Category Archives: knees

too much pain

23 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in fitness, health, health & happiness, knee saga, knees

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knee pain

So I’m pretty much desperate now. I’ve had KNEES for the past few years, meaning that I became physically aware that they existed rather than previously when they just functioned without making their presence known. But it was only last year May-June when I started having serious knee pain. So I got it checked out, got x-rays and an MRI in September (on the left knee, though by then it was the right knee that was giving me more grief). In fact I ended up at emergency when the pain got so bad it scared me. Doc just said I should stay off it and prescribed pain meds, including Nolotil which is BANNED IN 20 COUNTRIES as one of its many nasty side effects is DEATH. Needless to say I eschewed the drugs.

I haven’t gone back to my GP about the MRI results because when I tried a phone appointment a few months ago she was on holiday and I got her replacement who just told me to take painkillers and ride a stationary bike. The fuck? For what it’s worth I’ve set up another phone appointment for next week to see if she has anything more helpful to say. Like, I should probably be seeing an orthopaedic specialist at this point, plus I think the right knee also needs an MRI. And then, you know, maybe some helpful advice?

Meanwhile, I can barely walk anymore. It’s shocking to me how things went from “gee my knees kinda hurt” less than a year ago to screaming pain whenever I have to get up from a seated position (once I get moving it eases up a bit, but only a bit). Needless to say this affects my job which involves a lot of walking. But it has also affected my life in general because walking is what I do! I’m always out and about, getting my steps in, just being out there. Now it takes all my effort to put myself through the pain it takes to just walk a few blocks. It’s exhausting. I’m exhausted.

my body hates me!

17 Tuesday Oct 2023

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back again

I mean, it was gaaaahh and aaarrghh and loads of swear words too. Yesterday morning I bent over to look at something on the floor and suddenly lightning bolts of pain shot through my lower back. I mean, seriously? AGAIN?? My back just fucked me over last May and I don’t usually get a serious back incident like this more than maybe once a year. But of course it’s like how my right knee is now hurting more than the recently MRI’d left knee… all that shit is connected. And even though I’m being careful with my posture while walking, and using my new bastón for support, it seems the various fucked up parts of my body are getting even more out of whack by compensating for each other on a daily basis. And so… now what?

Well I guess I have to go back to my GP and have her refer me to an orthopaedic doctor to see what the next step is after the MRI. Will I need surgery? Injections? Physiotherapy? I don’t know. But it feels like everything is falling apart and there’s just pain all over the place now. I have a blood test on Friday morning so I will also see about making a GP appointment then and – I hope – also book my Covid and Flu booster jabs for next week. Phew!

la muletilla

05 Thursday Oct 2023

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muletilla

Since the most recent knee saga I’ve been using my trusty crutch when out and about, but you know, it’s kind of clunky and not always needed. I mean, I don’t need it at home and, after going out on a couple of tapas tours, I realised that I mostly need “extra support” on inclines and street curbs (don’t even talk to me about stairs) so as to not put extra pressure on the dodgy knee. So I went to look for a more “every day” kind of walking cane and found this at the (very handy) orthopaedic store down the street from me.

This muletilla (little crutch) is lightweight and adjustable as well as being foldable (good for travelling) with an ergonomic handle, which I discovered is actually very comfortable as opposed to the straight handle on my big crutch. AND… it has a wrist strap so when I want to stop in the street and take a photo of something the muletilla can just dangle.

And so it looks like I have officially become AN OLD WOMAN WITH A CANE. Which, for the moment, keeps me from being an old woman who walks like a penguin (it’s actually been tempting to do this because, well, it’s kind of easier, but no). Meanwhile my MRI’d knee seems do be doing okay. Whatever. One day at a time.

f*kn knees man

03 Tuesday Oct 2023

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

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traumatologia

And it goes on and on. This is the traumatology hospital at Virgen del Rocío, part of their massive university hospital complex (the one that saved my life back in 2008). I didn’t really expect to end up here today (last visit was – I think – when Peter almost put his eye out on Christmas Day). BUT the right knee that had been giving me problems since a few days before the MRI on the left knee last week suddenly went GAAAAH and the pain was just awful. Scary awful. And checking possible reasons on google was not helping.

So a couple of hours and two taxi rides later I was back home again after a jab of anti-inflammatory, a bandage around my knee and a prescription for paracetamol and metamizole. Treatment – stay off my leg and put ice on it. Cause of pain – I overburdened my knee (by being fat). Almost a waste of time (I’m not taking either of the drugs prescribed or wearing that shitty bandage) other than Dr Grumpy said I don’t have any fluid build up around the knee so if there is a Baker’s Cyst there it’s very small, plus he ruled out a DVT.

I also found out that I have osteoarthritis in both knees, not just the left one that had been MRI’d. When I expressed surprise/concern Dr Grumpy snapped (while looking at my xray taken in July) “Well of course you do, if you have it in one you have it in both, but the left one is worse”. Yet it’s my right knee that hurts like fuckity. Apparently because I’m “overloading” it. So fine. I am at home with an ice pack and without the shitty bandage that bunches up and cuts off my circulation. How was your day?

my first mri!

27 Wednesday Sep 2023

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mri

Remember back in June when my left knee totally gave out, excruciating pain, etc… then I got an x-ray done in July and an MRI was recommended? Well I finally had the MRI done today but since Sunday my right knee has been so painful I can barely walk, so I was wondering if they would do a twofer while I was there. No dice. I was told they were only authorized to do the left knee. I thought it would be like the x-ray, with both knees done at the same time, but they used this exact machine (see pic – same brand and everything) which, as you can see, is for one knee only. So fine. I was still thinking this was going to be easy peasy until the technician finally got my leg locked into position and then said… “it’s very important that you do not move AT ALL”. Again, not too worried thinking it would be like an x-ray, hey no problem. But it turned out I was not allowed to move AT ALL for 25 minutes. Gaaahhh…
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