wondering

[Teskeria]

(not asking for medical advice..just wondering if I should worry more. lol)

Is it something to really worry about if your lab tests came back and the doctor wants to do a hip aspiration? (I have a rebuilt hip. They said it is to check for infection, which is what the blood tests were supposed to be for.)

[Headset Hellion]

Maybe the results were inconclusive and they need a more in-depth/accurate exam? I would try not to worry too much.

[prjkt]

I remember when I broke a small bone in my wrist (Capitate I think) it took an X-Ray, Bone Scan AND a CT Scan just to see a tiny fracture....

[csquared]

It probably means that your blood work was abnormal and that the abnormality could have multiple causes. It wasn't definitive for an infection, but it can't be ruled out.

Even if you have an infection, they are going to catch it early and you should have a quick recovery.

As long as the doctor did not say "I am send an ambulance. I'll meet you at the hospital", you don't have anything to worry about.

[Seshat]

My guess is that the blood tests came back 'inconclusive'. IE: I agree with Hellion.

That said; without having your blood tests in front of me (and the knowledge to read them), I really can't tell you. I recommend asking your doctor.

But my most likely guess is 'inconclusive'.

[EvilEmpryss]

As long as the doctor did not say "I am send an ambulance. I'll meet you at the hospital", you don't have anything to worry about.

OMG, I'm going to remember this one. Next time a friend goes into panic mode over what-ifs, I'll whip that one out on them.

[Teskeria]

As long as the doctor did not say "I am send an ambulance. I'll meet you at the hospital", you don't have anything to worry about.

That's an excellent point! Finally got a hold of him and yeah, inconclusive. I wish medicals just had the confidence to say, 'blood tests were inconclusive so we need A' Less worry. But then you would probably have the idiots who can't understand what inconclusive means I suppose.

Thank you everyone!

[wolfie]

Another possibility: You say you finally got hold of the doctor, and found that the blood tests were inconclusive. Was your finding out about the need for an aspiration "live" (including over the phone), or otherwise? If it wasn't "live" (in which case he shouldn't have said you need an aspiration, merely that you need to make an appointment to see him), saying anything about the blood test results would have been a HIPPA issue.

[Sapphire Silk]

(not asking for medical advice..just wondering if I should worry more. lol)

Is it something to really worry about if your lab tests came back and the doctor wants to do a hip aspiration? (I have a rebuilt hip. They said it is to check for infection, which is what the blood tests were supposed to be for.)

We can test for infection in the blood in two ways: a CBC with differential (counting the different types of white blood cells), and a blood culture (put a spot of blood on a culture medium and wait to see if anything grows).

You can have an elevated white count, but no culture growth. That means the immune system is responding, but the infection is not in the blood stream itself; that's a good thing.

Are you having hip pain? Stiffness? Change in range of motion? You could have an infection in the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint. The only way to check that is to aspirate some of that fluid, and culture it.

Normally it's a clear, pale barely yellow color. If it's cloudy, that indicates infection. The culture would identify the bug and test to see what antibiotics it is sensitive to.

A serious infection in the joint could result in erosion of the socket, which would be bad for your hip. Confirming the diagnosis before starting antibiotics is actually prudent. Because of antibiotic resistance, it is a good idea to confirm you actually have a bacterial infection. If you don't have an infection, you could have a different type of problem (I'm not big into orthopedics, so your doctor could clarify that issue for you.

It's a reasonable question: what are you looking for, and what will be your plan of care once you know the aspiration results?

[Teskeria]

The result is no infection in the joint. Which is very good as if there had been infection they would have had to remove the whole hip (rebuilt) and put an antibiotic spacer in and I would have been hipless and wheelchair bound at least 3 months before they could put another hip in. I am very relieved.

[Sapphire Silk]

That's a relief!