Table 4 “Response to infection and treatment, and the mobilisation of resources” quotations and themes

Social support

“But, as I say, it’s, err – and of course it means you don’t go off to see your parents and your family and your children half as much as you normally would. They come to you, which is wonderful, but, I mean, it’s putting them at difficulties sometimes, when on many occasion we go to visit them, you know.” Margaret (2)

“What was going to happen after I came out of hospital? Hubby’s useless, absolutely useless, I’m there for him he isn’t there for anybody else.” Hilary (2)

Changing the physical environment

“I were frightened when I were left on my own and there were nobody in, I don’t know what I was frightened of but I was frightened of irrational things. What if house catches fire downstairs?” Hazel (1)

“I have trouble with my bath but that’s not their fault. It’s a, a shower bath and I can’t have a seat on or anything because it’s too wide. But it’s a big corner and I sit on there and I swing my legs.” Pam (1)

“I try and go up to my daughter, she’s got a walk-in shower” Brian (2)

Clinical support

“It’s just that to start with I think I was feeling so low and so very unwell, I really felt neglected.” Margaret (2)

“One would tell you one thing, one would tell you another and I think again this all contributed to my feeling quite low and when I got home I came home thinking right I will get myself better now, I’m home now.” Hazel (1)

“No, I’ve not had any physio, no. It was, erm, before I came out it was a matter of, let me think, before I came out.” Doug (1)

“Yeah, they [physiotherapists] were around every day while I was in the hospital.” Brian (2)

“They [physiotherapists] didn’t come to me. In fact, they never came to me. All they brought was that ice bucket thing ... and I didn’t actually know how to do it.” Pam (1)

“Six weeks it was before I could see a physio. Well, luckily, they gave me some exercise sheets at the hospital and luckily, I’m the sort that would do it.” Shirley (2)

Life after periprosthetic infection

“I had discomfort, I couldn’t walk very well so I went to see [surgeon] and err, he said I think you ought to have a knee replacement so that’s what happened” Terry (1)

“But I, I just thought, ‘This is nearly two years out of my life and at my age it’s not on” Louisa (1)

“I’m 80 in September, and I’m not young, and I can’t expect to be playing football and cricket and running around, and the only thing I wish I could get on the floor and play with the grandchildren and their games sometimes, but that’s not the point, the point is that I’ve accepted my age, and I don’t look for people running around after me” Derek (1)

“What’s the next stage, what’s going to happen … am I going to get infection back, you know, there’s only so much your knee can take” Delia (2)