My left knee is shot. Bone on bone. It's been locking up lately when it's been at an angle. It gets stuck and won't move until finally it makes a loud pop and goes back into place. It's not pleasant when that happens and it's been happening more often. Today an X-ray revealed bone on bone and bone spurs and arthritis. Yikes. The Dr. said that for all that is wrong with it, it's amazing I'm not in more pain. He's surprised that I can do all that I can do. He said to keep doing it, so I'll keep walking, exercising and just living my life but at some point I'm going to need steroid shots to control the pain and ultimately---a knee replacement. Shoot!
This is all because of skiing you know.
A series of unfortunate events has brought me to this point.
I broke my left femur at age 20 while skiing at Sundance
Traction in the hospital for six weeks, a body cast for six more.
Knee immobile in traction and the body cast. Cartilage was stiffened and my knee got welded in place from non use. Painful physical therapy loosed it up again, but at a cost to the cartilage. It became more brittle.
Skiing again at age 45 with the family for the start of the new millennium at Snowbird.
Fell (not even that hard ) and wrenched my knee.
Tore the meniscus (cartilage) between the two big bones in the knee.
Went along with pain on and off for five years.
After gardening one spring, it started to swell and I couldn't go on.
Got a knee scope and the Dr. smoothed out the torn meniscus.
(Also got burned in the process and got a nice settlement from
the hospital - that's a story for another day.)
Knee slowly improved.
It's been doing pretty well these last five years until now when it started locking up.
I really did enjoy skiing. I hope it was worth it.
My mother predicted this might happen back in 1975.
I guess she was right....
5 comments:
But it was so fun. Remember good old Pomerelle Ski slopes. You could go to the top, ski down and right back onto the lift. No lines ever, except the day after Christmas when everyone got their new skis. I got my first pair on the day that President Kennedy was assinated. Seriously...Who cares. Sorry about the knee. Jim needs both of his replaced (football) and also a shoulder. When you decide to do your knee let me know and you could be room mates. He is such a good patient and so plesant when he is ill. NOT!!!!
So sorry about the knee, Vonnie. You have been such a trooper, and you keep on going despite it all. Thanks for a good, spartan example.
I'm so sorry! Pain is no good. You're a trooper. I had no idea. I complain so much everyone would have known!
Hi it's Carol - I'm sorry too Von. Yuck!
Ah! Sorry for the bad news Mom. I will call you later for the report, but am glad you found out what is going on with you knee. For my part, I never even knew you were in pain so you must have some true toughness going on.
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