Expecting a reminder call from Arthritis Associates today reminding me I have a 3:45PM appointment tomorrow. It's a follow up for the Supartz shots. Easy answer to the question of: did they work: No No No. Knee woke me up with pain last night, although it didn't feel too bad unless I was taking a walk out on our street. I seem to be aiming more and more down the road to partial knee replacement in the late fall perhaps. I'll see. DEpends on MRI results next week, assuming Dr. Gray, on Tuesday, orders one, which he said he would if it still hurts (which it does) and actually may hurt more than when I saw him last.
Andy's off to Boston and we're hoping there'll be word of his employment this afternoon.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
May 24, 2008
I took a pain pill last night before bed which helped and I slept for about 4 hours. It then ran out but I went back to sleep. Today it doesn't seem so bad, though far from perfect. Nothing else very exciting.
Friday, May 23, 2008
May 23, 2008, A rotten night
My knee cracked a few times while I was watching TV last night. And my eyes were blood shot and scratchy all day, uncomfortably!LAst night it took me a while to fall asleep because of my eyes. I had taken 1 TYlenol PM and a couple of regular TYlenol. Once I finally fell asleep, I woke up around 4 and my knee was killing me. It hurt that the PJ leg was bunched up by it. Didn't help I had a hot flash then, lol. Ended up finally getting more Tylenol and I finally fell asleep again. This AM, I put my knee brace on and took an extra Celebrex (as allowed) with breakfast. I see the rheumy PA a week from today and the ortho 4 days after that. Hoping the ortho will then order the MRI so he can see what's going on in there and make some recommendations.
And if anyone else besides me is reading this, please leave a comment!
And if anyone else besides me is reading this, please leave a comment!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 22, 2008
We're back home in CT. I slept most of the way home and was pretty stiff by the time we got out of the car. Knee's been behaving although painfully the last few days. A week from tomorrow I go back to the rheumatology office for a follow-up on the 5 Supartz shots. I think they worked minimally. My knee isn't cracking as much but it still has a lot of pain along the medial side below to above the knee. Fun fun fun. Meanwhile, here's a picture of the graduation family:)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
May 17, 2008
So here we are in Allentown, PA for college graduation tomorrow. The hotel pool is under renovation so I couldn't try to see how my knees were while swimming. However, we did walk around campus and then around a local mall, which, when we got back to the hotel, necessitated a round of ice.
Last night, while killing time, I found a couple of interesting links:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/knee-pain-overview This is an overview of knee pain from WebMD.
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/why-you-must-protect-your-knees This is why women need to protect their knees. Also from WebMD.
We'll be leaving in a little over an hour for dinner and then the baccalaureate services on campus, followed by a reception for seniors and their families with the college president. I hope my knees last!
Last night, while killing time, I found a couple of interesting links:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/knee-pain-overview This is an overview of knee pain from WebMD.
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/why-you-must-protect-your-knees This is why women need to protect their knees. Also from WebMD.
We'll be leaving in a little over an hour for dinner and then the baccalaureate services on campus, followed by a reception for seniors and their families with the college president. I hope my knees last!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
May 15, 2008
Getting ready to leave tomorrow afternoon for Pennsylvania for graduation festivities. Hope my knee(s) hold out! This afternoon my back decided to misbehave and is a little bit tight. My right knee is still killing me despite ice. I chickened out of taking a Darvocet, which I have left from my October and February surgeries (didn't even fill a new prescription for it in February because I had so many left from the October surgery), last night before going to bed. 2 Tylenols and a Costco brand Tylenol PM helped a bit.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
My first post
May 14, 2008: I am starting this blog to keep track of all my issues so I have it in one place and others can check it out (if they so dare). First I'm going to copy and paste my original document which will bring us to today's date.
Introduction
Until 1997, I had never stepped foot in an orthopedist's office. It was for a foot issue ironically that was resolved by a couple of months of physical therapy. With a break between the resolution of that problem and March of 2002, I didn't have any contact again except when one of my sons managed to break his wrist a coupleof times. From that February until now, I have managed to create a long history of issues. In December, 2006, my orthopedist referredme to a rheumatologist because of ongoing knee pain due to osteoarthritis. In preparation for my first visit with him, I wrote a list that enumerated all my issues that I had had until that point. Since then, I've been adding to it as problems have come up and I will continue to do. I live in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Until 1997, I had never stepped foot in an orthopedist's office. It was for a foot issue ironically that was resolved by a couple of months of physical therapy. With a break between the resolution of that problem and March of 2002, I didn't have any contact again except when one of my sons managed to break his wrist a coupleof times. From that February until now, I have managed to create a long history of issues. In December, 2006, my orthopedist referredme to a rheumatologist because of ongoing knee pain due to osteoarthritis. In preparation for my first visit with him, I wrote a list that enumerated all my issues that I had had until that point. Since then, I've been adding to it as problems have come up and I will continue to do. I live in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut.
February 2002: Pain in shoulder. PCP recommends seeing Dr. Gray. Xrays taken and shoulder bursitis diagnosed. Degeneration in the neck is also seen in the xray. Take Celebrex to reduce inflammation.
March – June 2002: PT for shoulder bursitis.
Winter 2003: May have slipped on icy stuff outside (not sure). Knees start to ache, left more than right. MRI scan reveals tear of left medial meniscus.
June 03, 2003: Partial meniscusectomy on left knee. No arthritis seen at time of the surgery.
July 2003: Right knee starts to ache more. Have 2 weeks of PT to see if ache is caused by months of compensating for left knee. PT makes it worse.
August 2003: MRI of right knee shows tear of right medial meniscus with a cyst. No arthritis seen at time of the surgery.
October 7, 2003: Partial meniscusectomy of right knee.
February 2004: Left shoulder gets incredibly achy. MRI shows shoulder arthritis. Cortisone shots and Celebrex for a while.
Summer 2004: Right shoulder aches-MRI scan shows arthritis in that shoulder.
Fall 2004: Both knees start to ache. See Dr. Gray who recommends PT for chondromalacia of the patella and maltracking patella in both knees.
October 2004 – January 2005: PT for knees. Besides exercises, learn to tape knees to hold them in place.
March – June 2002: PT for shoulder bursitis.
Winter 2003: May have slipped on icy stuff outside (not sure). Knees start to ache, left more than right. MRI scan reveals tear of left medial meniscus.
June 03, 2003: Partial meniscusectomy on left knee. No arthritis seen at time of the surgery.
July 2003: Right knee starts to ache more. Have 2 weeks of PT to see if ache is caused by months of compensating for left knee. PT makes it worse.
August 2003: MRI of right knee shows tear of right medial meniscus with a cyst. No arthritis seen at time of the surgery.
October 7, 2003: Partial meniscusectomy of right knee.
February 2004: Left shoulder gets incredibly achy. MRI shows shoulder arthritis. Cortisone shots and Celebrex for a while.
Summer 2004: Right shoulder aches-MRI scan shows arthritis in that shoulder.
Fall 2004: Both knees start to ache. See Dr. Gray who recommends PT for chondromalacia of the patella and maltracking patella in both knees.
October 2004 – January 2005: PT for knees. Besides exercises, learn to tape knees to hold them in place.
Take Relafen for while.
January 2005: During PT for knees, feet start to ache---plantar fasciitis. PT for it through about April 2005.
October 2005: Slip and knees, especially right one, really start to ache. Thinking possible meniscus tear, MRI ordered which shows no tear but arthritis instead.
December 23, 2005: 1st shot of Supartz with Dr. Gray
Dec. 30, 2005: 2nd shot of Supartz.
Jan. 6, 2006: 3rd shot of Supartz.
Supartz shots do nothing. Only 3 shots approved by insurance.Start Celebrex again on March 2006.
September 2006: Horrible pain down the outside of left leg and around knee. X-ray of hips taken which doesn’t show arthritis. Diagnosed with ITBS and hip bursitis.
September – November 2006: PT for ITBS and hip bursitis, which feels mostly better.
Call CT Family Orthopedics to discuss a possible change in Celebrex prescription, which is about to expire, due to falling platelet counts. PA says to stop Celebrex in December 2006 as platelet count falls in that period from 98,000 when I started taking it in April to 65,000 in that time so I stop December 6, 2006. PA prescribes generic Ultram which makes me feel terrible. I mention Limbrel, which then PA says Dr. Gray wants to see me.
Dec. 22. 2006: See Dr. Gray who recommends I see a rheumatologist. Take Tylenol twice a day, in the AM and the PM before bed. Every ache I ever had returns!
January 16, 2007: Evaluation and consultation with Dr. Miller. Loose joints which makes me more prone to injuries caused by repetitive actions. Back on Celebrex.
May 14, 2007: Cortisone shot in right knee, which wears out by July 4 at Dr, Miller’s office with his PA, Sydney.
August 10, 2007: While vacuuming, I manage to trip on the cord of the vacuum cleaner. I land on both knees as if in prayer. I swear it feels like my right kneecap moved. Very painful. Realize later this is what has caused the next round of surgery (see below).
August 20, 2007: Another cortisone shot in the right knee with Sydney.
Sept. 17, 2007: See Sydney at AA (Arthritis Associates) who tells me to get an MRI.
Sept. 18, 2007: MRI done at Northeast Radiology in Brewster.
Sept 20, 2007: MRI results show a retear of the right knee meniscus, probably degenerative, and arthritis, moderate advanced, closer to severe (the worst). Told to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gray at CFO. Actually report shows 2 tears. Here is the report:
BR>
Patient Name: Caroline XXXXXXl
Date of Birth: 09/04/1954 MRNO: XXXX
January 2005: During PT for knees, feet start to ache---plantar fasciitis. PT for it through about April 2005.
October 2005: Slip and knees, especially right one, really start to ache. Thinking possible meniscus tear, MRI ordered which shows no tear but arthritis instead.
December 23, 2005: 1st shot of Supartz with Dr. Gray
Dec. 30, 2005: 2nd shot of Supartz.
Jan. 6, 2006: 3rd shot of Supartz.
Supartz shots do nothing. Only 3 shots approved by insurance.Start Celebrex again on March 2006.
September 2006: Horrible pain down the outside of left leg and around knee. X-ray of hips taken which doesn’t show arthritis. Diagnosed with ITBS and hip bursitis.
September – November 2006: PT for ITBS and hip bursitis, which feels mostly better.
Call CT Family Orthopedics to discuss a possible change in Celebrex prescription, which is about to expire, due to falling platelet counts. PA says to stop Celebrex in December 2006 as platelet count falls in that period from 98,000 when I started taking it in April to 65,000 in that time so I stop December 6, 2006. PA prescribes generic Ultram which makes me feel terrible. I mention Limbrel, which then PA says Dr. Gray wants to see me.
Dec. 22. 2006: See Dr. Gray who recommends I see a rheumatologist. Take Tylenol twice a day, in the AM and the PM before bed. Every ache I ever had returns!
January 16, 2007: Evaluation and consultation with Dr. Miller. Loose joints which makes me more prone to injuries caused by repetitive actions. Back on Celebrex.
May 14, 2007: Cortisone shot in right knee, which wears out by July 4 at Dr, Miller’s office with his PA, Sydney.
August 10, 2007: While vacuuming, I manage to trip on the cord of the vacuum cleaner. I land on both knees as if in prayer. I swear it feels like my right kneecap moved. Very painful. Realize later this is what has caused the next round of surgery (see below).
August 20, 2007: Another cortisone shot in the right knee with Sydney.
Sept. 17, 2007: See Sydney at AA (Arthritis Associates) who tells me to get an MRI.
Sept. 18, 2007: MRI done at Northeast Radiology in Brewster.
Sept 20, 2007: MRI results show a retear of the right knee meniscus, probably degenerative, and arthritis, moderate advanced, closer to severe (the worst). Told to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gray at CFO. Actually report shows 2 tears. Here is the report:
BR>
Patient Name: Caroline XXXXXXl
Date of Birth: 09/04/1954 MRNO: XXXX
Exam Date: 09/18/2007 Accession: XXXXX
CA: 3422
KENNETH MILLER, MD
27 HOSPITAL AVE, SUITE 205
DANBURY, CT 06810
MRI right Knee.
Clinical History: Prior right knee arthroscopic surgery with recurrent symptoms.
Technique: Open Magnet. Multiplanar imaging was performed utilizing standard technique. Correlation is made with a prior MRI of the right knee dated 12/5/2005.
The examination once again demonstrates moderate deformity involving the posterior horn and body of the medial meniscus consistent with a prior partial meniscectomy. There is horizontally oriented linear high signal extending within the posterior horn remnant which was not seen on the prior MRI consistent with a recurrent medial meniscal tear. Moderately advanced osteoarthritis is once again seen throughout the medial compartment manifested by joint space narrowing, subchondral cyst formation with reactive marrow edema more pronounced at the level the medial tibial , osteophyte formation, as well as regions of grade IV chondromalacia. A nondisplaced horizontal tear is noted involving the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus.
There is a small joint effusion associated with a small Baker's cyst. A 1 cm debris containing synovial cyst is seen along the posterior supracondylar region of the distal femur within the midline which has increased on the order of 4 mm when compared to the prior MRI. No significant ligament or tendon abnormality is appreciated. Subchondral cyst formation is seen at the level of the tibial spines. The articular cartilage of the lateral compartment appears preserved. Grade I chondromalacia is seen along the medial retropatellar cartilage.
Impression: Recurrent tear posterior horn medial meniscus associated moderately advanced medial compartment osteoarthritis. Horizontal tear anterior horn lateral meniscus. Increase in size of a presumed synovial cyst seen along the posterior supracondylar region of the distal femur.
Thank you for referring this patient.
cc:
Date/Time Dictated: 09/19/2007 11:14:31 AM
***********************END OF REPORT***********************
09/25/2007: See Dr. Gray-arthroscopic surgery for lateral tear and will clean out joint. Unicomparmental replacement will be needed eventually. Waiting for surgery date.
10/15/2007: Dr. Gray does another partial meniscetomy. Awaiting photo and results. No photo from him. 30-40% of right lateral meniscus removed. A little arthritis seen. “Diamonds and Gold” found too, ha haJ
Oct. 19, 2007
Stitches out, Oct. 24, 2007
Dec. 18, 2007: Return to Dr. Gray for left knee pain. He takes xrays of both knees, saying right knee shows more arthritis than left knee. However, given where my left knee pain is, at the joint, he thinks it could be another torn meniscus. Orders an MRI to be done. Currently waiting for a date for one, hopefully by the end of the year. I also mention thinking of having a partial knee replacement of right knee by the end of next year.
Dec. 24. 2007: MRI of left knee done at Northeast Radiology Danbury office. High field extremity MRI machine where you sit down and stick your limb into a mini-MRI tunnel,. Will get the results Jan. 2, 2008.
01/02/2008: Appointment with Dr. Gray. Tear in the left knee medial meniscus. Surgery scheduled for 02/04/2008.
01/17/2008: After increasing pain in both shoulders, especially the right, I go to rheumatologist’s office. Get a cortisone shot in each shoulder from Sydney. After looking at my right knee, she tells me to increase Celebrex to twice a day from now until when I have to stop taking it prior to surgery. Improvement is noticed the next day even!
01/21/2008: Pre-op with Dr. Maki. Waiting for platelet count results, hopefully tomorrow! Finally get most of blood work results on 01/24. All are fine but platelet count is not done.
01/25/2008. Go back to Ridgefield in the morning for another blood draw for results today. While in JC Penney’s, Dr. Maki calls to say it’s 162,000, the highest that I know of since 1980. No explanation for it, but it means everything is a go for the surgery. Surgery scheduled for 7:30AM (the first one of the day).
02/04/08: Surgery done at 7:30. Awake in the recovery room by 8:45AM and home before 10:30! Partial menisectomy and debridement done. Details to be gotten on 02/13/2008 when stitches come out. No nausea following the surgery and for the days immediately following it.
02/13/08: Happy 24th birthday, Jonathan. Stitches out. Left medial meniscus now has 50% of its original self. A “hole in the knee,” a tear in the articular cartilage at the femur (thigh) one was seen and torn cartilage cleaned there. That spot will need in a year or two probably an OATS procedure http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00422 then.
03/19/2008: Made a web site a couple of weeks using this document as the basis for it http://hometown.aol.com/iamcaroline109/myhomepage/index.html Having gotten myself an on-call job at Macy’s yesterday and having increasingly stiff toes and my ankles are hurting (in addition to continuing heel aches) and ongoing knee pain, I decided today to call the rheumatologist’s office and get myself an appointment with Sydney there. It’s not until a week from today so I guess I’ll have to manage until then. Among things to discuss with her are surgery outcome (possible OATs thing), maybe getting a series of 5 Supartz shots (maybe give them a shot, haha, again), inquiring about TENs machines, and finding out if I can/should use my knee brace when working, Wondering what the hematologist will say at my Friday appointment when I tell him about the OATs procedure. Well, meanwhile, I just have to wait until next Wednesday.
03/26/2008: Thorough appointment. I brought a list with me so I got all my questions answered. TENS machine isn't for me except possibly for my feet. Ankle pain ISN'T arthritis. It's due to the way I stand and walk now because of my knees. My feet are pronating so I stand and walk funny. The ankle pain is from the tendons stretching to accommodate how my feet are. The toes are probably arthritic. I can wear my knee brace (even if it gets stinky, lol). She's going to see if she can get 5 Supartz (artificial knee fluid) shots approved. I had only 3 last time, which did nothing. 5 should hopefully work better this time. I'll be called when the approval and scheduling of the procedures is done (assuming 5 are approved). I can double up on the Celebrex as necessary. She started writing me a prescription for Ultram, which she stopped writing when I said it made me wacky. I said I'd use the leftover Darvocets from my surgeries if I really need it (which hopefully won't happen).
03/28/2008: Got a call yesterday from the rheumy office saying insurance will cover 85% of the cost of Supartz shots #s 1 and 2 because I haven’t quite reached my deductible. #s 3, 4 and 5 will be covered 100%. Hooray! I have scheduled the next 5 Friday afternoons in a row to get the shots, starting a week from today. I brought a list of those days to work today and said I had to leave by 2:30 for those days. Didn’t say specifically why because I didn’t want them to think I was incapable of doing the job. Just said I had doctor’s appointments.
04/04/2008. 1st Supartz injection this afternoon. The shot was PAINFUL!!!! Yikeseedoodle. First there was lidocaine and then the joint stuff. Henry was shocked (he hadn't quite believed me when I told him) that the needle with the fluid goes all the way into the knee and it's a big needle. I could've driven myself home and will next time, although it was nice to grab him when the shot was hurting. The PA also told me because this was the 2nd time I've had the stuff, there was a larger chance of having an allergic reaction to it, which would be in the next 24-48 hours. Redness, swollen knee. If that happens, I have to call the answering service to find out what to do since it'll be the weekend. She said a cortisone shot is given in case of the allergic reaction. Hoping that won't happen.So now it's onto next week!
04/11/2008: Supartz shot #2 today. Thankfully, the shot was about 1/10th as painful as last week’s shot. PA says it was because the knee isn’t as damaged in that spot as last week’s shot spot! I am very grateful because my right knee (and actually all my joints) have been really achy today due to an upcoming 3 days worth of rain storms coming in. I even took an extra Celebrex this AM and it didn’t help much. Now on to next week again…
04/18/2008: Supartz shot #3 today. Again, the less painful area was chosen for the shot! Hooray. It was gorgeous out, 85 degrees. Nice to go to the appointment with short sleeves on! I also asked the PA about my shoulder pain which feels like muscle aching. She said it’s the tendons and other stuff in my shoulder inflamed from the shoulder arthritis. She gave me a brochure with shoulder exercises to do and told me to take 2 Celebrex a day for the next 8-10 days to see if there is an improvement.
04/25/2008: Not too terrible even though she did it again in the area where it hurt A LOT with shot #1. She said she couldn't do it again in the other area because it was quite bruised there still from 2 shots in a row there. We were chatting and she told me she sees a lot of patients who have had partial knee replacements who find out 2-3 years later, they need a total knee replacement. So now I'm wondering what to do. In any event, I'm not going to be doing anything soon and will cross that bridge when I come to it! Shoulders are still aching and left knee hurts a bit. 2 more days of taking Celebrex 2X a day. Right knee feels slightly better going down stairs. Only 1 more shot to go! Yeah!
05/02/2008: Last shot day! Yeah! Tuesday, after feeling better on the stairs, I managed to trip on the laptop wire walking in the living room. Knee has been hurting since then but manageable. ITBS came back temporarily. PA says it was probably because of the twisting motion from the tripping. Have to go back in 4 weeks for a follow up.
KENNETH MILLER, MD
27 HOSPITAL AVE, SUITE 205
DANBURY, CT 06810
MRI right Knee.
Clinical History: Prior right knee arthroscopic surgery with recurrent symptoms.
Technique: Open Magnet. Multiplanar imaging was performed utilizing standard technique. Correlation is made with a prior MRI of the right knee dated 12/5/2005.
The examination once again demonstrates moderate deformity involving the posterior horn and body of the medial meniscus consistent with a prior partial meniscectomy. There is horizontally oriented linear high signal extending within the posterior horn remnant which was not seen on the prior MRI consistent with a recurrent medial meniscal tear. Moderately advanced osteoarthritis is once again seen throughout the medial compartment manifested by joint space narrowing, subchondral cyst formation with reactive marrow edema more pronounced at the level the medial tibial , osteophyte formation, as well as regions of grade IV chondromalacia. A nondisplaced horizontal tear is noted involving the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus.
There is a small joint effusion associated with a small Baker's cyst. A 1 cm debris containing synovial cyst is seen along the posterior supracondylar region of the distal femur within the midline which has increased on the order of 4 mm when compared to the prior MRI. No significant ligament or tendon abnormality is appreciated. Subchondral cyst formation is seen at the level of the tibial spines. The articular cartilage of the lateral compartment appears preserved. Grade I chondromalacia is seen along the medial retropatellar cartilage.
Impression: Recurrent tear posterior horn medial meniscus associated moderately advanced medial compartment osteoarthritis. Horizontal tear anterior horn lateral meniscus. Increase in size of a presumed synovial cyst seen along the posterior supracondylar region of the distal femur.
Thank you for referring this patient.
cc:
Date/Time Dictated: 09/19/2007 11:14:31 AM
***********************END OF REPORT***********************
09/25/2007: See Dr. Gray-arthroscopic surgery for lateral tear and will clean out joint. Unicomparmental replacement will be needed eventually. Waiting for surgery date.
10/15/2007: Dr. Gray does another partial meniscetomy. Awaiting photo and results. No photo from him. 30-40% of right lateral meniscus removed. A little arthritis seen. “Diamonds and Gold” found too, ha haJ
Oct. 19, 2007
Stitches out, Oct. 24, 2007
Dec. 18, 2007: Return to Dr. Gray for left knee pain. He takes xrays of both knees, saying right knee shows more arthritis than left knee. However, given where my left knee pain is, at the joint, he thinks it could be another torn meniscus. Orders an MRI to be done. Currently waiting for a date for one, hopefully by the end of the year. I also mention thinking of having a partial knee replacement of right knee by the end of next year.
Dec. 24. 2007: MRI of left knee done at Northeast Radiology Danbury office. High field extremity MRI machine where you sit down and stick your limb into a mini-MRI tunnel,. Will get the results Jan. 2, 2008.
01/02/2008: Appointment with Dr. Gray. Tear in the left knee medial meniscus. Surgery scheduled for 02/04/2008.
01/17/2008: After increasing pain in both shoulders, especially the right, I go to rheumatologist’s office. Get a cortisone shot in each shoulder from Sydney. After looking at my right knee, she tells me to increase Celebrex to twice a day from now until when I have to stop taking it prior to surgery. Improvement is noticed the next day even!
01/21/2008: Pre-op with Dr. Maki. Waiting for platelet count results, hopefully tomorrow! Finally get most of blood work results on 01/24. All are fine but platelet count is not done.
01/25/2008. Go back to Ridgefield in the morning for another blood draw for results today. While in JC Penney’s, Dr. Maki calls to say it’s 162,000, the highest that I know of since 1980. No explanation for it, but it means everything is a go for the surgery. Surgery scheduled for 7:30AM (the first one of the day).
02/04/08: Surgery done at 7:30. Awake in the recovery room by 8:45AM and home before 10:30! Partial menisectomy and debridement done. Details to be gotten on 02/13/2008 when stitches come out. No nausea following the surgery and for the days immediately following it.
02/13/08: Happy 24th birthday, Jonathan. Stitches out. Left medial meniscus now has 50% of its original self. A “hole in the knee,” a tear in the articular cartilage at the femur (thigh) one was seen and torn cartilage cleaned there. That spot will need in a year or two probably an OATS procedure http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00422 then.
03/19/2008: Made a web site a couple of weeks using this document as the basis for it http://hometown.aol.com/iamcaroline109/myhomepage/index.html Having gotten myself an on-call job at Macy’s yesterday and having increasingly stiff toes and my ankles are hurting (in addition to continuing heel aches) and ongoing knee pain, I decided today to call the rheumatologist’s office and get myself an appointment with Sydney there. It’s not until a week from today so I guess I’ll have to manage until then. Among things to discuss with her are surgery outcome (possible OATs thing), maybe getting a series of 5 Supartz shots (maybe give them a shot, haha, again), inquiring about TENs machines, and finding out if I can/should use my knee brace when working, Wondering what the hematologist will say at my Friday appointment when I tell him about the OATs procedure. Well, meanwhile, I just have to wait until next Wednesday.
03/26/2008: Thorough appointment. I brought a list with me so I got all my questions answered. TENS machine isn't for me except possibly for my feet. Ankle pain ISN'T arthritis. It's due to the way I stand and walk now because of my knees. My feet are pronating so I stand and walk funny. The ankle pain is from the tendons stretching to accommodate how my feet are. The toes are probably arthritic. I can wear my knee brace (even if it gets stinky, lol). She's going to see if she can get 5 Supartz (artificial knee fluid) shots approved. I had only 3 last time, which did nothing. 5 should hopefully work better this time. I'll be called when the approval and scheduling of the procedures is done (assuming 5 are approved). I can double up on the Celebrex as necessary. She started writing me a prescription for Ultram, which she stopped writing when I said it made me wacky. I said I'd use the leftover Darvocets from my surgeries if I really need it (which hopefully won't happen).
03/28/2008: Got a call yesterday from the rheumy office saying insurance will cover 85% of the cost of Supartz shots #s 1 and 2 because I haven’t quite reached my deductible. #s 3, 4 and 5 will be covered 100%. Hooray! I have scheduled the next 5 Friday afternoons in a row to get the shots, starting a week from today. I brought a list of those days to work today and said I had to leave by 2:30 for those days. Didn’t say specifically why because I didn’t want them to think I was incapable of doing the job. Just said I had doctor’s appointments.
04/04/2008. 1st Supartz injection this afternoon. The shot was PAINFUL!!!! Yikeseedoodle. First there was lidocaine and then the joint stuff. Henry was shocked (he hadn't quite believed me when I told him) that the needle with the fluid goes all the way into the knee and it's a big needle. I could've driven myself home and will next time, although it was nice to grab him when the shot was hurting. The PA also told me because this was the 2nd time I've had the stuff, there was a larger chance of having an allergic reaction to it, which would be in the next 24-48 hours. Redness, swollen knee. If that happens, I have to call the answering service to find out what to do since it'll be the weekend. She said a cortisone shot is given in case of the allergic reaction. Hoping that won't happen.So now it's onto next week!
04/11/2008: Supartz shot #2 today. Thankfully, the shot was about 1/10th as painful as last week’s shot. PA says it was because the knee isn’t as damaged in that spot as last week’s shot spot! I am very grateful because my right knee (and actually all my joints) have been really achy today due to an upcoming 3 days worth of rain storms coming in. I even took an extra Celebrex this AM and it didn’t help much. Now on to next week again…
04/18/2008: Supartz shot #3 today. Again, the less painful area was chosen for the shot! Hooray. It was gorgeous out, 85 degrees. Nice to go to the appointment with short sleeves on! I also asked the PA about my shoulder pain which feels like muscle aching. She said it’s the tendons and other stuff in my shoulder inflamed from the shoulder arthritis. She gave me a brochure with shoulder exercises to do and told me to take 2 Celebrex a day for the next 8-10 days to see if there is an improvement.
04/25/2008: Not too terrible even though she did it again in the area where it hurt A LOT with shot #1. She said she couldn't do it again in the other area because it was quite bruised there still from 2 shots in a row there. We were chatting and she told me she sees a lot of patients who have had partial knee replacements who find out 2-3 years later, they need a total knee replacement. So now I'm wondering what to do. In any event, I'm not going to be doing anything soon and will cross that bridge when I come to it! Shoulders are still aching and left knee hurts a bit. 2 more days of taking Celebrex 2X a day. Right knee feels slightly better going down stairs. Only 1 more shot to go! Yeah!
05/02/2008: Last shot day! Yeah! Tuesday, after feeling better on the stairs, I managed to trip on the laptop wire walking in the living room. Knee has been hurting since then but manageable. ITBS came back temporarily. PA says it was probably because of the twisting motion from the tripping. Have to go back in 4 weeks for a follow up.
05/12/2008: Call rheumy office about right knee pain that hasn’t improved since tripping on the wire and should I see her or Dr. Gray about it. No one calls back,05/13/2008: PA from rheumy office calls back at 9:15 this morning and says to call Dr. Gray so I do at 9:20 and get an appointment for 10AM! Appointments are running late. Dr. Gray thinks it’s the bursa in my knee and not the meniscus. Ligaments are okay. He says to ice it 3X a day for 15-20 minutes and continue Celebrex. He says to come back in 3 weeks and if it still hurts, he’ll order an MRI. Sort of interested in having an MRI anyway to see how bad it is in there. My next appointment with PA at rheumy is May 30 (Friday). Next Dr, Gray appointment is 4 days later, June 3. And Dr. Gray was worried about walking around at Andy’s graduation this weekend. But I guess I’ll have to manage.
Okay, that catches me up to today! Just added a photo at the top. It's a picture of my shredded cartilage during my June 2003 surgery.
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