Please Keep Trying!

I had my first appointment with the orthopedic doctor today. I was so excited! At least until he took some x-rays, and his assistant had me do some exercises to see where the pain was (I could have told her). Then he started twisting my knee around. Does this hurt? No. This? Nope. How about now? Yep! It was only when he bent my knee all the way to my chest that it hurt. Then he dug his thumb behind my patella and asked, does this hurt? No. How about here? Yes!! Then he dug in some more and asked if it hurt. Are you sure? Right here? OMFG, YES!

From this lil’ session he was able to ascertain I may have two things going on simultaneously:

• torn meniscus (duh)
• mild arthritis

I was told in 2000 after my first arthroscopic surgery, I had the beginnings of arthritis in my left knee. I was heavy back then, and destined to become even heavier. I figured after I had lost so much weight, the arthritis wouldn’t be an issue. Guess I may be proved wrong in that assumption.

I’m getting an MRI done tomorrow and will see the doctor again next week to get it read and to figure out what exactly’s going on and what we can do about it. I’m not going to be like the rest of my family and get a total knee replacement by my fortieth birthday because of raging degenerative arthritis. I’ll lose the rest of the lard and the excessive skin and maybe that’ll help the situation. But the bottom line right now is, we still don’t know for sure what the heck’s going on and won’t know until next Tuesday. Hey, I waited almost seven months to get this thing checked out, I think I can wait one more week!