Knee Update

pat

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I am having life lessons...what chronic discomfort to pain is like, what being disabled to any degree feels like, what damage to a joint does to activities as simple as putting on your pants


I had a followup apt. this week, was sent to Physical Therapy for evaluation and instruction on what exercises I can do both to improve my knee and help me lose weight.

Turns out I am right, I have a torn medial meniscus (though the p/t can't diagnose, he can say I tested positive for this in the evaluation and that the recommendation is for further specialized testing - aka an mri of the knee)..this atop the arthritis means changes.

Anyone want to buy a beloved 17 year old Subaru that I can no longer drive since it is too low to the ground and requires a twisting of the knee that is probably what caused the tear?

First lesson from this: don't be so stubborn that you push your body to do something it is warning you not to do...did I really have to get to the post office to ship packages that day? Not when I now know I tore my miniscus forcing my leg in and out fo the car 4x that day. When you feel pain of 8-9 on a scale of 10, your body is saying STOP.

Stubborness is not always an asset.

Thank God for a wonderful husband, and purring, extra attentive kitty nurses.
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by StacyD1987

Oh dear, that sounds terrible! I hope the MRI will help the doctors help you even more. Best wishes!!!
Thank you..it is sure changing my life and reminding me that you never know when something like this will happen.
 

gailc

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Waay back in the early 70's Neil tore his playing some sport. Medical technology has improved greatly since!! Can you do any type of water exercise to help with the weight??
 

pushylady

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Sorry to hear about your painful injury. Something so seemingly simple can change your whole lifestyle. My DH has some knee injury issues and has to very careful with them so they don't get worse.
 

sharky

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SO glad hubby and kitties are helping you... I do know your pain and
 

white cat lover

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I had hoped that you would have good news, that you were 100% better.
Hopefully the kitty & hubby nurses will help quite a bit!

What will be done if you do have the meniscus(sp?) thing?
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I had hoped that you would have good news, that you were 100% better.
Hopefully the kitty & hubby nurses will help quite a bit!

What will be done if you do have the meniscus(sp?) thing?
cant answer for Pat but when they suspected I had a menicus tear ... Arthroscopic surgery
.... that was back in 96
 

katl8e

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I feel your pain - tore my meniscus cartilage, many years ago, playing football with my brothers. No surgery but have been nursing it along, for over 30 years.

ThermaCare knee wraps are wonderful. I've used them and a former S/O used them on a shot-up knee, left over from Vietnam.
 
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pat

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Thanks for the suggestions (knee wraps - will give these a try). I know surgery is an option, but it is not something I want to do. I am not sure what we do...I do know the approach is different re the p/t than if this were simply arthritis.

I suspect the key thing is losing weight..fast. Water exercise may turn out to be the best option.

I just want to rise above this, not be crying almost daily as I have been, or grumpy as I have been on occasion, most of all, I just want the pain to stop.
 

carolpetunia

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Oh, I understand... my old injury wasn't nearly so serious, and it healed within three weeks -- but even in that short time, it just demoralized me. I'm so sorry!

But there are so many things you can do to make it easier. Do you have a good, safe seat to use in the bath or shower? That makes a huge difference. (It was being unable to even stand up long enough to shower that finally turned me into a little sobbing heap.) A moist-heat heating pad is really nice, and one of those four-footed canes might help you stay steady while you're getting used to walking so carefully, to keep from reinjuring it.

Did they give you a brace to wear, to support the joint? When my mom had to wear a brace, we bought some soft, stretchy sweatpants and cut the legs out a few inches longer than the brace. She put the "legging" on under the brace and fold the top edge down over the brace to keep it from shifting, and it was much more comfortable for her.

I don't know what they've told you to expect long-term, but they told my mom she would never walk normally again -- and within a year, she proved them wrong. Her injury was 30 years ago, and she's still walking fine! She has some arthritis in that knee, but that's to be expected at 82.

Keep the faith! This will get better over time.
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Oh, I understand... my old injury wasn't nearly so serious, and it healed within three weeks -- but even in that short time, it just demoralized me. I'm so sorry!

But there are so many things you can do to make it easier. Do you have a good, safe seat to use in the bath or shower? That makes a huge difference. (It was being unable to even stand up long enough to shower that finally turned me into a little sobbing heap.) A moist-heat heating pad is really nice, and one of those four-footed canes might help you stay steady while you're getting used to walking so carefully, to keep from reinjuring it.

Did they give you a brace to wear, to support the joint? When my mom had to wear a brace, we bought some soft, stretchy sweatpants and cut the legs out a few inches longer than the brace. She put the "legging" on under the brace and fold the top edge down over the brace to keep it from shifting, and it was much more comfortable for her.

I don't know what they've told you to expect long-term, but they told my mom she would never walk normally again -- and within a year, she proved them wrong. Her injury was 30 years ago, and she's still walking fine! She has some arthritis in that knee, but that's to be expected at 82.

Keep the faith! This will get better over time.
I've been thinking about getting a shower seat..very good idea, thank you.

No brace yet, it's part of what will be discussed after they confirm what the physical therapist thinks is the second issue. I have a cane though it's not a 4 prong. No one has said I won't walk normally - my doctor actually told me she had a meniscus tear 10 years ago, and refused surgery..she rehabbed it with p/t and the nsaid she put me on. I do believe I can get back to not needing a cane and not having pain when I try to use this knee in certain ways.

I will ask about this when I go in for my second p/t apt this week though, I want to be sure I am doing everything I can..which does really, really mean getting back to losing weight
 

carolpetunia

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Good, glad you're getting all those bases covered.

Y'know, maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe being forced to lose weight in order to let your knee recover is actually going to save your life -- by preventing heart disease or diabetes later on. You'll derive so many benefits from the weightloss, even beyond mobility!

Now if I could just learn to view it that way myself... I have some losing to do too...
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Good, glad you're getting all those bases covered.

Y'know, maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe being forced to lose weight in order to let your knee recover is actually going to save your life -- by preventing heart disease or diabetes later on. You'll derive so many benefits from the weightloss, even beyond mobility!

Now if I could just learn to view it that way myself... I have some losing to do too...
Oh I def. think I am being smacked up side of the head. I know more than I ever wanted to about what gaining a lot of weight can do
 
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pat

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I finally had my mri done on my right knee this past Sunday. Just got back from seeing my doctor to get the results.

They were not good - it was more than either of us had thought was going on.

I've made an apt. with an orthopedic dr who specializes in knees, but hope to avoid surgery for now.

The results show I have severe tricompartmental osteoarthritis, a small complex tear at the anterior junctional zone of the medial meniscus, moderate sized joint effusion, and a tiny joint body in the popliteus recess.

So...torn cartilage, extrusion of the medial mensicus, fluid with a small joint body in the fluid, and the worst of the osteoarthritis is throughout the lateral facet of my knee cap, and at the junction of the median ridge and medial facet of the knee cap (patella).

The good news? I am losing weight, and between this and the fear I've already progressed to type 2 diabetes, I think I at last will lost every pound I need to. I am too young to lose mobility, the ability to hike (even if slowly), to need a cane, to have knee replacement surgery.

But for today, I am feeling sorry for myself, and scared.
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I would be too Pat! All I can offer is a big old :hug:
Thank you...off to get the rest of my day going (it was a before 8 am apt., I am still waking up..hah!)
 

gailc

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Well I hope the ortho doc has some good solutions for you without surgery.
 
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