Well after ALL THAT… the Knee Saga continues. And well okay, it wasn’t that nothing was accomplished today, it’s just that it was about a year and a half later than it should have been (what happened today could have – should have – been offered to me in October 2024 or sooner). 

This whole thing started in May 2023 when my left knee gave out, became very painful to walk on, then by the time I got in for an MRI that September my right knee was considerably worse (and still is). A (whole fucking) year later I finally got an MRI on the right knee which showed I had a torn meniscus. By this time I was hobbling around on crutches. I saw this and that traumatologist, a couple of different GPs, even went to Emergency… nothing. NO TREATMENT WAS OFFERED. Other than being told to take painkillers, ride a bike, go to the pool, lose weight. 

Today was the first time in over two years that I got to see an actual knee surgeon. My friend Sharon came with me for support, which was really helpful because she is a very no-nonsense type and I knew she would back me up. Anyhow, it started with the usual going over my reports. I’d brought my own printed out notes of every appointment I’d had since May 2023 until now, but held off until I talked with the surgeon a bit (in the end she did read it). Right off the bat she said meniscus surgery was probably not going to be useful, and may even be harmful, because she thought the main problem was the arthrosis, which was possibly bone on bone at this point.

At first I thought she was just blowing me off but after poking around my knee while I lay on a gurney she said the first thing she wanted to do was get new x-rays to re-evaluate the situation (the first ones were from 2023). She said until she could see the updated state of the deterioration she couldn’t make any decision about surgery. Okaaay…

Then she said, leaning over and looking straight into my eyes, that in order for this to work we had to work together… yep, also okay. She said I am going to give you a treatment and I want you to follow it and, of course mentioned the obvious, that I have to lose weight. I won’t say I snapped at this point but I sat up and explained… “look, I put on so much weight after chemo, probably in combination with metabolism change, menopause, etc… I am as active as I can be now, I do almost daily chair workouts, before the left knee problem I was doing 10,000 steps a day, and I honestly do not over eat.” (it’s really not possible with my post-cancer plumbing, a bit like having built-in ozempan). Feeling a bit desperate I finished with I AM AN ACTIVE PERSON AND MY LEGS ARE STRONG. 

Then she suggested I get a stationary bike at home, or go to a gym to use one (these guys are always about the fucking RIDE A BIKE cure)… I reminded her that I haven’t been able to work since last summer because I CAN’T WALK so I cannot afford to either buy a stationary bike or a gym subscription. Then Sharon piped in explaining that as self-employed workers we have no right to compensation when we can’t work, so we are on our own. My girl! She was about to haul out the Defensor del Pueblo complaint but I waved at her “not now!”. 

So fine. We agreed that I would follow my surgeon’s treatment while I got new x-rays and awaited the findings. Treatment one… a cortisone shot! Well hot damn why the fuck didn’t they offer this to me in April 2024??? Anyhow, okay great. I got the shot. We shall see.

Treatment two… more fucking drugs. I already told her I couldn’t take Ibuprofen (BP issues) and wouldn’t take Nolotil (banned in over 20 countries!!) and that Paracetamol had almost no effect on me. And so she paired up Paracetamol (every 8 hours) with Tramadol (every 12 hours) DAILY for 90 days with the occasional hit of Etoricoxib (anti-inflammatory) if I felt I needed it. 

Nope, not doing this. Tramadol is a fucking opioid. And, aside from being pretty much useless, daily Paracetamol can cause liver damage. I haven’t looked up Etoricoxib yet, but I think I’ll wait to see if the cortisone does its job inflammation-wise, which could take up to a week to kick in.

Then I went downstairs to get X-rays done and that was it. Now I wait. Again. The surgeon said the next appointment with her wouldn’t take as long (thank god!!!) as I am now “in the system” as priority. 

And that’s all for now. Feeling neither optimistic or pessimistic at this point, really not feeling much of anything, but at least something was done today.