Robert’s routine hip scan uncovered an infection that could’ve turned deadly.

Robert never imagined that a routine checkup for an old hip replacement would uncover something that could’ve cost him his life. At 54, he was focused on staying mobile, spending time with his wife Nancy, and working part-time as a high school history tutor—a role he picked up after retiring from a career in civil engineering. “I liked the flexibility, and I liked the kids,” he said. “It kept me on my feet, both literally and mentally.”

What brought him to the hospital that spring wasn’t anything urgent—just a routine X-ray to see how his original hip replacement, done decades earlier in his twenties, was holding up. “It was maintenance. Like bringing the car in for an oil change,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary.”

But that X-ray would end up catching something no one had been looking for.

A Discovery No One Was Looking For

“The hip looked fine, or so I thought,” Robert said. “But the radiologist noticed this knot in my upper leg—something just under the surface. They didn’t know what it was, just that it wasn’t supposed to be there.”

He hadn’t felt it before, but once it was pointed out, he couldn’t ignore it. “Suddenly, I noticed it every time I moved. And it was growing. That’s when I started to get scared. I didn’t know if it was cancer or something else.”

His care team quickly referred him to an orthopedic specialist, who ordered more advanced imaging—a CT and an MRI with contrast—to get a better look. The results brought a mix of relief and concern.

“It wasn’t cancer,” Robert said. “But it was an infection. A bad one.”

From Infection to Intervention

The scans revealed a deep-seated infection that had formed a track from his hip down his leg. His original metal hip, it turned out, was contributing to the problem. “The doctors said the implant had probably made it easier for the infection to take hold and spread,” he said. “And it was spreading fast.”

Thankfully, the infection hadn’t entered his bloodstream yet—but it was close. “That’s when it hit me how serious this was. If it had gone systemic, I could’ve ended up in the ICU. Or worse.”

The treatment plan required two surgeries. First, the infected hip would be removed and replaced with a temporary spacer. He’d be sent home with IV antibiotics and careful instructions to monitor for signs of worsening infection—fever, night sweats, fatigue. Then, once the infection was cleared, they’d go back in and perform a full hip replacement.

“The waiting period was the hardest,” Robert said. “I was just stuck at home with this giant bandage, pumping antibiotics through a line in my arm, hoping nothing got worse.”

A Setback—and a Second Surgery

Just as things were starting to improve, Robert slipped while stepping into the bathtub and fractured his femur. “It was just bad luck,” he said. “I was already weak from being off my leg for so long. One wrong move, and I was back in the hospital.”

The incident accelerated his treatment timeline. His doctors performed the second surgery earlier than planned, removing the spacer and placing a new hip. Afterward, Robert faced a slow and demanding recovery.

“I had to rebuild everything—muscle, strength, even balance,” he said. “I’d been in bed so long that even walking to the kitchen felt like a workout.”

He worked with in-home physical therapists for several weeks, then transitioned to outpatient occupational therapy. “They pushed me, but in a good way. I remember the first day I made it around the block again—it felt like I’d just finished a marathon.”

Back to What Matters

Through it all, Robert leaned on his wife and two adult sons. “Nancy was incredible. She kept track of the meds, made sure I was eating, helped with showers and bandages—everything,” he said. His sons visited when they could, bringing over dinner or watching basketball with him during the roughest weeks.

Outside of his recovery, Robert found motivation in looking forward to the things that made him feel like himself. He resumed tutoring as soon as he could, which gave him a sense of structure. He also picked up a personal project: digitizing decades of old family photos and slides. “It’s something I always meant to do,” he said. “When you’re sidelined for a while, you finally have time to do the stuff that usually gets pushed off.”

He’s back on his feet now—literally and figuratively. “I’m walking without a cane. I’m back to helping students prep for AP exams. And I’m not taking any of it for granted.”

The Value of Finding What Wasn’t Being Searched For

Looking back, Robert is grateful that the infection was found when it was. “That knot could’ve been missed. It wasn’t what they were scanning for, but someone caught it. If they hadn’t, it could’ve ended very differently.”

He believes every patient deserves that level of vigilance. “There’s no reason this should come down to luck. Every system should be set up to flag things like this and follow through. I’m just lucky mine was.”

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