About 2 weeks ago(6/18), I put in a pretty good day of mowing and that evening my leg was pretty sore, but I just chalked it up to wearing my chore shoes which are not very supportive. I use these and I love them for trotting outside to chore. Not an affiliate link - just sharing something I love and use.
The next day I helped DH pull out all that fence around the old trailer house here at headquarters. And yes, I wore my good supportive work shoes. We worked hard for about 3 or 4 hours and I was smoked. Then I made a trip to town to run errands.
The next morning, Thursday, I could hardly walk. That's when DH brought me the crutches from the bunkhouse.
So I hobbled around and tried to rest it over the weekend. DH wisely advised I not go into work on Monday so I called my boss so that she could make other arrangements.
I called the orthopedic clinic and was grateful to get in on Tuesday (6/25). The PA said she was very pleased with the X-rays and that I had beautiful knees (on the X-rays) 😉. I said, "That's great news, but I can't walk." She gave me the option of a cortisone shot or an MRI. DH said he wanted me to have both. 😂 He felt like she didn't realize how much I was really hurting. So DH tried to tell her, but I got the feeling she just thought I was a whiner. DH said, "She wouldn't think that if she knew you."
I was told the MRI would be scheduled and they needed to get approval from insurance.
Insert rant: I love this country, but the health care and insurance system is royally messed up. End of rant.
The next morning (Wed 6/26), my knee felt a little less painful, but I didn't feel much of an improvement. DH went out to ride a colt and then he had an appointment and things to do in town.
So after making the bed, I figured I'd boil some eggs since they were piling up. Doing things on crutches when you're 60 is a challenge, but I couldn't just sit around all day.
I was gently spooning eggs into the boiling water and when I turned to the side to pick up a couple more eggs, one of the eggs in the pot must have had a crack in it because it popped and that startled me so I involuntarily did a little hop and immediately felt something tear or pop in my leg. It instantly brought tears to my eyes.
I just worked through it and waited for the eggs to finish boiling, put them in ice water for a few minutes and stuck them in the fridge. I didn't go sit down right away because I didn't want to waste the eggs.
But, BOY HOWDY! My leg did NOT feel good. I thought I was going to pass out. So Once I caught my breath, and made my way to the living room, I called the clinic and talked to the receptionist. She put me through to the PA's voicemail and I asked if she could please fast track that MRI.
That evening I got an email that insurance had approved it and that it had been ordered, but it's now the 2nd and I'm still waiting to hear from radiology about an appointment. Sigh.
I can't just sit around so I'm piling laundry on my shoulders and crutching my way to the laundry room, cooking some and keeping up with the dishes. DH still needs to eat and since I'm not doing a whole lot, I'm just eating once a day. We live too far from town to eat out and I don't buy frozen dinners so I made Barbecue Swiss Steak in the Instant Pot one day
and Barbacoa in the Crockpot the next day
I'm still cleaning out the pantry so I made a batch of Dirt Road Granola Bars that used up the rest of the Chocolate Chips, Rice Krispies, and Quick Oats.
There's enough leftovers for a few more days while I wait for that phone call. I'm just ready to find out what needs to done next. Hopefully, it's an easy fix because we've got a pretty big project ahead of us (I'll share more in a few weeks) and 2 healthy knees would be beneficial.
12 comments:
You are a determined lady. I had that “pop” with a knee. It was quite painful. Why do we think that sitting still and resting is foolhardy! I hope your appointment is scheduled quickly and nothing too major is found. Put some ice on that knee. Dotti in CT
I hope too your knee is an easy fix but it you felt something tear, you might be wearing a brace for awhile. I hope you have some handwork to work on.
Oh I’m so sorry. Hope you get your MRI soon and get some relief from your pain.
Oh dear, I hope you get an answer soon. You are one tough lady.
Hmmm. Knee problems are tricky and the inability/reluctance to rest doesn't help; I don't envy you this challenge! Sounds like you are eating well however!
ceci
Sorry to hear you are dealing with this and hard to just rest when so much needs to be done on the ranch.
I absolutely love making hard boiled eggs in my instant pot. Use the rack and add 1 cup water. Hen I put in 12 to 15 eggs. Lock on lid with vent closed. Set IP to “manual” for 5 minutes. When time is up, leave it for another 5 minutes. Quick release steam then uncover. Move eggs to ice water. (I actually skip ice water bath and just put them in a bowl in the refrigerator.) They peel so nice.
all you have to remember is that insurance companies run the health care system...it's a business now and insurance companies exist to make money for themselves and stockholders....premiums gets raised to maintain the percentage of profit for them. the members are of no real concern to them only that the premiums get paid on time all the time. that's it in a nutshell...
Don’t get me started on health insurance!! Your rant shall suffice (with lots of exclamation points!) and we will move on to other more pleasant thoughts.
I hope by now you have had the MRI and have started some form of treatment/recovery. Please try to find a way to sit down more and rest, especially if that’s what the doctor orders! Hopefully, you are more comfortable and staying cool in this hot weather.
I am a OR RN specializing in Ortho. My doc agreed to scope it. HUGE quarter size hole was found. Forward 1y, my Joint doc agreed to knee replacement d/t ongoing issues. My MRI showed no issues with my knee yet I had significant pain. When he came to see me 6h later, he said I had NO cartilage left. I! saw my MRI, it really was clear. I really believe were I not known to these docs for decades, I would be limping around rather than having 2 knee replacements and now I can do ANYTHING pain free at age 63.
All that to say, don't give up. The golden rule of Orthopedics is we treat the patient, not the x-ray.
Oh, these youngsters do not know pain sometimes! My daughter went in for an MRI on her hip. Her doctor told her she wasn't going to yoga her way out of her pain. She now has a new hip. She had been taking care of her five children still at home, doing college classes, and also doing volunteer work on a stress fracture and lots of genetic malfunctions on her hip. She is resting on her brand new hip.
I am glad your hubby is a good advocate! I'm also glad you have good health insurance because those without it pay for all the discounts that are given to the insurance carriers. Yes, the system is a mess. But it is very advanced. Can you imagine the mess you would be in if you lived in rural Africa or South America or Asia? In Canada you might wait over a year to see a specialist.
Make sure you complain loudly when you go in. If you a quiet, people won't take you seriously. I have learned through sad experience that unless you speak up, it will be assumed that you aren't bad off. I was sent home several years ago with a ruptured appendix! That led to all kinds of trouble later. So speak up and be heard. Don't let any medical person assume anything about your pain level. When they ask if you are from one to ten, rate yourself higher!
Oh no!!! I sure hope they have gotten you in by now and things are getting better... I am so very sorry !
I made the barbacoa yesterday for today’s lunch. It was so good. Thanks for the recipe.
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