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October 20, 2012

We're Good For Now



All it took was a cortisone shot and a strong anti-inflammatory prescription and we're good to go for a while. My visit to the bone doc yesterday went well.

About thirty years ago I arrested some drunk for punching out his girlfriend. There were no further incidents on the way back to the station but as we walked into the booking area, he suddenly stopped and drove his cowboy boot heel into my right knee (hyper-extending it backwards as I later found out). I had an interesting floor level conversation with that young man and a full canister of Mace. It's amazing how much of that crap you can have sprayed up your nose and down your throat and not die. My concomitant trip to the hospital ER to have my knee x-rayed did not reveal the soft tissue damage. MRI's didn't exist back then.

I am rather bow-legged and this also puts pressure on the interior side of my knees. Over the decades there were other injuries which have also given me problems. And now once again I am limping pathetically like Obama's Presidential campaign.

So yesterday the bad news is that after two arthroscopic procedures in the last twenty years I am just about out of cartilage. As the above x-ray suggests, There is little to no cartilage left on one side, bone spurs on both sides and the femur (the top of the knee joint) is displaced to one side. And the patella (knee cap) also has spurs.That's pretty representative of my right knee's condition.


The good news is that the joint is stable, strong and the connective tissue is good. A knee replacement is still in the picture, but not right now. I went down the stairs this morning without pain for the first time in over six months. And deer season starts on November 17th.

Now I gotta ask myself, "Why did I wait so long?"
Hopefully this will last a while, if it gets bad again - and it will - we'll just go from there.

14 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

Glad you're "feeling no pain." Hope the Cortisone lasts a while.

WoFat said...

I've seen guys with so much mace on them they were to slick to hold. Over use of certain chemicals cause that. But when they sobered up (came down, whatever) I'm sure their bodily reactions were something to behold. I've known of cases where the body just kept speeding up until the afflicted simply died. Prompts cries of "police brutality" unless the department uses a good physician, one who knows what to look for, and prove.

Woodsterman (Odie) said...

You need to own that young man's measurable life.

Unknown said...

Chronic knee pain - try 250 mg of Niacinamide 6 times a day. You might also look into cetyl myristoleate. If you can find a chiropractor who knows the Russian bonesetting adjustment taught by Dr. Mark Charette, that would probably help. Good luck.

Kid said...

Sig, I know people who have had knee replacements the last couple years and they are doing well.

Good luck sir.

banned said...

Good luck to you with the cortisone.
3 years ago I did myself a back injury, had I not been self employed I could have spent a couple of years on Sickness Benefits (Welfare).

Our famous "Envy Of The World" NHS ground into action and after a couple of years got around to giving me a scan and some time later an offer of cortisone injections.

Meanwhile I'd paid for several sessions with a private chiropracter for pain relief (Sssh, don't tell the NHS, they think going partly private isn't fair on the others and like to chuck you off the program).

By then I'd pretty well cured myself and, having done my reseach on cortisone, decided that the possible side effects did not warrant such invasive treatment.

As I said, good luck to you with it all the same.

sig94 said...

WoFat - he came through his ordeal with little or no effect. Got a slap on the wrist, as usual, from our city court judges.

Mace was not always a reliable alternative to the use of force. Some guys it just made them madder, especially when intoxicated. I was always very sensitive to it though.

sig94 said...

Odie - there's more than one guy that I own a piece of. God's will is that we let it go. His judgement is always much more severe in the end than anything we could imagine.

sig94 said...

Johnboy - Thanks. they put me on 15 mg of Meloxicam (Mobic). It seems to be working rather well. The cardiovascular contradictions are worrisome though and I'll talk to my cardiologist about this.

I still have to be careful when walking. No high impact exercises. I just bought a low end BowFlex device for a ridiculous low price and use the leg extension to strengthen the joint for when it finally does have to go.

sig94 said...

Kid - My wife's uncle had one a few years ago and it's not working out all that well, but I don't think he is following the exercise regime as he should as he also has Parkinson's. The technology and the procedures have certainly improved over the years, but with all that's going on in my life right now, I just don't want to go through it. Chicken I guess...

sig94 said...

banned - I also went to a chiropractor for years for my back and it finally got much better. I tried it again when my neck went on me but did not meet with similar success. Old Arty-rightus sometimes does not respond well to this. Exercise, stretching do work but only so far.

Glad to hear your back improved w/o other treatment. Back injuries are certainly very difficult to handle and they seem to persist for soooo long.

I have had little exposure to cortisone, only three shots in my life so far, all for pain from different injuries. They will only give me the one shot in the knee and see how long that lasts. If I can get through the next six months or so I'll be happy. By then I may be able to take the time off for more drastic measures if needed.

They told me twenty-five years ago that my knee would need replacement so any amount of time I keep them is a blessing. At this stage of the game I have no complaints.

B.C. said...

I feel yer pain, bro. It's only a matter of time 'til the docs have to go back in and scope out both of my knees and clean out the torn meniscus and bone chips. I'd imagine that eventually I'll have to have both knees replaced, but I'm putting that off until it's the only alternative. (My mother had both of hers replaced a number of years ago (separate procedures) and they've made incredible strides since she had it done.)

Keep on keepin' on, my friend.

Doom said...

You just wrote up a fine example of why I really respect cops... most of them. Some cowpoke try that on me, it wouldn't have been mace and I wouldn't have been the one in the ER. Actually, no one would have gone to the ER. Actually, no one would have gone to the police station either... after a question and answer ceremony.

Hmm, actually, in that case, someone would have (did) go to ER. Was in hospital for a week and a half, come to think of it. His wife was my friend. Cops just asked what happened and happily went on their way. He must have had some history of that.

Thank you for your service. Glad a little of this and a little of that will work for now with the knee, too. But if it needs fixin', take care of it from now on. Yeah, I hate that doctor stuff too, but no need uselessly suffering.

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Sig,

I wish you well and hope you get at least a 5-pointer this season!