Category Archives: knees

suprise shoulder ultrasound

12 Thursday Feb 2026

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

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Well okay, it wasn’t a surprise that I was getting one but every since I bailed on my shoulder MRI last April (lasted approx 7 seconds in the COFFIN DEATH MACHINE) and got to see another traumatologist in June I’ve been waiting for this appointment. Which also wasn’t a surprise because it seems like all I do these days is wait for appointments. But after having to cancel my cardiology revision on Tuesday DUE TO TRACTORS I was actually expecting yesterday’s way too early phone call to be from them… instead it was from the Hospital Virgen del Rocío saying I had an ultrasound appointment the following morning at 10.00 am. So… surprise!

In the grand scheme of things the chronic shoulder pain I’ve had for… seemingly ever?… doesn’t begin to compete with the FUCKING KNEE PAIN which now seems to be extending to my left knee, possibly due to original fucking knee pain putting lower back out (hello sciatica, my old nemesis) so all movement now is fraught with potentially fucking up… basically everything else? I don’t know. All I know is that everything hurts all the time these days.

Anyhow, back to today’s hospital visit. It actually went very smoothly. Easily found taxis to get me there and back again (not always the case). And since I pretty much know Virgen del Rocío inside out by now I got to my ecografía waiting area just on time (seriously, you try it, they don’t make it easy) and was called in almost immediately. And the doctors were great. I almost felt like I was in a THE PITT episode when a young man came over and introduced himself, telling me his name and saying he was a resident intern (hey we all gotta learn sometime). Happily he was soon accompanied by the actual doctor in charge but she let him search away on my shoulder with the magic wand and there was plenty of back and forthing between them about what they were actually seeing on the screen.

Then the head doc took over and first thing she said was… how do you pronounce your name? I told her and after that she used it every time she had something to tell me. I thought that was a nice touch. Anyhoodle… apparently my shoulder is fucked, as if I didn’t know. It wasn’t possible to see whether the tendon is torn or just (just!) damaged and inflamed. But head doc told me that either outcome wouldn’t change the treatment or the pain involved. When I told her about the MRI debacle she said that for this particular issue an ultrasound is more useful than an MRI. Okey dokey.

So on to treatment. And the here we go again cycle… she said aside from anti-inflammatories and painkillers there might be some physiotherapy that could help but I needed to see the traumatologist again. And so now I wait. Again.

 

 

 

grey grey grey

30 Friday Jan 2026

Posted by in birthdays, health, knee saga, knees, seasons, sevilla

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Thank goodness for Birthday Month! I mean, January isn’t most people’s favourite month, but these past few weeks have been particularly grim with storm after storm blasting through town. Which of course makes my ever-shrinking life even smaller as I can’t even get out for a hobble when it’s raining (crutches and umbrellas don’t mix well). So it’s been hard keeping my spirits up. I decided to ask my GP if she would request a new traumatology appointment for me (based on the x-ray I had taken in October, might work) but it was a three-week wait just to get a phone appointment with her. Anyhow, that happens on Monday and I’ve prepared my notes so I don’t forget anything. Wish me luck. I’m so tired.

rainy wednesday

10 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in cats, knee saga, knees, sevilla

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So damn… woke up at 6 am (actually a welcome change from the usual 4 am) listening to THE RAIN. And then had a look at the forecast. I mean, I already know that on rainy days I am basically stuck inside, especially since the Polka Dot Poncho let me down. Hobbling on crutches means no umbrella is possible and so these days I am more or less resigned to being, well, resigned. BUT today Luna had her appointment to get a cyst removed. which we’d made in November. Dammit.

At 7 am I texted vet Sonia and asked her if I could reschedule because the thought of Peter and I trying to get there and back again in the ALL-DAY RAIN without umbrellas (Peter carrying cat, me on crutches) and trying to find a taxi (we’d already gone through that hell recently) was just… no. And hey, no problem, Luna is rescheduled for next Wednesday morning. But it was another reminder about how my world is shrinking because I can’t fucking walk. So far the forecast for next Wednesday is sunny.

churros therapy…

17 Monday Nov 2025

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

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Nope, I’m not in Jerez. This is that other only time I eat churros – after an early-morning doctor’s appointment. Remember back when I showed you this video and was concerned because it said that to evaluate the progression of knee arthrosis the surgeon needs to see a weight-bearing x-ray, and for the ones taken in August I was lying on a metal table-bed thing.

So I got in touch with my GP (phone appt) and asked if she could request a weight-bearing knee x-ray for me before my next (ha!) surgeon’s appointment. She had a look at the x-rays on her computer and said that the report said they were weight-bearing (con carga), but I told her I distinctly remembered lying down because when they turned my legs to the side it hurt. She said that was for the lateral ones, the front ones were done standing up according to the chart. Which I don’t remember at all. These were done in a mobile unit x-ray station outside the hospital and I was sure I got up on the table and they did both x-rays that way. Or was I? Fuck. Thinking back, there didn’t even seem to be enough room in there to do a standing up x-ray. Anyhow, I convinced her to make another x-ray appointment for me which was today. At 9.00 in the morning at a health centre way the fuck far away.

Last week I tried to change the appointment to a later time (sometimes you can do this online) but couldn’t find a way, nor could I find a number to call. So whatever. It would have to be today at 9.00. I already knew I would spend a mostly sleepless night (and I was right!) but the other thing was that Storm Claudia still wasn’t done with us, though according to the weather office she’d be clearing out by noon today. Damn. Well, maybe I’d have some luck? Spoiler alert – nope.

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polka dot poncho

07 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by in health, knee saga, knees, sevilla, weather, welcome

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Enough already. I cannot walk (in the streets) without crutches (since August 2024). And I cannot use an umbrella whilst hobbling along on crutches, for obvious reasons. Last winter (rainy af – yes, much needed but still) made me realise how much this limits me. So… hello polka dot poncho! Not quite a famous blue raincoat but let’s see if this helps.