May I have a 30 second whine?

6 weeks to Vegas and I have messed up my right knee. My family doctor thinks it'll be sorted out in time for Vegas. But, he's lied to me before. I'm kind of freaking out a bit.

 

Unless you have a tear or cartilage damage, no worries..... you may have to take it easy, but your trip will proceed.

Nick

 

I can relate...

Last summer I severely sprained my ankle one week before a Vegas trip. When I told the doctor, he upped my prescription for percocet and told me to "have a great time". The upside? No waiting for a cocktail waitress because I was high as a kite! The downside? Vegas in June in a cast REALLY sucked! (Had to go for work) Hope you feel better soon!

 

who needs a knee in Vegas? get a rascal and ride around in style!

 

Xrays tomorrow and then see him again for a treatment plan. It's not the right spot for cartilage, he seemed happy with that. 2 of the muscles are pulled to the side and seized up (medial muscles?) For the moment I'm supposed to rest it elevated, take my pills, keep it wrapped and generally be a good girl. I appreciate the tea and sympathy. I'm allergic to narcotics so no good time medications for me.

 

So you choose to go to a doctor who lies to you? What's that all about?
Sorry about your knee. I hope it gets better before your trip!

 

No doubt, while there in May we saw two different groups riding those around, neither group was handicapped in the least, but both were very drunk LOL.

 

Keep in mind that although doctors are great at what they do, they all work on commission.

 

If you are flying, make sure you tell the airline and they will have a wheel chair ready for you at all the stops. Make sure you get a cane...that makes it much easier to get around when you are in pain or you have a muscle weakness. I know since I was in your position back in May when we had planned out trip to LV.

 

Hope the knee clears up. I messed up my knees once and it took 6 months to be able to walk without pain. Then I strained my calf just standing up. ANother 2 months for that one.

Take my advise. Don't stop movie. Get out and walk around the block at least once a day. I live across from a football field and walk around it 4 times a day. Only 15 minutes to help prevent atrophy.

 

Hey, you get to be first on the plane.
Instead of walking around, just play in one casino.
Play some new games that you haven't tried before.

I doubt have the bad knee is really going to hinder your trip much at all unless you were planning to walk Red Rock Canyon so turn that frown right back around.

 

Update on my knee. It's still day by day. Some days it's almost normal. Other days it's as bad as it was. I've had a few days where it feels normal and I just have to turn the wrong way or take the stairs and it's bad again. It seems like I have to keep it wrapped or in a brace. Avoiding stairs isn't possible in this house. I have another family doc appt next week but I'm going to try to get in this week. They didn't call me after the xrays so I'm assuming they are OK, no fractures or anything bad. I'm getting kind of anxious because there's stuff I need to do before the trip. It's only in the last 6 months or so that I've started doing most things on my own again consistently (due to health issues) so it's frustrating for me. Somebody posted to keep moving. I learned that one with my surgeries, you have to get up and move around every couple of hours or you'll stiffen up. I haven't stopped working (I park the car about 2 blocks from work) or stopped doing stuff around the house, so I'm OK in that regard. I'm going to ask my family doctor if I'm OK to try to rehab it with exercises at home? Maybe physio? Have any of you seen a chiropractor for a sprain?

 

How to care for your knee

I had knee problems and I went to see a professional physical therapist.
I always go to see Sports Med Specialist doctors for physical problems.

Just ask your doctor for a prescrition for Physical Therapy for your knee.
Take it to a place near you for therapy.

You need to do the right exercises for your knee. You could mess up your knee by thinking you can make up your own exercises.
Once you learn the right exercises then you can do them at home.

You don't need strong meds for the pain just over the counter meds will be okay. I never take strong pills for any kind of pain.

One time I was planning to go on a cruise so I asked the doctor to give me a cortizone shot in the knee. The shot hurts a lot but the knee pain went away like magic. The knee got better too.

I think you are doing great in trying to get better and walking around.

Many people have been told they would never walk again but by seeing a physical therapist the were able to walk again. Your problem is only
temporary and it would really help to just get a few sessions with a therapist. Lucy

 

Thanks for the reply Lucy. I know it's a temporary situation and it's a small thing compared to the stuff I've dealt with over the last few years. I just needed to whine about it. I spent a few minutes thinking over how we could approach the trip if my knee stays the same as it is now. It's very doable. People have had it a lot worse and still had a good time. At least you can still drink with Aleve.

 

Family doc says it's not progressing like it should. He's sending me a physiotherapist. Even with therapy starting next week, he told me I will very likely be wearing my knee brace to Vegas. I found one that's nude in colour, fits under my pants, and is comfortable compared to the other 3 I had tried. I guess that will be my new BFF in Vegas. I can still drink on Aleve. I freaked out at first but it'll be fine.

 

Get a second opinion. I walked around for 3 years with knee pain because doctor said I would need knee replacement but it wasn't bad enough yet for insurance to cover the operation. Doctor dies my new doctor sends me for MRI. First doctor did x-rays and ultrasound. MRI showed all I had was torn meniscus.

 

I've had 4 visits with a physiotherapist now. It's been worth it. I don't limp anymore. The pain is a lot better. I'm being told to limit the walking in Vegas but otherwise it's really coming along well. It's been worth it to see the physiotherapist.

 

Glad you're healing up. Heed their advice about walking though. I overdid it (as its so easy to do in Vegas) and had to redo all my physiotherapy.