Bigworld, Just wondering if your knee procedure is still scheduled for June? Thinking about the source of the initial bacteremia, there are several possibilities that your docs may not have considered. One is an asymptomatic oral infection. These are not that uncommon, and can easily be missed if you haven't had a full set of diagnostic xrays recently. It requires a complete set of dental xrays (periapicals) rather than just bitewings and/or a panoramic xray. The individual periapicals will show the entire tooth, root, and surrounding bone of every tooth. A panoramic xray of the entire mouth is useful, but can miss things. With a full set of periapical xrays, it's not that unusual to find teeth with associated areas of infection (apically), but with no symptoms or pain, so this is a possible source of a systemic bacteremia. The gums / gingiva is another path for bacteria to enter the bloodstream., so you need to floss at least twice / day, and have zero bleeding from the gums. Anyway, these are obvious potential sources of a bacteremia, but are easy to rule out and prevent.
Another possibility is 'leaky gut', which most American have some degree of, due to various factors. Cardiologist Steve Gundry has written extensively on the subject, but basically our intestinal walls become porous and allow bacteria and other substances to enter the vasculature surrounding the intestines, and from there the bacteria travel through the entire circulatory system. So basically a permanent low level bacteremia. This is bad enough, but add in a new knee implant, and you've got big problems. Fixing / sealing a leaky gut is not that difficult, but requires a big change in one's diet, along with the restoration of a healthy microbiome.
Anyway, those are two possible areas you may not have considered as the source of the bacteremia. The many cuts and scrapes on your legs from all that outdoor work is another obvious possibility.
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AI
