tibia (note the bacteria found which is a skin bacteria is not the usual bacteria usually present for this disease. Additionally no obvious trauma initiated the infection). Have had IV antibiotics for 11 days now with around 31 days to go. There was debate between my surgeon and the infectious disease specialists which way to go after the initial bone biopsy. Denridement was recommended by ID but my surgeons have gone for 6 week IV antibiotics. It started with intermittent knee pain usually at night for approx 8-10 yrs. Doctor a few years ago stated its probably athritis due to the amount of sport i played in my life. MRI and CT Scans a couple of months ago revealed otherwise.

The reason I found your post so interesting is that I have injured my back on several occasions (approx 98, 05 & 08) which have produced lumbar spasms and ongoing mild back pain with the most recent the most damaging for which I have not been able to recover. I can put up with it but there is definately an issue. The MRI of my back has revealed some annular bulges, thecal sac impingement and a few other things. Just thinking now that my back and tibia may be related perhaps? I have seen lower back pain listed as a symptom of chronic Osteomyelitis. Might have to ask the doc tomorrow.

Michael

[Debra]

Hi Michael (& others...),

So you've been diagnosed with chronic osteomyelitis. Do you know why the docs determined your condition was chronic? I was diagnosed with acute vertebral osteomyelitis. From the reading I've done, the history and pathology of chronic and acute states of OM is different and consequently the treatment regiment is different. Typically, chronic is treated surgically (debridement) first and acute is treated with antibiotics. The reason for this is they're eliminating dead bone under the chronic condition and fighting extreme inflammation with the acute condition. Interesting that your ID and NS docs had different treatment recommendations.

From what you wrote it sounded like they did find an infectious agent, but you also said that it was unusual (?). Did you have an abcess? What did your scans show? Curious too that you've had longstanding knee pain, but are presenting with an infection in your tibia. Is there a connection? As to a connection between your leg and back pain, I'll leave that to the docs. My back pain, however, was not mild -- it was excruciating and immobilizing. That was what my NS first noted, he thought I was in way too much pain for what the radiologist thought was a herniation on a non-contrast MRI. Regardless, I wholeheartedly wish you well and hope you find relief.

A status update for me: I completed 6 weeks of IV antibiotics on 27 October. At the close of the antibiotic treatment my blood work was in the normal range (ESR, C-reactive protein). I'm still in pain, but it's no longer so severe that it brings me to tears. I'm in PT yet. That, and the exercise/stretching I do at home has greatly increased my strength and mobility. I've graduated from a walker to a cane, and don't even need that for very short jaunts. I also started back to work last week at 4 hours/day. Last week went well; I get up from my desk frequently and walk about. This morning I had PT in the pool and only lasted 1 hour at work -- I came home to lie down. I am also experiencing more pain in the thoracic spine now. I lost the disc at L2-3 to the staph, as well as the endplates and part of the surrounding vertebrae. The vertebra are fusing, creating one oversized mass. Don't know if that's why I'm having pain up my back now, the vertebra are offset laterally as they fuse. My NS did tell me that I would continue to have pain for another 3-6 months as my spine healed, but the thoracic pain is new.

So, I'm not ready to go hiking or cross-country skiing yet, but I am making
good progress. My NS has only had two other OM patients, both of whom apparently had a full recovery. My PT, on the other hand, told me that I didn't want to know when I asked her about other vertebral OM patients and said I was very fortunate to be diagnosed so quickly. I think about that daily. I'm not paralyzed, I don't have a colostemy bag, I am alive, so, I can deal with some pain, as long as the staph is gone... I'll have another x-ray and blood work in about a months time.

Thanks for the support.

Cheers, Debra

[mmglobal]

Debra, thanks so much for posting your update.

It sounds like you can look forward to a reasonable recovery. My discitis/OM client recovered slowly, but there was a steady march towards normalcy with each month better than the last for well over a year.

The problem you are robbo are experiencing is so very serious. As bad as my history is, I know that I've never experienced the kind of pain that you too know. My heart goes out to you.

Thanks again for the update. All the best,

Mark

[dshobbies]

Debra,

Glad you're doing better though it would be great if you were pain free. Hopefully, after your discs fuse, you will be or at least more copable than now. I have to wonder what happened before technology and medications were around. I actually know, I just can't imagine the suffering.

My best, Dale

[Bluesman]

Hi,
I would first like to introduce myself, I am 65 years old male and first got Osteo when I was 9 years old in 1958. I live in the UK.
I woke up one morning with pain so bad there were no words to describe just how bad it was. My mother would not believe me and sent me to the Butchers to buy a pound of sausages (She never forgave herself for that) a round journey of about 1 ½ miles. The only way I was able to get there was to hold onto garden walls and eventually crawled on my hands and knees. I wasn’t a big child and a neighbour saw me crawling realised there was something wrong and picked me up and carried me home with those bloody sausages.

I had the pain in my left ankle, I couldn’t bare any weight on it at all. My mother made an appointment with the doctor for the evening but my conditioned worsened during the course of the day and eventually an ambulance was called. I was taken to Hillingdon Hospital Middlesex where I was examined by a doctor who said I was making a fuss about nothing and totally ignored the fact my temperature was rising to dangerous levels.
I am now telling the story by the way from what my mother and father have told me as I am already slipping in and out of consciousness. Despite this the doctor just ordered that the left ankle was strapped up as he thought I might have sprained it in this awful white heavy elasto bandage, it turned out that I had also had a violent reaction to this type of elastoplaster.
I was sent home by ambulance still slipping in and out of consciousness. I am told we got home around tea time, my father came in from work and was unhappy that I had been sent home and called our family doctor who was as surprised my dad was that I was at home. We are now getting into mid to late evening and he said "if he still with us in the morning we will get him straight into hospital"

I must have been the luckiest kid alive as one of our neighbours was a trauma nurse during the war and she volunteered to sit in with me all night and keep me as cool as possible by constantly sponging me down so that mum & dad could get some rest.
I owe my life to that neighbour.
I can remember being so racked with pain and feeling so ill that death was quite a decent option. I can remember not being worried with death.


I was in a coma for 4 weeks and mum told me that when they took that plaster off my leg not only did a whole load of skin come off because of the reaction but when it came to the infected area, the inside of the left ankle the puss erupted so high it nearly hit the ceiling. (I am sure there is some artistic licence there but that's what mum said)

I spent the next 3 1/2 years in hospital. During my stay in Hillingdon I would go down to the operating theatre every Friday (Fish & Chip day the only decent meal of the week) and given a general anaesthetic which would normally mean them pinning me down while I screamed and cried as my veins were difficult to find for an injection and they still are today.
The pain on waking from each operation was indescribable. During this time the hole in my left ankle was working its way right the way through to the left hand side of my left ankle.

Now another piece of luck with another women. We got new neighbours at home and the lady was a Staff Nurse Hillingdon and on my ward.
My mum tells me that she had spoken to her saying she felt that what was happening to me wasn't helping, if anything things were getting worse. Between them they hatched a plan that got me to see the worlds most fantastic doctor ever to have lived. Mr Maudsley Orthopaedic Surgeon.
He worked at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot right opposite the race course.
So after just over a year of weekly operations at Hillingdon I was transferred to Ascot. I don't know what happened in any of the operations at Hillingdon it just always hurt like hell when I came round.
I am just over 10 years old and now in an adult ward and I stayed in adult wards for the rest of my hospitalisation. My ankle is still painful at varying levels and open on both sides I had a plaster from ankle to hip which had been on for a year or more and there were windows cut into the plaster both sides of the ankle so they could replace the dressings on a daily basis.
I had an operation that was performed by Mr Maudsley who apparently dug out as much rubbish as possible and then fused all the ankle bones together which then fixed my ankle rigidly in one position. This gives rise to a whole new list of problems years later and to this day from the way I have to walk to the way I have to lay in bed with a pillow between my legs.
The pain after this operation was again at levels I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. After a few days this did dissipate and apart from the daily dressing changes not a great deal happened over the next 18 months.

Slowly and gradually the right side of the ankle healed up but the left side was proving very difficult. Although some healing had taken place there was still a hole large enough to put a golf ball in and showing no signs of getting any better.
It was decided that I should be moved to King Edward V11 in Windsor where there was the possibility of reconstruction surgery which may help the healing process.

Skin grafts and various leg lengthening ideas were discussed but before any of this could take place I took a turn for the worse as the pain returned with avengeance, so its back to Ascot where Mr Maudsley performed another operation after which the pain returned to torture levels. After a few more months it was back to Windsor and again the question of reconstruction surgery to help the healing but my parents thought that by now I had been through enough and that it would be better left to see if natural healing would be best no matter how long it took.

Months passed and there were no more episodes. Thoughts turned to getting me back on my feet. I haven't walked for 3+years so physiotherapy was the new watch word.
After another 6 months of daily painful and hardworking Physio it was finally decided that although my ankle was still not fully healed and there was always going to be a large hole there I was allowed home using a wheelchair.
Back then we had a lovely district nurse that came in 7 days a week to change the dressings also monthly visits to Ascot to see the wonderful Mr Maudsley for the next couple of years or so.
These gradually tailed off and walking became a good way to get about but the pain should that ankle get bent is enough to make you pass out.
Being able to walk long distances was a challenge and has got worse as I have got older. I would never use a stick. I have to now.
My left leg was 2 1/2 inches shorter than my right leg and being a teenager now I wasn't about to start looking any different to the other teenagers so I wasn't going to have a built up shoe.
Back to school after missing over 4+ years was tough, bullied unmercifully because I limped led me to start missing school at every opportunity so my schooling really finished at the age of 9.

I have paid for walking crooked all those years. At the age of 40 I decided that built up shoe was a good idea but my spine was already badly curved.
I cannot stand for more than a few seconds without suffering pain in my left ankle and also my right hip.
My right leg has been worn out after doing all the work for so many years and my spine has curved so bad that it crushes the nerves giving me no sense of feeling in my lower legs and feet but after a day my feet swell up and become very painful.
I have physiotherapy on my spine which is a great help and I also take daily 4 x Co-codamol 15mg
4 x Co-codamol 30mg
3x Amitriptyline
1 x Ramipril 10mg Blood pressure.

Even with all the above I still go to bed every night in pain with the left ankle and swollen feet, in fact when I come to think about it I haven't had a pain free day since I was 9 years old.

Mum and Dad said while I was in Hillingdon I did go down to the operating theatre to have the leg amputated from below the knee and I have thought on many occasions I wish that had happened. I know I would still have had problems with a prosthetic leg but I would have at least walked upright and therefore not had the spinal problems I now have and I would certainly not have missed the daily pain and also the pain should that ankle get bent accidentally.

I have had three other attacks of the dreaded Osteo 1. when I was about 35 in my right wrist. 2. when I was 42 in my right elbow and thirdly about 5 years ago in my right knee.
On all those occasions massive doses of antibiotics stopped it in its tracks but the pain was on each occasion just unbearable. On a scale of 1 to 10 definitely 20+.

I always remember an episode of Coronation Street a few years ago when the character Les Battersby contracted Osteo and it was all over in a few days, how I wished I lived in the TV world where things are cured so quickly.

I should think by now if you are still reading this you must have amazing staying power as all I have seem to do is moan my way through 56 years of life but I have had a happy and full life. I have been happily married for 33 years with a wonderful wife, son and daughter and now also have two beautiful grand children a girl and a boy.
I am forever grateful to those mentioned in this story without whom I would most certainly have died.

My heart goes out to anyone who has ever suffered and is still suffering with and the after-effects of Osteomyelitis.
Mike

[mmglobal]

Mike, thanks so much for posting your story. What an amazing and horrific journey. It is wonderful that you have managed to have a full life in spite of your pain and seemingly endless nightmare. Hopefully, your story will give others the courage to press on.

All the best,

Mark

[Maria]

Yes I read it all and was thinking how much pain you lived with and suffered thru and yet you end your post with an amazing sense of gratitude and upbeatness! Thank you for that ~ you're an inspiration and I'm so glad you took the time to write as much about yourself as you did. btw welcome to the forum!

[jsewell]

WElcome Mike,
I also read your post . It is awful what you have gone through. You are an inspiration to us all.
judy