In August I was digging out some invasive trees in the garden and apparently went at it a little too aggressively when I hit some tree roots, and kept at it. The next day I felt some pain, and swelling. I was mostly able to just wrap with a stretchy bandage and go about my business, sometimes using Voltaren (a topical NSAID).
It kept hurting, and unfortunately I was in the middle of dealing with my sister (who didn't actually die from multiple myeloma, at least not yet). I was working with hospice and arranging caregivers and she was getting more delusional and hallucinating. Amazingly, she came out of it after 2 months, has unenrolled from hospice and we've tapered off the caregiver hours. At the same time Shamora's dad has been in the VA hospital, and finally passed a week ago.
I finally went to a walk-in clinic on 8/21, X-rays didn't show any more damage or deterioration than they would expect for a 59 year old male, actually in surprisingly good shape. I wasn't a high enough priority to get an MRI that day to check for soft-tissue damage. I requested a referral for PT rather than orthopedics. The doc recommended a knee brace (with hinges) which I have been using.
PT started 10 days ago. It appears to be an MCL strain/sprain, probably not a tear so not level 3 or 4, more like a low 2. The PT noted that if it were a level 1 the issue might have resolved by now with what I was already doing. Because of the lack of flexing and extending (which hurts like hell) with normal walking, the different muscles, tendons and ligaments are getting stiff, and now hurting when I stretch them. My body has compensated by using my lower back more to move my leg, so it's sore, as well as my neck, and sometimes hips and groin muscles. My right shoulder hurts in a way that it hasn't since I had issues wit adhesive capsulitis 10 yeas ago. Sleeping is uncomfortable, laying on my side mean the MCL is pressing agains the other knee, or if scissor my legs a little my lower back hurts, and/or the back of the knee is sore. Laying on my back sometimes works, other times it aggravates my neck and lower back. Just turning over in bed hurts. I'm in more pain that when this all started.
Waking up is torture, I am so stiff. The PT gave me a few exercises to do first thing to straighten the knee, and then to flex it in order to get things moving and improve mobility. Other than I need to "do less" other than icing every three hours. It takes me a long to get out of bed, even more to get dressed. Who would have thought that putting on socks was so much work and so much pain?
Oh by the way, I can't take high doses of NSAIDs or other pain relievers due to early kidney damage due to 49 years with Type 1 diabetes. It's been stable due to good blood sugar control the past decade or so, but don't want to risk further damage.
Furthermore I have been feeling like crap for a month. I took a Covid test on 8/18 and again on 8/30, both negative (yes I've been vaccinated since mid-March). I sent a message to my PCP noting the last time I recall feeling like this (sort of like a fever with no elevated temperature, malaise/low energy, dry eyes, minor aches and pains, etc.) was when I first had thyroid issues in 2015. I have been on a prescription of synthetic thryoid since then with no problems, and in fact had a regularly scheduled TSH test in 7/22. He felt that thyroid issues wouldn't change that fast, and ordered a bunch of other labs, then follow up labs for B-12 which was borderline low, but those have all been inconclusive. If this persists he suggested I make an appointment to come into the office. I do have a phone appointment with my endocrinologist for my diabetes management on Tuesday and will probably bring this up, and subsequently may go into the PCP office. My last three A1C's have been 6.3, 6.2 and 6.5 which is excellent for Type 1 diabetes, so I can't imagine it's a complication of diabetes, but then she's an endocrinologist and if it is a thyroid issue or something else related to endocrine system she would be the one to talk to.
in the meantime, the demand for counseling services continues, and my schedule get full week after week. When I have a cancellation, I'm no longer trying to fill it, nonetheless every week I get request for service and hate to have turn people or EAP's trying a place a referral. At some point I should take a few weeks off from seeing clients, but that's what I was planning to do during the winter. To ski.
Meanwhile, there's a lot of tasks around the house and garden I've neglected, and I'm not happy at having to stay in "do less" mode, OTOH I have little motivation to do anything. Skiing seems like such a distant possibility. I know it'll all get better, and I'm accepting that emotions are not rational, so feeling despondent if part of the process.
That said, right now it totally sucks.
It kept hurting, and unfortunately I was in the middle of dealing with my sister (who didn't actually die from multiple myeloma, at least not yet). I was working with hospice and arranging caregivers and she was getting more delusional and hallucinating. Amazingly, she came out of it after 2 months, has unenrolled from hospice and we've tapered off the caregiver hours. At the same time Shamora's dad has been in the VA hospital, and finally passed a week ago.
I finally went to a walk-in clinic on 8/21, X-rays didn't show any more damage or deterioration than they would expect for a 59 year old male, actually in surprisingly good shape. I wasn't a high enough priority to get an MRI that day to check for soft-tissue damage. I requested a referral for PT rather than orthopedics. The doc recommended a knee brace (with hinges) which I have been using.
PT started 10 days ago. It appears to be an MCL strain/sprain, probably not a tear so not level 3 or 4, more like a low 2. The PT noted that if it were a level 1 the issue might have resolved by now with what I was already doing. Because of the lack of flexing and extending (which hurts like hell) with normal walking, the different muscles, tendons and ligaments are getting stiff, and now hurting when I stretch them. My body has compensated by using my lower back more to move my leg, so it's sore, as well as my neck, and sometimes hips and groin muscles. My right shoulder hurts in a way that it hasn't since I had issues wit adhesive capsulitis 10 yeas ago. Sleeping is uncomfortable, laying on my side mean the MCL is pressing agains the other knee, or if scissor my legs a little my lower back hurts, and/or the back of the knee is sore. Laying on my back sometimes works, other times it aggravates my neck and lower back. Just turning over in bed hurts. I'm in more pain that when this all started.
Waking up is torture, I am so stiff. The PT gave me a few exercises to do first thing to straighten the knee, and then to flex it in order to get things moving and improve mobility. Other than I need to "do less" other than icing every three hours. It takes me a long to get out of bed, even more to get dressed. Who would have thought that putting on socks was so much work and so much pain?
Oh by the way, I can't take high doses of NSAIDs or other pain relievers due to early kidney damage due to 49 years with Type 1 diabetes. It's been stable due to good blood sugar control the past decade or so, but don't want to risk further damage.
Furthermore I have been feeling like crap for a month. I took a Covid test on 8/18 and again on 8/30, both negative (yes I've been vaccinated since mid-March). I sent a message to my PCP noting the last time I recall feeling like this (sort of like a fever with no elevated temperature, malaise/low energy, dry eyes, minor aches and pains, etc.) was when I first had thyroid issues in 2015. I have been on a prescription of synthetic thryoid since then with no problems, and in fact had a regularly scheduled TSH test in 7/22. He felt that thyroid issues wouldn't change that fast, and ordered a bunch of other labs, then follow up labs for B-12 which was borderline low, but those have all been inconclusive. If this persists he suggested I make an appointment to come into the office. I do have a phone appointment with my endocrinologist for my diabetes management on Tuesday and will probably bring this up, and subsequently may go into the PCP office. My last three A1C's have been 6.3, 6.2 and 6.5 which is excellent for Type 1 diabetes, so I can't imagine it's a complication of diabetes, but then she's an endocrinologist and if it is a thyroid issue or something else related to endocrine system she would be the one to talk to.
in the meantime, the demand for counseling services continues, and my schedule get full week after week. When I have a cancellation, I'm no longer trying to fill it, nonetheless every week I get request for service and hate to have turn people or EAP's trying a place a referral. At some point I should take a few weeks off from seeing clients, but that's what I was planning to do during the winter. To ski.
Meanwhile, there's a lot of tasks around the house and garden I've neglected, and I'm not happy at having to stay in "do less" mode, OTOH I have little motivation to do anything. Skiing seems like such a distant possibility. I know it'll all get better, and I'm accepting that emotions are not rational, so feeling despondent if part of the process.
That said, right now it totally sucks.