Why the hell didn't someone do this earlier?
There has been a lot and nothing going on since I last posted last summer. I did PT and it helped some but the inflammation was still out of control so my physical therapist decided to put in a referral for rheumatology. That was a cluster f**k of a new kind because there are no rheumatologists within the military healthcare system here so I had to be seen on the economy. It took way longer than it should have to set that up but once I met my doctor, I really liked her and she wanted to help. We had to start with lots of blood work to try to find a cause for the inflammation. She also wanted to do a direct test on the fluid from my knee but their lab could not preform that test so she referred me to an Ortho clinic. Unfortunately, thanks to communication issues and the joys of Tricare, I waited months to get this test done.(and in the meantime the blood work came back normal) It took so long that my original rheumatology referral expired. In trying to get a new referral, I was told I had to be seen by my PCM again before they would renew anything. Mac is working with a different unit now and when he changed over, they screwed up my enrollment in the system even though nothing for me should have changed. Finally, a few weeks ago, he got that corrected and I was able to make an appointment with my PCM about a week and a half ago.
When I saw her, I let her know that nothing had changed. I still hurt all the time. My knee was constantly swollen and I just wanted to figure out what was going on and fix it. She decided to refer me to Ortho in the hospital for the test that the rheumatologist wanted to have done. She also put in a new referral for PT. I do not have a new rheumatology referral because we decided to see what Ortho had to say.(this is the first time in the 3 years since my scope surgery that anyone has sent me to Ortho.) I expected there to be a wait before I got an appointment but they called me the next day and I had an appointment set for Friday morning, Valentine's Day.
After talking with the doctor a little, he told me his plan was to draw fluid off of my knee and if the fluid was clear, he wanted to do a steroid injection. After a little effort since he was working with a shorter needle than he wanted, he started to draw the fluid. I was able to remove 30ccs of fluid but could not get it all. He sent it off to the lab. After that, he injected the steroid. He also had an x-ray done on my ankle and did a small injection into it. The main verdict was that I have arthritis. My reaction was "DUH!!" This is something I have know for a while. He told me the injection may not do much for my ankle because I have arthritis in a few different joints in my ankle and foot, but he said I should get some relief in my knee. We agreed on a follow up in a few weeks and I was on my way.
Holy Shit!
Why the hell has NO ONE in any medical care capacity that I have seen in the last 3 YEARS suggested this treatment to me. Yes, I have had friends say, "Hey, you should do this" but NONE of the healthcare providers have suggested it.
I was sore that afternoon which is to be expected but I was almost instantly able to walk more normally. Most of that was due to the removal of the fluid but I didn't care what the reason was, I was just happy to be in a little less pain. By the next day, I was walking around and doing things pain free that I have not done in years. Saturday Mac and I went downtown to the farmers market and even though I felt a little sore when I got home, I still felt good. Sunday, I walked a mile and a half and completed it at my fastest pace in years. (It is still "turtle stampeding through peanut butter" slow but anything is better than what I have been able to do.) Tuesday, I walked another mile and a half. Wednesday morning, I went on a informative tour that had me on my feet for four hours straight and that night I went to the gym and did some weight lifting for the first time in I don't know how long. Thursday, I walked two miles with a couple ladies from the neighborhood and felt like I could have kept going at the end.
I finally feel human again.
Yes, my ankle still hurts, but it is not as bad as it was(unless I am on it for 4 hours). My knee is smaller than it has been since the scope surgery. I'm trying to be better with food and I'm slowly losing weight. I know being lighter will help my joints. I know getting stronger will help my joints. I know moving more will help my joints. I am taking it slow. I am listening to my body. For the first time in a very long time, I'm not in constant pain.
I can finally see a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and I am doing everything I can to move towards it.
