Well, It is Official

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

It has taken me a while to get up enough steam to write this post. I went to

my knee ortho today and he confirmed that, yes, indeed, I have refractured my

knee. He was less than pleased. My first suggestion was to go in there and

just take out the whole knee cap. Once again, he was less than pleased with

this suggestion. If just sitting on a toilet, is going to crumble my

patella, then anytime I sit or get up, I am going to have a fear of something

breaking. Of course, the doctor took no responsibility for this new fracture

which is in a different spot and is wider and deeper than the first one. His

first plan was to remove the fluid from my knee to see if he got blood back

showing the prescience of a fracture: BINGO, as red as could be. Then he

proceeded to go further with another injection and put " numbing medicine "

(lidocaine and cortisone) into the joint in case the fracture had caused some

irritation to the surrounding tissues and bones. His third plan is to

totally immobilize the knee for 3-6 weeks to see if the fracture will heal by

itself. No driving, no swimming, no cooking, no cleaning, COMPLETE bed rest

and my family should get a bell for me that when I need something all I have

to do is ring it. And our fourth and final plan is to increase the pain

medication....big surprise there.

We had words and voices did escalate, but hell it is my knee & this has been

going on since Feb/2002 and his treatments are all temporary solutions. My

knee has been in the immobilizer since a week ago Thursday and I have been

pretty much in bed because of my knee and because of my blood condition (no

energy to get my head off the pillow). More pain pills don't solve any

problem. I am so discouraged and disgusted right now. The ortho says that

maybe I should get another bone density test which the rheumy says doesn't

need to be done until next year. Patient in the middle again!

I am supposed to go for Remicade and IV Iron tomorrow, but am unable to drive

as this is my right knee and I just don't even feel like going. My rheumy

wants the oncologist to perform a bone marrow biopsy asap, but right now I am

as interested in that as I am in having a colonoscopy/endoscopy to find out

where the source of bleeding is, if any.

When the medical community pulls things like this, it kinda throws me off the

track for a while and I end up trusting no one and I usually stop all

medications cold turkey.

I am in so much pain today and I hate staying home so much while everyone is

gone during the day. Not a happy camper, I would like to go to Chicago to

see my sister but my husband refuses to let me go and my sister and I aren't

exactly speaking a lot right now.

I have shed a river of tears today over the state of my so called life. Came

to the conclusion that my whole like I was given lemons and I am tired of

making lemonade. Didn't even eat dinner tonight.

Don't feel quite right at this time, kinda flush and , severe miserable,

stomach pains and nausea. It has been a very very long day, so I will be

closing early.

Gentle, tender, angel hugs to one and all,

Debs in FL