3 weeks ago, I woke up with a sharp pain in my hip. After a couple days, I couldn't walk, and went to the hospital. A week later, I was admitted, and doctors tried frantically to find out what I had. A blood culture revealed I had Serratia in my bloodstream. After a few days on IV, the fevers I was having subsided, but the pain was not diagnosed.

After MRI, X-Ray, Heart Echo, the doctors were still stumped. However, it wasn't till a WBC Scan that they saw WBC's accumulating around my hip area, which they called the reason for the pain. They said the Serratia was infecting a part of my hip. I was given Cipro 750 because they said IV was not necesary. It has been one week and the pain is still the same.


If anyone has any information on bone infections at all, please update me. Thank you.

are you sure it's a bone infection, or is it the joint that is infected? I'm VERY surprised that they would go through all those tests first before considering that there might've been something wrong with your hip in the first place. Did they needle your hip and take any fluid out of it? Serratia is a pretty rare infection--especially for joints and bones.

Anyway, the other thing that concerns me is that a bone infection (osteomyelitis) or an infectious arthritis (joint infection) are serious!! Why didn't they put you on IV drugs? My guess is, is that it's not a bone infection or a joint infection that you have, rather, just a blood infection with Serratia, and you're experiencing joint pain as a side effect.

Actually, you are correct. It was a joint infection. The joint is called the "sacroeliac" (spelling is way wrong).

That joint apparently is between the end of the spine and the hip. They didn't extract anything. They did however say that no IV drugs were needed, oral care would have the same effect.

Thank you for you're reply.

Originally posted by aaelrefaie:
Actually, you are correct. It was a joint infection. The joint is called the "sacroeliac" (spelling is way wrong).

That joint apparently is between the end of the spine and the hip. They didn't extract anything. They did however say that no IV drugs were needed, oral care would have the same effect.

Thank you for you're reply.
It was pretty close! You had an infection of the sacroiliac joint, and they didn't give you IV antibiotics still? That is SO surprising! Infectious arthritis can be deadly because it can destroy your joint. I'm very taken aback by the doctors' conservative approach to that! Here in Canada, those things are treated very aggressively.

How did you make out with your hip infection.

I had back surgery last year to implant a spinal cord stimulator and it got infected with serratia. I was told it was a rare bacterial infection. The infection was in my spine talk about scary. I was on 2 different antibiotic IV in the hospital for 2 weeks and went home on cipro and a pic line for another antibiotic for 4 more weeks.

If you are still on this message board please write back and let me know how you are doing. You are the first person I ever heard of besides me with that type of bacterial infection.

Take care
cattys

It has been almost 1.5 months since I first had hte pain, and aobut 6 weeks since I was diagnosed. I spent a week in the hospital on IV antiobiotics, but then I was allowed to go home on Cipro for about 5 weeks. It took about 3-4 weeks at home, but after that I felt good again and normal. Ive been done with the medication now for aoubt a week, there is still some slight slight pain at the end of the day, but that will go away with time. Don't worry, it just takes time.

That is good that you are doing better.

Did your dr. ever tell you how you might of got serratia infection.

Thanks for responding.

http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif cattys http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

See, thats the weird thing. To this day they still don't know how I got the infection. They said typically, it comes from drug use, or any type of needle, but I haven't done anything remotely close to that. They asked about sex, and I know it can't be from taht either. They are still stumped. I guess I'll never know...


They did mention one possible cause. Serratia can usually be found in the urine (i think...) so theyre saying that if I used the bathroom and didn't properly wash my hands, it could have entered through a break in my skin. I have some acne, so i sit and play with that a little sometimes...you get the drift. But they arent sold on anything.

See, thats the weird thing. To this day they still don't know how I got the infection. They said typically, it comes from drug use, or any type of needle, but I haven't done anything remotely close to that. They asked about sex, and I know it can't be from taht either. They are still stumped. I guess I'll never know...


They did mention one possible cause. Serratia can usually be found in the urine (i think...) so theyre saying that if I used the bathroom and didn't properly wash my hands, it could have entered through a break in my skin. I have some acne, so i sit and play with that a little sometimes...you get the drift. But they arent sold on anything.

mine was in my surgical incision so I am convinced I got it in the OR.

I never heard of the neelde thing. My infectious dr. said you can find it in the water so I had my water tested. I also heard of it being in stool.

Thank for your replies.
cattys

This is directed to aaelrefaie's postings in 2003. Our 15 year old grandson who is very ill was diagnosed last week w/ Serratia in the blood and they also think it has infected the sacroeliac(sp???). If you are still out there, I would really appreciate hearing from you and will write in more detail then.

are you sure it's a bone infection, or is it the joint that is infected? I'm VERY surprised that they would go through all those tests first before considering that there might've been something wrong with your hip in the first place. Did they needle your hip and take any fluid out of it? Serratia is a pretty rare infection--especially for joints and bones.

Anyway, the other thing that concerns me is that a bone infection (osteomyelitis) or an infectious arthritis (joint infection) are serious!! Why didn't they put you on IV drugs? My guess is, is that it's not a bone infection or a joint infection that you have, rather, just a blood infection with Serratia, and you're experiencing joint pain as a side effect.

When you reseponded to this thread you mention Osteomyelitis or joint infection and the seriousness of the infection, my question is have you had or heard of someone who's had Osteomyelitis?

Why I ask you is that I had this a year ago and surgery was needed to remove my left collar bone and a rib along with scraping my sternum, and just today I had an MRI to see whats happening, and to find out why after a year I am still in pain from this, as well as the pain is now in my right collar bone area.

I'm on Neurontin for nerve pain, however it is only for nerve pain and I have some days where the bone pain is really hard to handle, I've tried most of the pain meds that my p.m. dr. can think to give me short of morphine....as I have bad reactions to these pain med.s and it takes all day to recover from taking half of one of these pain med.s.

If you have any ideas and information dealing with Ostemyelitis I would be so grateful as I've not met anyone on here yet who has had this or has lost bones due to this dreadful infection, oh, by the way my infection wasn;t the usual staph type infection associated with Osteomyelitis, instead it was a strep viridian, not the usual and quite unusual and rare is what I'm told by the dr.s

Thanks in advance for anything you have to say on this matter.