Ping Heidi

Had an MRI done on my right knee Wednesday, saw the ortho guy on Friday to 
go over the results. I'm going under the knife (or the scope if you prefer) 
as soon as I can schedule the surgery. I have a cyst about the size of a 
large walnut behind my knee and pain on the left side of the kneecap where 
the meniscus is located. Even though I've never injured either knee, through 
old age and the battering my body took from 30 years of playing sports all 
year round I apparently have some rough cartilege he wants to depride and 
maybe a minor tear in the meniscus. The Lyme disease is preventing my body 
from fighting off the inflammation and swelling -- if I was healthy I could 
rest and break the cycle of inflammation and irritation, but I ain't. And 
because I've been walking with a strange gait to protect the right knee, my 
left knee is swollen just as badly, my whole lower body is out of whack as 
the muscles try to compensate from walking funny.

Anywho, I wondered exactly what procedure you had done? I know you never 
recovered from it, but was it arthroscopic surgery, and if so, on what part 
of the knee? I have no ligament damage. In fact, the doc is slightly 
concerned that he couldn't find any major damage in the MRI that could cause 
such massive swelling and the cyst to form. Hopefully he won't find anything 
else when he starts poking around in there. I'll be under general 
anesthesia, but it should only take 1/2 hour he said, and I'll walk out of 
the building on my own assuming there's nothing else wrong. He said I would 
fully recover in about 2 weeks (pro athletes have this procedure done 
regularly and are back playing within a week, but they're young and healthy 
to start with).

Anyone else that has had similar surgery is free to chip in with advice. 
Except Chris! Wherever he is....he probably has horror stories about his 
knees too, with all the crap that's happened to his body. 

"Indigo" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:fr1d0p$njm$1@news.spamcop.net...
> Had an MRI done on my right knee Wednesday, saw the ortho guy on Friday to

> go over the results. I'm going under the knife (or the scope if you 
> prefer) as soon as I can schedule the surgery. I have a cyst about the 
> size of a large walnut behind my knee and pain on the left side of the 
> kneecap where the meniscus is located. Even though I've never injured 
> either knee, through old age and the battering my body took from 30 years 
> of playing sports all year round I apparently have some rough cartilege he

> wants to depride and maybe a minor tear in the meniscus. The Lyme disease 
> is preventing my body from fighting off the inflammation and swelling --  
> if I was healthy I could rest and break the cycle of inflammation and 
> irritation, but I ain't. And because I've been walking with a strange gait

> to protect the right knee, my left knee is swollen just as badly, my whole

> lower body is out of whack as the muscles try to compensate from walking 
> funny.
>
> Anywho, I wondered exactly what procedure you had done? I know you never 
> recovered from it, but was it arthroscopic surgery, and if so, on what 
> part of the knee? I have no ligament damage. In fact, the doc is slightly 
> concerned that he couldn't find any major damage in the MRI that could 
> cause such massive swelling and the cyst to form. Hopefully he won't find 
> anything else when he starts poking around in there. I'll be under general

> anesthesia, but it should only take 1/2 hour he said, and I'll walk out of

> the building on my own assuming there's nothing else wrong. He said I 
> would fully recover in about 2 weeks (pro athletes have this procedure 
> done regularly and are back playing within a week, but they're young and 
> healthy to start with).
>
Well ha ha, that's what I thought, pro athletes have this done all the time 
and they bounce right back to work, so why wouldn't I be the same?  Couldn't 
have been more wrong about that.  My original injury was a "hangnail"
- like 
slice along the edge of the meniscus, he debrided that back to a clean 
margin and that has remain fixed.  HOWEVER - the standard of care is to get 
rid of "loose" cartilage while they're in there, and because the
cartilage 
on the back of my kneecap was "fringy", he debrided that.  It never
bothered 
me before, except that it made a scraping noise sometimes, but it never 
hurt.  But after, as you know, it's been nothing but constant pain and 
swelling, and a year later he went in to "fix" things and did the same
damn 
thing again.  Now I have a permanent injury that I just cannot seem to get 
past, so unless you have specific issues with your kneecaps hurting, I would 
tell them to LEAVE THEM ALONE.  There is no fix if they debride the 
cartilage there, and basically no comfort to be had, Supartz injections 
didn't really help me at all.  Both 2nd opinion doctors have said my 
original injury was totally insignificant to what I'm dealing with now.  If 
he had only fixed JUST what was broken, I'd be fine now.  Shithead surgeon 
won't take responsibility for what he did and writes in his notes that there 
is no mechanical reason for my pain.   Except for the fact that the back of 
my kneecap now feels like a cheese grater, thanks to him.   I would be very 
emphatic about not fixing stuff that isn't bothering you, because there is 
something worse than your kneecap making little scraping sounds, and that's 
taking away what's cushioning it now. 

"Heidi" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:fr1hh9$b8u$1@news.spamcop.net...
 I would be very
> emphatic about not fixing stuff that isn't bothering you, because there is

> something worse than your kneecap making little scraping sounds, and 
> that's taking away what's cushioning it now.
>
Crap. Not what I wanted to hear. My surgery is scheduled for the 25th. I 
looked at the MRI with him, and I _know_ something isn't right. Walking up 
flights of stairs or being up on my feet all day brings severe pain and 
swelling to my right knee, a sharp pain on the inside of the kneecap, and I 
still have that big cyst behind my knee that hurts like hell. Something 
definitely ain't kosher in there. I have no chance of rehabbing to return to 
work unless I get this problem fixed. The Celebrex he gave me is working 
pretty well at keeping the swelling down except when I'm active (behaving 
normally instead of being a couch potato). I don't see how I have any option 
at this point, being that it's been flaky for so many years. I only have 
disability pay until December, I HAVE to rehab and get a job and my knee is 
preventing it. Just wish me luck, K? 

"Indigo" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:fr4oth$btq$1@news.spamcop.net...
>
> Crap. Not what I wanted to hear. My surgery is scheduled for the 25th. I 
> looked at the MRI with him, and I _know_ something isn't right. Walking up

> flights of stairs or being up on my feet all day brings severe pain and 
> swelling to my right knee, a sharp pain on the inside of the kneecap, and 
> I still have that big cyst behind my knee that hurts like hell. Something 
> definitely ain't kosher in there. I have no chance of rehabbing to return 
> to work unless I get this problem fixed. The Celebrex he gave me is 
> working pretty well at keeping the swelling down except when I'm active 
> (behaving normally instead of being a couch potato). I don't see how I 
> have any option at this point, being that it's been flaky for so many 
> years. I only have disability pay until December, I HAVE to rehab and get 
> a job and my knee is preventing it. Just wish me luck, K?
Nothing wrong with fixing what's broken, cysts and all, but unless you have 
an actual problem with the cartilage on the back of  your kneecap, tell him 
to leave it alone.  It might make noise and it might even hurt a little, but 
debriding it makes it hell on earth, you can't replace that cushion.  I 
unfortunately got a job on the second floor with no elevator, and let me 
tell you I CRINGE every morning when I have to climb those stairs - I didn't 
use to be like that.  My right knee makes noise and is  probably worn down, 
sometimes it's painful but I have no swelling in it.  The left knee that 
they screwed up? It has been bursting with fluid since the operations, no 
matter how many times it's aspirated it comes right back.  Supartz has 
helped a tiny big, but the irritation from the rough kneecap is causing 
persistent inflammation.  I don't think it will ever change, and it hurts 
like hell, all the time.  If I could find a lawyer to take it, I'd sue that 
jerk into next year. 

"Heidi" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:fr4s9f$r6m$1@news.spamcop.net...
|
| "Indigo" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message
| news:fr4oth$btq$1@news.spamcop.net...
| >
| > Crap. Not what I wanted to hear. My surgery is scheduled for the 25th. I
| > looked at the MRI with him, and I _know_ something isn't right. Walking 
up
| > flights of stairs or being up on my feet all day brings severe pain and
| > swelling to my right knee, a sharp pain on the inside of the kneecap, 
and
| > I still have that big cyst behind my knee that hurts like hell. 
Something
| > definitely ain't kosher in there. I have no chance of rehabbing to 
return
| > to work unless I get this problem fixed. The Celebrex he gave me is
| > working pretty well at keeping the swelling down except when I'm active
| > (behaving normally instead of being a couch potato). I don't see how I
| > have any option at this point, being that it's been flaky for so many
| > years. I only have disability pay until December, I HAVE to rehab and 
get
| > a job and my knee is preventing it. Just wish me luck, K?
| Nothing wrong with fixing what's broken, cysts and all, but unless you 
have
| an actual problem with the cartilage on the back of  your kneecap, tell 
him
| to leave it alone.  It might make noise and it might even hurt a little, 
but
| debriding it makes it hell on earth, you can't replace that cushion.  I
| unfortunately got a job on the second floor with no elevator, and let me
| tell you I CRINGE every morning when I have to climb those stairs - I 
didn't
| use to be like that.  My right knee makes noise and is  probably worn 
down,
| sometimes it's painful but I have no swelling in it.  The left knee that
| they screwed up? It has been bursting with fluid since the operations, no
| matter how many times it's aspirated it comes right back.  Supartz has
| helped a tiny big, but the irritation from the rough kneecap is causing
| persistent inflammation.  I don't think it will ever change, and it hurts
| like hell, all the time.  If I could find a lawyer to take it, I'd sue 
that
| jerk into next year.

I've just been informed I need BOTH knees replaced*.  The question comes 
which one first?

*(the result of jumping out of too many perfectly good airplanes, climbing 
tall radio towers and other vertical surfaces when I was young and 
invincible).

Heart doc wants them done both at the same time, otho says only if you must. 
Those that have had the procedure done two at a time say NEVER!