Category Archives: knee saga

jfc ffs

01 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, knee saga, knees, sevilla

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Remember my disappointment with the “nothing burger” visit to the knee surgeon in August? Aside from being given a cortisone shot (which did absolutely nothing) I was also sent down for updated x-rays so they could see the state of things now, and I was reassured that my next appointment wouldn’t take so long as I was now “in the system” as priority. Then I was sent home with a new set of pain killer prescriptions and was told to lose weight, go to the pool, ride a bike, etc. BUT at least I thought I’d be seeing the surgeon again as soon as the new x-rays were ready.

A month later there was still no news, and for some reason the doctor’s report was not on the Clic-Salud website, so I went down to my health centre to request a copy. This is what I got… 

History: 68 years old. Referred for right knee pain lasting approximately two years. Reports mechanical pain, with limited ability to walk long distances and work (tour guide). Does not take pain medication.

Examination: Overweight. Right knee with negative brush test. Pain in medial compartment, BA 0°-120°. Stable. Additional tests: Last x-ray 2023: incipient gonarthrosis.
MRI of right knee: Grade II femoropatellar and internal femorotibial compartment gonarthrosis with internal meniscus tear and chronic overload of the internal collateral ligament. Joint effusion.

Action plan: After signing the informed consent form, I performed infiltration of the right knee with mepi + trigon. No incidents.

Treatment: paracetamol 1 g every 8 hours, tramadol 50 mg every 12 hours, arcoxia 60 mg every 24 hours during periods of increased pain. Weight control and exercises. Follow-up in 3 months with X-ray.

FOLLOW-UP IN 3 MONTHS. There was never any intention of seeing me sooner. And according to the Defensor del Puebo, for follow-up appts to specialists, 3 months is the maximum wait time allowed. So they went for that. 

Also… limited ability to walk long distances?? How about ANY distances, like I told her, and not without extreme pain. I mean, she saw me hobble in there on my crutches. Well I guess this is how it feels to be “just a number” in the system. I am not being treated as a whole person but as a jumble of symptoms and they are simply following protocol without, well, caring. Just get me in and out asap, fill out the report showing they followed protocol, and push the next appt to the maximum time limit. It’s very hard for me to accept that this is my life now and to feel so helpless. 

knee news

18 Monday Aug 2025

Posted by in health, hope, hospitals, knee saga, knees, sevilla

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I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE THE KNEE SPECIALIST. The call came in this morning and I almost couldn’t believe it. It’s for next week, August 28th and while I know I should be happy I’m also nervous, because of course this is just to find out if my surgery will be approved. I’ve already printed out my page outlining everything that has happened (and not happened) since May 2023 when this whole knee saga began. Hopefully it won’t be glossed over and dismissed like it was by the trauma guys last October.

To wit my friend Sharon has offered to come with me and be my advocate. Thing is, I’d be an excellent advocate for someone else, I just can’t manage it for myself when I’ve got all the other scary feelings going on. What can I say, hospitals trigger me big time. Anyhow… stay tuned. If it ends up being a simple meniscus repair I could be up and walking again in no time. A replacement would obviously be a longer recovery. And of course in either case I’ll end up going on another waiting list. But first things first.

más trauma

18 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, knee saga, knees, markets, sevilla

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Hot on the heels of yesterday’s visit to the Cardiologist, today it was a trip back to Fleming to see a different traumatologist (in the aparato locomotor dept) about my shoulder. You may recall that when I stopped by Fleming back in May to ask why I’ve been waiting since October to see the knee surgeon I was told that they were presently seeing people whose doctors had requested appointments LAST JULY. So while I was there today I thought I’d ask this doctor about the long wait and she just rolled her eyes and very sympathetically said to me that a year’s wait was normal so I shouldn’t be surprised if I don’t see anyone until next October. Fuck.

But, back to the shoulder. An old problem I’ve had for years, comes and goes, and the reason for the aborted MRI in April (I lasted maybe 10 seconds in there). When I reported that to today’s doctor she nodded her head and said a lot of people have the same problem. Then  she gave me an examination, had me try various movements, strength testing, etc. and said I had ____________ (a long techy description I can’t remember – short version: fucked up shoulder). Then she put in an appointment request to get an ultrasound done and said she’d see me again after that. Fine.

Then it was back to my knee. She seemed actually concerned about how I was doing and concurred with the previous doctors that physiotherapy wasn’t helpful for a torn meniscus, but said cycling would be good for me (thinking about looking for a stationary bike during the summer sales, or I might be able to rent one from the hospital). I appreciated that she didn’t tell me I need to lose weight; I got the feeling she knew I knew that already. She also said I could try this stuff, which I found out my pharmacy stocks, but I need to do some research first. Her recommendation was to take it for three months, then take two months off, and then another three months. We’ll see. Not sure if this isn’t just more woo woo whatever, like all those useless creams I’ve tried over the past couple of years.

So what does any of this have to do with that fabulous breakfast up there? Well, Fleming is just around the corner from Mercado Las Palmeritas, which I went to for the first time while researching my Sevilla Food Markets article on Substack (and decided it’s now my new favourite market), and so it seemed like a great opportunity to drop in again. I actually shared that massive tostada with Peter, then did a little shopping and, yep, it’s still my favourite market. Pico de gallo coming up…

too many hobbles

04 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in health, knee saga, knees, Malaga, sevilla, spain, trips

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I think I really overdid things this past week. I mean, I try to get out for a hobble each day, as well as doing my chair workouts five times a week. But between Málaga-Marbella and Jerez I worry that I may have actually done some extra damage to The Knee. Because now it seriously hurts (even more) like fuck. Today I wanted to go to the market and gave up half-way there. The thing was, once out and about you just kind of have to keep going. Especially if you are in the centre of pedestrianised Málaga (no taxis!) or when your lunch location in Benalmádena ends up being at the bottom of a very steep foot path (ouch!).

But I persevered then took a couple of days off before heading to Jerez. I don’t know if that was a mistake or not, or if all of it was wrong to do, but dammit I’m so tired of not being able to do things. And with NOBODY helping me with info about what I should or should not be doing (other than go to the pool, ride a bike, lose weight). Not one doctor has told to either keep walking or stop walking. And so I keep on, not exactly walking, but hobbling on my trusty crutches. Clocked over 15,000 hobbles in Málaga and another 12,000 in Jerez. And each one hurt so much. I just want my life back.