The day after my 63rd birthday, I went in to have some minor issues repaired that have been bothering me for two or three years. It was kind of a present to myself, so I could walk without having pain in both my left knee and left foot.
In medical terms I had an Arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in the meniscus. The cause of the tear is undoubtedly wear and tear of a moderately active older male. A person who will do everything himself rather than pay to have someone else do it or ask for help. The problem with pain in the knee, making it painful to walk, had been evident off and on for a couple years. It would come on, I would rest and it would go away normally after about a week. About a year ago, during an emergency water heater replacement, I spent a lot of time on my knees working on the floor area of where the water heater sits. The knee pain came on and a month later it was still there. I made an appointment with one of the best Orthopedic Surgeons in Lubbock. Being one of the best surgeons, it took me more than two months to get an appointment. After X-rays and an exam, the Doctor felt that it was a torn meniscus and thought a conservative approach might be the best. This consisted of an injection and orders to slow down on walking, no kneeling for prolong periods of time, or at all, use of an exercise bike and rest. Two months later it was still painful to walk more than a mile, and daily walking, especially over rough terrain just kept the pain at the forefront. Another call to the Doctor and an appointment set two months out. At this appointment it was decided the next step was a MRI which would give a clear picture of what was going on. Results showed a tear in the meniscus. Surgery was scheduled for two months out - February 17.
Now, the toe, left foot. This has been causing discomfort since back in '13. I visited a local Podiatrist, who after x-rays, stated that it was arthritis and that in-soles would give me the best relief. So, after a year with Dr. Scholl's I got an appointment in early '15 with the Orthopedic Surgeon. After x-rays, he agreed that the pain was caused by arthritis, but that surgery was the best way to handle it. In addition, he discovered a genetic deformity in the toe bone that would have to be corrected with a "moberg" procedure. His advice was, keep on with life and when it got so bad I could not stand it, to come see him and he would take care of it.
Well, the stars aligned and after he got done with the meniscus repair, he moved down a little and did a Cheilectomy and the Moberg procedure. I'll let you google both of these so you can read the gory details.
Needless to say, I am on crutches until at least Wednesday, which will be my first follow up. The crutches are to give me "stability" while walking. I have pretty good range of motion in the knee, and it is the toe that is the most painful if moved in the wrong direction. I'll go back to work tomorrow. At least we are in a single story facility that meets all ADA requirements.
So, a very long story to tell you what is going on.
Travel in on hold for a little bit, but we plan a couple trips this year, including a trip to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
So long for now -
No comments:
Post a Comment