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.
So dammit! Years ago I used to run almost every morning. It was the only aerobic exercise that I enjoyed. Then when I reached 40 my lower back and hips gave out, so I had to stop. And so I bought a bicycle and took regular jaunts along the river (though it actually felt like more exercise lugging the thing up and down three long flights of stairs). More recently I’ve taken to riding the recumbent bike at the gym, where I actually get a good sweat going, usually riding for about an hour.
