Chest infection gone to knee? - General Health Message Board

tiggerwoo · 02-11-2005, 01:32 PM

I posted on here a few weeks ago. It started with a sore throat of which I was prescribed erythromycin.... due to me being allergic to penecillin. After I had finished a weeks course I was worse with white spots on my throat, absolutely no voice, a very painful chest and cough and was coughing up green phlem, mixed with blood. I was told to take a weeks' course of Zinnat antibiotics (Cefuroxime) which appeared to be working and cleared my throat to an extent, but did not feel completely clear when I finished the course 6 days ago. I saw the doctor who said to let my immune system fight the rest of the infection up.

However, yesterday morning I woke up and for no reason my left knee was double the size, boiling hot, red and very very painful. I was also feeling fluish and my other joints hurt a bit. It worsened during the day, and by the early hours of the morning I ended up visiting my local hospital who took bloods and an x-ray of the knee, looked at my throat and said it still looked a bit ***** and came to the conclusion my chest/throat infection had never cleared and had spread to my knee. i am now on 500mg twice daily of Cefradoxil antibiotics for ten days and co-dydramol for the pain.

Does anyone have any advice or had a similar experience as I am pretty worried by now and in pain. Sorry for such a long post but I just had to get it off my chest........ Excuse the pun with a chest infection!

Thanks, Clare

tiggerwoo · 02-12-2005, 12:20 PM

Sorry to post yet again on here, but have just got back from A and E as overnight my knee has swollen to double the size, is even more hot and the redness and pain is spreading down my leg... I saw the doctor who thought it may be an infected prepatellar bursa, cellulitis or septic arthritis. He went to check with a senior registrar who basically tried to fob me off saying keep on the antibiotics and painkillers till the end of the course and if that doesn't work I may need IV antibiotics..... I am at my wits end and in so much pain and am worried as the infection looks like it is spreading........ Any ideas folks? By the way my other joints in my hips are starting to throb, as are the bones in my knee.
Clare

NancyH · 02-13-2005, 01:14 AM

Sounds troubling to me, it could be septic infection and in that case the antibiotics need to work and it takes time. Apparently the first set of antibiotics weren't the right ones so i'd keep on this batch and really would press the Drs to find out what is goin on. Gee, it could be anything reactive arthritis and so on. Gout acts that way also, but you need to make them find out what it is instead of guessing at it, that is what we do here on the boards, throw out possibilities but it shouldn't be done like that in the Dr office!!!!

tiggerwoo · 02-21-2005, 01:30 PM

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH! I feel like I'm gonna scream... ended up being admitted to hospital the Sunday before last with my knee. Had it drained and then within an hour the redness started spreading up my leg. They admitted me and put me on a day and a half of IV antibiotics which I don't feel was long enough then oral clindamycin, which I am still on a very high dose of and am back at home now with 9 days left of it. Have been home 4 days now and am getting waves of heat going up the left side of my body (the side my bursa was) and cramps and joint pains. Saw the doctor today who said my knee looked like it was on the mend, as it was going down in size and heat....... but as for the other pains...... thought it was a strange side effect of the antibiotics..... has anyone had any other burning sensations like being stuck on a radiator from medication. Doctor did not think it was the infection spreading as leg and torso are a normal colour, just my knee that is not. Oh by the way, am getting nasty groin pains too...... any advice folks...... all this from a chest infection spreading has gone on too long.

Clare