Sunday, November 20, 2011

Ouch! Journal of the Knees

October 30, 2011, almost all of the family was headed to Robinson Auditorium to watch, "Shrek"!
We were about to cross the street at Markham & Broadway, I turned her heard a SNAP! And felt some extreme pain in my knee. I tried to put weight on it and carry on to the show. Amanda went back to the van and drove me to the door. I hobbled inside and asked the security people at the door if they had a wheelchair. Thankfully, they did. They were so nice, brought the chair to me, pushed me to my seat.
Sherk was fantastic! I was so thankful to be able to see the show. If I kept my knee straight, the pain was manageable. Trying to walk was outrageously painful.
Ron had a ortho appointment schedule for Monday morning, so I went with him and asked them to see me too. Unfortunately, they couldn't schedule the MRI until Friday. I would suggest anyone that has a similar incident, to go to the emergency room!
At the appointment, Ron had a shot of cortisone to help with his knee pain caused by arthritis.
That evening, Ron and I went home to load up the tractor and the straw to take the kids on a hayride. I sat in the truck while he went to the barn to load up. After what seemed a long wait, Ron called and said, we are in trouble now. He had stepped off the tractor and heard a SNAP!
I called Josh and asked him to take my crutches out to the tractor for Ron. Ron refused to go to the emergency room. I think the shot numbed his pain. He later started hurting more, so went back and was scheduled for an MRI.
My MRI showed torn cartilage or meniscus, on both sides. The doctor recommended surgery to remove the torn tissue. I have been reluctant to have the surgery, even though it is scheduled for Dec 5.
Ron finds out Tuesday the results of his MRI.
I have done research on the surgery and talked to several people that have had similar situations. The consensus seems to be the surgery prevents problems later in life, and improves mobility. I can't actually bend my knee now. My knee hurts when I try to go to sleep. When I can walk without pain, I think I can handle this without the surgery. Then I go to bed and can't even kick the covers with my bad leg.
So it's surgery for me.

Update on Ron will follow on Tuesday!