http://www.medicinenet.com/osteomyelitis/patient-comments-879.htm
I"m 61 years old and when I was 9 years old I had the most excruciating pain in my right leg. I had a hard time walking for 3 days, on the 4th day I couldn"t walk at all. I had a fever and was crying with so much pain. My parents took me to the hospital for sick children. The doctor did a spinal tap and full checkup. I was then diagnosed with osteomyelitis. I spent two weeks in isolation and was given a shot of penicillin every 4 hours. I was then moved to a regular floor for another 2 weeks and was given penicillin intravenously. I was sent home after one month, then spent an additional month at home. I was walking with no problem after the first two weeks at home. I was totally fine after that and have never had problems with osteomyelitis again.
I was a paramedic and I felt odd physically and months later I was mentally confused. This went on for over 18 months and was progressive with time. My friends, family and workmates were concerned and some of them thought I was drinking or doing drugs or both. I had periods of leg pain, sweats and chills, even night terrors. My family did an "intervention" and I was admitted to the hospital, where I was detoxed and diagnosed with a psychotic break by a shrink. At this point things got worse when I went home and I had to pay a nurse to take care of me for months. I was admitted to two other hospitals and I now was told I had cancer, heart problems some kind of infection which did not show elevated white blood cells. I woke up one morning and was in unbelievable pain in my left leg hip down and I could not walk, had temperature 104 and I had lost 70lbs from 220 to 150 in 6 months. I was told to put my affairs in order and go into rehabilitation. The rehab doctor called it in 6 hours, osteomyelitis, an odd sterile type. I was put on IV antibiotics for 12 weeks. I was in the hospital for 29 days, and the doctors and nurses didn't think I was going to live, or walk or I was not going to be all there if I made it through this at all. That was 7 years ago and I am disabled with a lumbar spine that hurts to even sit. This disease wrecked me and is chronic as this is progressive with age, I am now 55. I had septicemia and it took 4.5 years to get federal assistance.
I can guarantee that you will NOT be able to walk if you have Osteomyelitis. 'Severe' pain doesn't even begin to cover the pain I felt when I had osteomyelitis in my femur 10 years ago. I couldn't move any part of my lower body, I was placed in a bed, and when someone would try to pick me up, touch me, move me, I would scream out in agony and a couple times actually blacked out. The doctors had to go into surgery that night because I would've died that night otherwise. It feels nothing like an annoying pain. It's the most intense pain I have ever felt.
I was diagnosed with osteomyelitis when I was fourteen years old. The first symptoms I noticed were pain and swelling in my left ankle. The pain was so severe I couldn't even walk let alone stand on my own two feet. I missed a lot of school because of it and every time I went to the doctor he would tell me I had a sprained ankle. He would wrap my ankle in an ace bandage, prescribe me with pain killers, tell me to keep a heating pad on it and send me on my way. This went on for a year and a half. Until I met the best orthopedic doctor in the universe. He injected me with a blue dye that went through my entire body to show where the infection would be and then I took an MRI. When the screen lit up with a blue patch, we knew. I had two biopsies and the bone was removed. I haven't had a problem since.
I have heard of diabetics getting osteomyelitis, but my case is a little different,i am 42 years old and have had diabetes for almost 20 years. I have heard that I am more prone to osteomyelitis, but my twist is I had the osteo thingy when I was under 3 years old, i was born in hong kong in 1971 and apparently got an infection which caused this osteo thing. I spent 11 months in gobowen hospital and had apparently 32 operations on my left leg, very very big scars scars to show. Does diabetes stem from osteomyeliyis or is it just diabetes to osteomyelitis?
I am 65 years old and was diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the right heel. I remember the pain, for a while I walked on the ball of my foot until being bedridden for several weeks till I was placed in hospital where a piece of bone was removed from the lower part of my heel. After several months recuperating and physiotherapy, I was ok. The only ongoing problem I had was walking with the heel of my right shoe down, eventually my dad reinforced my shoes. Today with the advent of joggers and high sided shoes I have no problems.