Yesterday I headed in to see my Infectious Diseases dr for what will (hopefully) be my final visit there.
I've been off the antibiotics for a month now (4 weeks), and nothing else was manifesting. The one small spot that was struggling to heal I believe was from a bit of dehiscement due to swelling and all the scar tissue in that area. I started supporting the skin there better, and it healed over and there's been zero drainage (even when there was it was like a drop on the bandaid after a more active day where things had swollen up).
The Dr. was pretty happy with everything and believes we should be in the clear. I asked about things to watch for, just in case, but my research had pretty much already revealed all of that. To quote the Dr, however:
"I'd be really surprised if this returns. We treated it really aggressively, and with the hardware out, it should be fine. You're not a high risk patient (no diabetes, smoking, and you're in good health overall), so I'd be really surprised if it ever came back."
Well, that's good news to hear. Granted, I've read enough about osteomyelitis to know that I can never consider myself 100% in the clear, and any weird issues in that area I need to keep an eye on and fight for proper diagnosis, but at least for now, it seems this may be a thing of the past.
My last doctor appointment is next week with my orthopedist, and I'm hoping that'll be the last time I have to see him - at least for this injury LOL!
