So as you all know, I have been having problems with my knee for forever now. It looks like they have finally figured out what it is, but it also looks like some of the problems may actually be chronic.
The official name of my diagnosis is Pes Anserine Bursitis. It basically means that the pes anserine bursa (located right below the knee) is inflamed. While although it can be calmed down, it can also flare again whenever it pleases. When it flares it is some of the worst pain I've ever been in, even worse then most of my fibro pain. It gets to the point where just bending and straightening my knee hurts, let alone walking.
My physical therapist, Scott, has been working hard on getting it to calm back now. I don't know the names of all the different kinds of treatments he has been trying, but they are seeming to help, at least some. I just hope I don't have to go back for a cortisone shot, those things kill me, in so many ways.
I'm really not excited...just another diagnosis to add to my list, and yet even another one that can flare whenever it wants....*sigh*
Showing posts with label knee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knee. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2011
Update On My Knee
Labels:
bursitis,
chronic pain,
diagnosis,
fibro,
fibromyalgia,
flare,
knee,
life,
pes anserine,
physical therapy,
spoonie
Monday, March 14, 2011
Update.
So, I'm gonna try to do better at writing in this blog, let's see how it goes.
Physical therapy is going well. Scott is so knowledgeable and so great. He knows what he is doing, and actually takes the time to explain things. Not only that, he understands fibro, and has actually done a lot of research on it. It's very nice to have someone who understands. I told him that I wish he was a doctor so he could treat my fibro, lol. He's doing great work on my knee as well, I can tell a difference already.
Speaking of my knee, I am so annoyed at the orthopedic surgeon who I have been seeing for my knee. At my last appointment with him, he had told me that it was just bursitis, gave me a cortisone shot, and sent me to PT. Apparently, there is also another issue. My kneecap is out of alignment, meaning that when I bend and straighten my knee, it basically grinds against cartilage that it's not supposed to, hence the pain. The ortho wrote that it in the notes to Scott, but never told me. It annoys me to no end that he didn't tell me everything. Believe me, he's gonna hear about it at my next appointment with him.
I'm also thinking about trying to doctor search for a new primary care doctor, but with my insurance and everything else, it's way more complicated then it should be.
I guess that's about it for now, hope everyone is doing well!
Physical therapy is going well. Scott is so knowledgeable and so great. He knows what he is doing, and actually takes the time to explain things. Not only that, he understands fibro, and has actually done a lot of research on it. It's very nice to have someone who understands. I told him that I wish he was a doctor so he could treat my fibro, lol. He's doing great work on my knee as well, I can tell a difference already.
Speaking of my knee, I am so annoyed at the orthopedic surgeon who I have been seeing for my knee. At my last appointment with him, he had told me that it was just bursitis, gave me a cortisone shot, and sent me to PT. Apparently, there is also another issue. My kneecap is out of alignment, meaning that when I bend and straighten my knee, it basically grinds against cartilage that it's not supposed to, hence the pain. The ortho wrote that it in the notes to Scott, but never told me. It annoys me to no end that he didn't tell me everything. Believe me, he's gonna hear about it at my next appointment with him.
I'm also thinking about trying to doctor search for a new primary care doctor, but with my insurance and everything else, it's way more complicated then it should be.
I guess that's about it for now, hope everyone is doing well!
Labels:
doctor,
fibro,
fibromyalgia,
injury,
knee,
pcp,
physical therapy
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Good News!
Soooooo I have some good news. I don't need surgery on my knee! It looks like it's just a minor tear that should heal on its own. I do need physical therapy, but that's nothing compared to needing surgery! And my MRI looked good, so that's a positive thing too. Thank God! I am SO relieved! I was so scared and so stressed and just ahhh! It's about time I finally get some good news!
That's really all I have to say today, just wanted everyone to know the good news! :)
That's really all I have to say today, just wanted everyone to know the good news! :)
Labels:
fibro,
fibromyalgia,
knee,
mri,
physical therapy,
relief,
surgery
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
One Thing After Another....
Wow, I haven't actually updated this in SO long. I feel like it has just become more of a chore than an enjoyment. I don't know why, it just seems that way. It's weird really, because when I first started this thing, I absolutely loved it and used it all the time.
Anyways, I left off right before Christmas. Dan and I went to my parents' house for Christmas, which was nice. It didn't feel nearly as much like Christmas as it usually does, and I think its just because I am growing up, and while Christmas is still nice of course, it just isn't the same as when I was younger.
While I was there, I started having some extreme pain in the left side of my face, which I thought was my trigeminal neuralgia flaring. It was beyond painful, and NOTHING got rid of it. I actually ended up in the ER once because the pain was just THAT bad, and they gave me hydromorphone (which is like synthetic morphine) and even that didn't work, that's how bad it was. After like a week or two of being in pain, it was finally discovered that it was actually TMJ, and that it was setting off my trigeminal neuralgia as well. My doctor put me on short-term prednisone (which made me soooo sick) but calmed it down, and it's been better since, thankfully. That was such bad pain.
So a little bit more time goes by, and I'm feeling horrible, so exhausted, sick feeling, etc. I thought it was just the fibro acting up, so I just let it be for awhile. But it got worse, and got to the point where I knew it was more then just fibro, so back to the doctor I go. Turns out I had gotten mono somewhere along the line. That was just wonderful. Let me tell you, fibro plus mono is absolutely horrible. I have never felt so exhausted or so sick in my whole life. It was so intense. Actually, I think I still have a bout of it, but I do believe that it is getting at least a bit better. While I'm def still tired, it's not as bad as it was.
Sooo there's that. But then this past Friday, I fell on the ice in my driveway on my bad knee (the one I hurt back in August). The pain was so bad. I ended up going to the Brighton FirstCare on Saturday night because the pain was just so intense and I knew something must be wrong. So they referred me to an orthopedic doctor who I saw yesterday. He thinks I might have torn *insert medical jargon here.* I don't know what exactly it was. But anyways, I have an MRI next Wednesday to figure out what exactly is wrong, and then we will see what needs to be done. I may need surgery or I may not, we don't know yet. In the meantime, I'm in a knee immobilizer and am supposed to be using crutches if I'm gonna be on it alot. Oh fun.
Oh and I have a cold now too.
So this is my life....see what I mean when I say it's one thing after another?
Anyways, I left off right before Christmas. Dan and I went to my parents' house for Christmas, which was nice. It didn't feel nearly as much like Christmas as it usually does, and I think its just because I am growing up, and while Christmas is still nice of course, it just isn't the same as when I was younger.
While I was there, I started having some extreme pain in the left side of my face, which I thought was my trigeminal neuralgia flaring. It was beyond painful, and NOTHING got rid of it. I actually ended up in the ER once because the pain was just THAT bad, and they gave me hydromorphone (which is like synthetic morphine) and even that didn't work, that's how bad it was. After like a week or two of being in pain, it was finally discovered that it was actually TMJ, and that it was setting off my trigeminal neuralgia as well. My doctor put me on short-term prednisone (which made me soooo sick) but calmed it down, and it's been better since, thankfully. That was such bad pain.
So a little bit more time goes by, and I'm feeling horrible, so exhausted, sick feeling, etc. I thought it was just the fibro acting up, so I just let it be for awhile. But it got worse, and got to the point where I knew it was more then just fibro, so back to the doctor I go. Turns out I had gotten mono somewhere along the line. That was just wonderful. Let me tell you, fibro plus mono is absolutely horrible. I have never felt so exhausted or so sick in my whole life. It was so intense. Actually, I think I still have a bout of it, but I do believe that it is getting at least a bit better. While I'm def still tired, it's not as bad as it was.
Sooo there's that. But then this past Friday, I fell on the ice in my driveway on my bad knee (the one I hurt back in August). The pain was so bad. I ended up going to the Brighton FirstCare on Saturday night because the pain was just so intense and I knew something must be wrong. So they referred me to an orthopedic doctor who I saw yesterday. He thinks I might have torn *insert medical jargon here.* I don't know what exactly it was. But anyways, I have an MRI next Wednesday to figure out what exactly is wrong, and then we will see what needs to be done. I may need surgery or I may not, we don't know yet. In the meantime, I'm in a knee immobilizer and am supposed to be using crutches if I'm gonna be on it alot. Oh fun.
Oh and I have a cold now too.
So this is my life....see what I mean when I say it's one thing after another?
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Pain....and other things...
Ok, so I suppose its time for a new update, since it's been awhile.
Last week was pretty much same 'ol same 'ol. I ended up going to First Care at Maine Med for my knee on Wednesday night. They took x-rays and such and couldn't find anything. The doctor then did an exam, and he said that he thought I had bruised the bone. They wrapped it in an ace bandage, told me it would be 2-3 days til it felt better, and then sent me on my way. Oh man was I in pain.
We got notice from Dan's insurance company that his car was totalled. Not good news at all. So on Thursday we went up to Richmond to get everything out of it, which was actually alot of stuff. I didn't even realize we had that much stuff in his car! And man was that painful on my knee doing all of that work. But Dan was good as usual and didn't make me do more then I felt I could handle. Unfortunately, what I "thought I could handle" was more then what I really could.
We then went to South China for a couple of days since we were right there anyways. We stayed until Saturday and then came back to Portland. During which, my knee was still killing me, and the ace bandage wasn't helping any....in fact I feel like it was making it worse because it was cutting into the skin. (And I didn't even have it that tight!)
This morning I woke up and my knee hurt even WORSE. And it had been 4 days. I knew something wasn't right, so I decided to go back and see another doctor, because I just wasn't ok. So we went to Mercy's FirstCare and saw a doctor. She said the other doctor WAS right, that is a bruised bone, but that it def wouldn't heal within 2-3 days. She said it may be a few weeks. She then gave me a knee immobilizer to use and crutches to use in extreme circumstances. I'm glad that it was nothing serious, and that this doctor had a clue. But man oh man, the pain is so extreme and I don't have anything for it. It's worse then my fibro pain I think. But then again it's hard to tell, because it is probably both acting up.
Sooo on Wednesday I have a doctor appointment. After talking to some people, I have decided that I am SO going to put my foot down and demand a referral to a pain specialist. I don't care that he thinks I don't need to see one. I have been in so much pain for so long now, and none of the fibro meds seem to be helping, so I NEED to do something. And as much as I would hate to do so, if he doesn't oblige I will start looking for another doctor, although like I said, I would hate it if it came down to that.
Well, I guess thats it for now. I hope everyone is doing well! <3
Last week was pretty much same 'ol same 'ol. I ended up going to First Care at Maine Med for my knee on Wednesday night. They took x-rays and such and couldn't find anything. The doctor then did an exam, and he said that he thought I had bruised the bone. They wrapped it in an ace bandage, told me it would be 2-3 days til it felt better, and then sent me on my way. Oh man was I in pain.
We got notice from Dan's insurance company that his car was totalled. Not good news at all. So on Thursday we went up to Richmond to get everything out of it, which was actually alot of stuff. I didn't even realize we had that much stuff in his car! And man was that painful on my knee doing all of that work. But Dan was good as usual and didn't make me do more then I felt I could handle. Unfortunately, what I "thought I could handle" was more then what I really could.
We then went to South China for a couple of days since we were right there anyways. We stayed until Saturday and then came back to Portland. During which, my knee was still killing me, and the ace bandage wasn't helping any....in fact I feel like it was making it worse because it was cutting into the skin. (And I didn't even have it that tight!)
This morning I woke up and my knee hurt even WORSE. And it had been 4 days. I knew something wasn't right, so I decided to go back and see another doctor, because I just wasn't ok. So we went to Mercy's FirstCare and saw a doctor. She said the other doctor WAS right, that is a bruised bone, but that it def wouldn't heal within 2-3 days. She said it may be a few weeks. She then gave me a knee immobilizer to use and crutches to use in extreme circumstances. I'm glad that it was nothing serious, and that this doctor had a clue. But man oh man, the pain is so extreme and I don't have anything for it. It's worse then my fibro pain I think. But then again it's hard to tell, because it is probably both acting up.
Sooo on Wednesday I have a doctor appointment. After talking to some people, I have decided that I am SO going to put my foot down and demand a referral to a pain specialist. I don't care that he thinks I don't need to see one. I have been in so much pain for so long now, and none of the fibro meds seem to be helping, so I NEED to do something. And as much as I would hate to do so, if he doesn't oblige I will start looking for another doctor, although like I said, I would hate it if it came down to that.
Well, I guess thats it for now. I hope everyone is doing well! <3
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Life continued....
So let's see, what is new in my life?
Well, the heat nearly killed me. I felt so sick, and I passed out numerous times. Luckily, it rained this weekend and that cooled me down some. One night, Dan and I went for a walk in the rain in the park. It was amazing, and it made me feel so much better.
I went to the neurologist on Monday, and that wasn't a huge help. But seriously, why am I surprised? He did up my Lyrica though...I'm now on 225mg twice a day. I wonder if it will help? I feel like nothing ever does. I've been in so much pain lately and so tired. My knee has still been bothering me. I fell on it like 2 weeks ago, and it still bothers me alot. I don't know if I actually did some sort of damage or not, but it def feels like it.
Umm. Mike and Shawn came to visit today, and that was nice. Our friendships have been strained numerous times, but its still there, and thats always a good thing. I really do miss them on occasion, so it was really nice to see them and catch up and everything. And reminscing about old times. As much as I love the present, sometimes I really do miss the past. Sometimes I really wish I could go back. But I do love the present. Ah. It's hard to explain.
I am going to take some classes at SMCC this semester. I am taking some online classes because attendance is really hurting my grades, and with online classes I can do my work even if I am sick in bed. So I think its a good plan. Because I really don't want to give up school, no matter how hard it really is most of the time.
Ok, thats it for now. <3
Well, the heat nearly killed me. I felt so sick, and I passed out numerous times. Luckily, it rained this weekend and that cooled me down some. One night, Dan and I went for a walk in the rain in the park. It was amazing, and it made me feel so much better.
I went to the neurologist on Monday, and that wasn't a huge help. But seriously, why am I surprised? He did up my Lyrica though...I'm now on 225mg twice a day. I wonder if it will help? I feel like nothing ever does. I've been in so much pain lately and so tired. My knee has still been bothering me. I fell on it like 2 weeks ago, and it still bothers me alot. I don't know if I actually did some sort of damage or not, but it def feels like it.
Umm. Mike and Shawn came to visit today, and that was nice. Our friendships have been strained numerous times, but its still there, and thats always a good thing. I really do miss them on occasion, so it was really nice to see them and catch up and everything. And reminscing about old times. As much as I love the present, sometimes I really do miss the past. Sometimes I really wish I could go back. But I do love the present. Ah. It's hard to explain.
I am going to take some classes at SMCC this semester. I am taking some online classes because attendance is really hurting my grades, and with online classes I can do my work even if I am sick in bed. So I think its a good plan. Because I really don't want to give up school, no matter how hard it really is most of the time.
Ok, thats it for now. <3
Labels:
classes,
fibro,
fibromyalgia,
friends,
friendship,
grades,
heat,
knee,
pain,
passing out,
sick,
smcc,
tired
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