Bent Wires

Last week we discovered that the sample collected from Frank's wound had been lost. Since then, we cleaned out the wound through Saturday, but then it was looking better and better... just a wound with a scab healing. Today, it's a little red and swollen... I'll keep a close eye on it. If it is reinfected, I'll trot Frank over for a collection at our local Medical Center (where an order is waiting on file.)

After looking at the CaT Scan again last week (with a second doctor) we noted that one of the stainless steel wires (on the left) looks to be encased in bone... which was the original plan. The other wire, looks like it has untwisted and is still above the bone. It actually looks (to me) like a staple that has been pulled out of a piece of paper... you know, how one side of the staple is raised up a little. That's kind of what it looks like is going on with Frank's "hardware". Knowing this, that a piece of metal rubbing on tissue is (of course) going to irritate the area, I understand that the only solution will be to remove that piece of the wire.

It was also interesting to learn that "hardware" can infect DECADES after a surgery, and that after removing it, the area usually heals quickly and without incident.

All-in-all, healed or more procedures being needed, I am SO MUCH calmer about it all. I know there's little I could have done to prevent this and that whatever is going on is treatable.