Infected Implant
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:46 pm
Hi All,
I made a couple of posts to the AMS Ambicor 2-piece thread, commenting on my experience with that device. The last post I made described the fever, swelling and puss discharge that I was experiencing after four weeks. I was hoping that the antibiotics would end the problem. Unfortunately, the symptoms continued. I was at the 6 week point since my implant and I was looking forward to trying it out.
At the 6 week checkup my doctor said that the antibiotics were not effective and the problem was an infected implant. This means removal and replacement of the device. I asked him if he could at least try pumping the device so I could see it work. The first squeeze was so painful that he had to stop.
The thought of having to go through the whole experience over again was depressing to say the least. The replacement procedure is more complicated than the first time. I checked into the hospital on Monday to start getting IV antibiotics before surgery on Wednesday. The surgery took over 4 hours. There had to be a lot of cleaning to be sure that the infection was completely removed. I stayed until Friday getting more antibiotics.
The pain level of this implant is not as bad as the first time. I have been home since Friday and I have only had to take 5 or 6 Percocet, most on the first day home. Now I’ll be taking oral antibiotics for six weeks.
I was told that for the initial implant, the chance of infection is only 1 or 2%, and it had to be me. My doctor has done over 200 implants in the last 2 years and did not have any cases of infection. What scares me now is that the chance of the replacement implant not becoming infected is only 80%. If this implant becomes infected, I am going to have it removed and call it quits. I hope and pray that that will not be the case. Infection might not show up for five months. I will just have to take this one day at a time, knowing that my wife will love me no matter what the outcome is.
I made a couple of posts to the AMS Ambicor 2-piece thread, commenting on my experience with that device. The last post I made described the fever, swelling and puss discharge that I was experiencing after four weeks. I was hoping that the antibiotics would end the problem. Unfortunately, the symptoms continued. I was at the 6 week point since my implant and I was looking forward to trying it out.
At the 6 week checkup my doctor said that the antibiotics were not effective and the problem was an infected implant. This means removal and replacement of the device. I asked him if he could at least try pumping the device so I could see it work. The first squeeze was so painful that he had to stop.
The thought of having to go through the whole experience over again was depressing to say the least. The replacement procedure is more complicated than the first time. I checked into the hospital on Monday to start getting IV antibiotics before surgery on Wednesday. The surgery took over 4 hours. There had to be a lot of cleaning to be sure that the infection was completely removed. I stayed until Friday getting more antibiotics.
The pain level of this implant is not as bad as the first time. I have been home since Friday and I have only had to take 5 or 6 Percocet, most on the first day home. Now I’ll be taking oral antibiotics for six weeks.
I was told that for the initial implant, the chance of infection is only 1 or 2%, and it had to be me. My doctor has done over 200 implants in the last 2 years and did not have any cases of infection. What scares me now is that the chance of the replacement implant not becoming infected is only 80%. If this implant becomes infected, I am going to have it removed and call it quits. I hope and pray that that will not be the case. Infection might not show up for five months. I will just have to take this one day at a time, knowing that my wife will love me no matter what the outcome is.