host posted on April 01, 2008 10:25
Chronic Osteomyelitis and Abscess of the Pelvis, Femur and Thigh
I met Dr. James Wittig in June 2007. His first words to me after examining my x-rays and bone scans were a question: "You can continue to battle this infection in your hip, or I can perform surgery. What's your choice?" I told him I was there because I knew I needed a surgeon with the skill and facility to get the infected bone out of me, and I was counting on his willingness to do the job.
I knew that surgery was my only chance at survival, but finding a surgeon who would and could do the job is not easy. Indeed, I had been searching for someone with Wittig's skills for several months. The infection in me had been developing for over 30 years, and no amount of antibiotics were going to make it go away because when an infection is in the bone, there's no blood supply to the infected tissue.
The surgery was done in three steps, during August and September. Then, I was sent home and placed under the care of a home nursing facility. A negative pressure pump was used to keep the surgical wound as dry as possible, and antibiotics were continued until December. Eventually, the wound was too small to use the pump, and wet dressings were applied to the wound. In January I no longer needed the nurses.
My final visit with Dr. Wittig was in March 2008. He declared me cured, and discharged me.
