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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For A Bacterial Infection In Foot After A Surgery

I had nerve damage surgery on my left foot on Oct. 31st,2011. Then shortly after I got my stitches out my inscitions opened up. I had a 2nd surgery on Dec. 10th 2011 & am now wearing what they call a wound vac machine. I have been taking 2 antibioctics. Last Friday after taking a culture of my wounds told me that I have a bacterial strep infection in my foot! What is it? & Is there anything that can be done about it? What are the symptoms of strep foot? You would think my foot would heal by now!
Tue, 1 Jul 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Strep is a common type of bacteria that often causes skin and wound infections. There are different strains of strep, one type of which causes strep throat. You could have that strain or a different strain. Skin and wound infections with strep may cause redness, swelling, pus, pain and heat in the area. There could be a lot of drainage of pus. Antibiotics are used to treat strep. When a culture is done, they usually test how sensitive the strep is to different antibiotics. They can then identify the correct antibiotic to use and switch you to it. I am not sure about the dates you give. If the surgery indeed was back in 2011, it is indeed way too long. (It is awfully long if it was just 2013.) If the infection has gotten into the bone, this could be the reason. These type of infections are difficult to cure and require extended treatment with antibiotics. Hope this answers your query. If you have more questions, I would be happy to answer them.
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Suggest Treatment For A Bacterial Infection In Foot After A Surgery

Strep is a common type of bacteria that often causes skin and wound infections. There are different strains of strep, one type of which causes strep throat. You could have that strain or a different strain. Skin and wound infections with strep may cause redness, swelling, pus, pain and heat in the area. There could be a lot of drainage of pus. Antibiotics are used to treat strep. When a culture is done, they usually test how sensitive the strep is to different antibiotics. They can then identify the correct antibiotic to use and switch you to it. I am not sure about the dates you give. If the surgery indeed was back in 2011, it is indeed way too long. (It is awfully long if it was just 2013.) If the infection has gotten into the bone, this could be the reason. These type of infections are difficult to cure and require extended treatment with antibiotics. Hope this answers your query. If you have more questions, I would be happy to answer them.