Is this osteomyelitis? Results of bone scan

Bones, joints and muscles
1

I am 29 years old and scared as hell right now.

Nuclear medicine triple phase bone scan, hands, 10/12/2016 12:09 PM

Indication: Cellulitis of right index finger

Comparison: No previous bone scan. MRI finger, 9/15/2016.

Technique: The study was performed with 23.6 mCi of Tc 99m MDP given intravenously in the left arm. Angiographic, blood pool, and delayed bone scintigrams were obtained.

Findings: Angiographic phase shows mild increased flow to the right hand.

The blood pool images show increased soft tissue uptake to the mid portion of the right 2nd finger.

The delayed bone scan shows focal increased uptake at the PIP joint of the right 2nd finger.

Impression: There is increased uptake at the PIP joint of the right 2nd (index) finger on all 3 phases. This is most likely from acute osteomyelitis.

2

Mmagot,

While your report appears to look that way; one thing being a nurse has taught me, you need the appropriate specialists to interpret your labs and x-Ray studies and treat diseases like Osteomyelitis. A hand and infectious disease specialist would be my preferences were it me. It is tough to treat but not impossible and usually not accomplished quickly. Take heart, fear won't help. Get good solid information from your physicians and ask them what websites are reliable. Reliable information is power. Then you know what you CAN do. Take care, Mary

3

Cellulitis is an infection of the skin, in which the skin is usually easier to diagnose, improve, etc versus a bone infection, and also way different than a bone infection. I would call either the doctor who made the imaging referral, or another doctor in that clinic/office/medical center, etc. We should not have to wait more than 48 hours for someone to call and explain the results. My retarded doctor waited almost a week and a half to call and explain the results (this was also after I called the office 3 times, emailed the doctor and his assistant twice) Initially I thought I had a compression fracture, but it turned out to be osteomyelitis, so be smart and get the info directly from the DOCTOR. Do not listen to information from medical assistants, nurses or nurse assistants, physician assistants, etc, only a MD is qualified to make the diagnosis, and is much more correct in making a diagnosis.

So do yourself a favor and call to get answers! :-) keep us posted on your answer.

Melissa

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/393345-overview

4

Well here's the thing. My MRI and my blood work all came back with no active infection and my finger shrunk in size prolly85% since it was hurting the first time. It was the size of a dill pickle now it's just about back to normal except on the left side in the middle joint which feels like it grew and is bigger but idk. I have full range and movement in finger but finger is slightly still bigger then my left hand finger. So idk if it's osteomyelitis.

5

Hi I was released from the hospital stay that lasted 42 days for having Osteomyletis in my L1 n L2 of my spine. The pain had gotten so bad i took 17,000 of Tylenol within a 12 hour period and 8 Bayer 8 hours earlier. So when I went to the hospital they threw me in ICU for to start immediately treating my liver for possible irreversible liver damage. Then come to find out I also had valley fever, talk about pain. Anyways so now i am out of the hospital but after the 3rd day I am starting to feel very weak and pain once again in my back. Do u ever fully recover? If so how long normally? Btw, over a 1 month period the pain would drop me to the ground. One of the worse pain ever.

6

Oh wow that's a long time in the hospital  :-(   I have/had osteomyelitis in my mid back (T5-T6), it ate some of the bone in my back, which caused T7-T8-T9 herniated discs, which is the main source of my pain now. I started having back pain in the beginning of October 2015, was finally diagnosed early March 2016. I luckily was not hospitalized for it, had a PICC line for 8 weeks, pushing Vancomycin 2 times a day myself. I have been to just about every type of medical provider, specialist, including Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist, Physical Therapist, etc. I have tried just about everything over the counter, meds that were prescribed, 3 different types of pain patches, rubs, etc. I'm not a medical professional, I'm just letting you know what I have tried, (right now my tolerance to medications/herbs, etc is VERY, VERY high, but here are some suggestions:

~ China-gel, it’s a natural herbal formula, grease-less therapeutic gel that incorporates modern technology with the ancient pain relieving concepts of Chinese medicine.  (Topical pain cream, found online) This has been the only thing that I could actually feel go deeper in the skin, and get some type of relief.

~Kratom, it's a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family. It has been said to help with a number of ailments: musculoskeletal pain, mood enhancement, anxiety, etc (It can be found online or if you have smoke shops nearby, also keep in mind there are some countries where it is not legal. A simple web search will help you) Dosage info is found online, as well as the different ways to consume it: capsules, tea, mix in with milk or a shake, etc. I did not have any negative or positive sign/symptoms.

~CBD (Cannabidiol) It is one of at least 113 active cannabinoids identified in cannabis (Keep in mind this might also not be legal in some countries, research online) It comes in topical cream, edibles, patch and a few other ways. I tried a couple patches, some edibles and smoked some. I did not have any negative or positive signs/symptoms.

Vitamins/Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin K2 MK-7, Turmeric and/or Curcumin 

I have been prescribed: Gabapentin, Nortriptyline, Pregabalin (Lyrica), Amitriptyline, Diazepam, Aripazole, Cyclobenzaprine, Lidocaine patches, Fentanyl patches, Flector patches, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen.

OK, sorry such a long response lol, I need to get back to work, best of luck if you research more :-)

7

So I talked to the nurse today and they said yes a very mild bone infection but still needs to be treated. I have my wedding and honeymoon in 2 weeks and they want to do a bone biopsy but said it's not bad enough to where they need to do it now. Said I can wait till after my honeymoon. My finger has shrunk 90% of the size it was to begin with. No infection in my blood which is good. Just need to see a infectious disease doctor.

8

So idk why but is it possible this could not be a bone infection? I don't have any symptoms except swelling that's it. Also it hasn't bothered me the last month until the last couple days. Is it prolly cause I have been worrying about it?

9

I think you need to trust your MD's diagnosis. Osteo can be illusive. If you are on an antibiotic, sometimes you won't have any symptoms. Then if you still have it and discontinue the antibiotics, it can come back quickly or the symptoms may come back very slowly. Osteo is usually a very tenacious bug to get rid of.some people have to be treated for a couple years. I had mine in my left lower jawbone. After 3 PICC lines and two years on IV antibiotics, I made a decision to have it removed. I have a terrific Head And Neck Maxilofacial Reconstruction Surgeon. He was able to do it all through the inside of my mouth. 1 1/2 years later, all 5 cm of bone has grown back. Be careful about any OTC meds you take. They sometimes go against your treatment. ALWAYS ask your MD. Remember most medications are also from plants.otc herbs and meds are not tested or regulated so you have no way of knowing if they go with your regular meds. Stay close to your Infectious Disease Doctor. They know this bug the best. Take care, Mary

10

But mine is just in my joint on my right pointer finger. And so far they said it's just a mild infection which is good. They have not been worried about getting me

In yet and since I was diagnosed they said come in Tuesday for your follow up to discuss treatment options then we will do a bone biopsy since it isn't too serious when I get back from my honeymoon.

11

Enjoy your wedding and honeymoon. But please attend to this as soon as you get back. This doesn't go away by itself. Don't take the attitude that if I ignore it, it will go away because it won't. You're on antibiotics so that's why you think it's going away. The antibiotics take away the symptoms so you think it's gone. If you ignore Osteo, and don't treat it, it can spread slowly. Mary

12

I think it's healing cause it's itching for last two days when it never did before. And I know things itch when they heal

13

Tumeric and garlic are my best pain killers to avoid damaging my kidney with drugs. The work like magic. Mine started again after 27years of surgery. But the pain has totally disappeared. God is the final healer not medication