IF YOU JUST WANT THE DIAGNOSIS, SKIP DOWN TO THE X-RAYS BELOW.
I wish I had some awesome story to tell of how I got injured. Like maybe I was repelling in the Appalachians or maybe I was fighting off a home invasion or maybe I was swimming in a triathlon or something like that. Unfortunately, I got injured standing up from the couch. So essentially I have a couch potato injury.
In reality though, I think my knee has been going out for years. For years, when getting in the car, I would use my hands to pull my leg in the car because it wouldn't lift up on it's own. It didn't hurt, it just wouldn't move. I've also spent years sitting with my legs bent up under me, which I learned today is awful for the knees. Then a few weeks ago my knee started popping out and back in. It would pop out, but almost immediately pop back in. It would hurt really badly while out and be sore afterwards, but overall it wasn't too bad and I could still walk like normal.
It started popping out more frequently so I bought a sleeve to wear on my knee, which seemed to help a little. But it kept happening so I finally made a doctor's appointment for next Monday. Turns out I waited a little too long. Last Monday night, I got up to go to bed and I heard something in my right knee snap and I was hit with unbelievable pain. I screamed in pain and it woke David up. I couldn't move my leg at all.
I had a pain pill left from my surgery two years ago, so I took that and using a sliding desk chair made it to bed, hoping it would be okay in the morning. It was worse.
I wanted to wait until the kids got to school so I wouldn't freak them out in case we had to call an ambulance. I wasn't sure how I would be able to make it down the stairs and to the car. We ended up borrowing some ancient wooden crutches from our neighbor, which were perfect for getting me to the car. I couldn't move my leg, but we figured out that if I wrapped a hand towel behind my knee, I could use it as a sling to move the leg.
We wasted a couple hours at Urgent Care where they about killed me to get an x-ray that I knew would be worthless since I knew it wasn't a bone injury. They tried to straighten my leg, which was incredibly painful - so much so that I was shaking with pain on the table. After acknowledging that there was nothing they could do for us, they referred us to a new walk-in orthopedic clinic, which is where we should have started.
We went to the orthopedic clinic, which was about 30 minutes away. They tried to straighten my leg so they could get a brace on it and eventually get an MRI. By body was shaking so badly from the pain that the doctor said he hadn't seen anything like it in his 17 years of practice. He decided to give me a nerve block right in the knee. I was in so much pain, I had my arms over my face and didn't see the shot when they gave it to me. David said the needle was huge, but I didn't even feel it go in because I hurt so much. Once it was in, the doctor had to manipulate the knee to spread the medicine around so he started to straighten the leg. It hurt, but it was bearable. But then he took my knee and moved it from side to side. I screamed and couldn't believe the pain.
But after all of that, they were able to get me in a brace. Then they headed me back to where we started the day (the hospital right next to the Urgent Care) to get an MRI. The MRI didn't hurt like the x-ray because they didn't try to straighten my leg, but after 30 minutes of having to hold it still, it was pretty sore. I asked the tech if he could tell me anything, which of course he couldn't, so I just asked him if I was really hurt or if I was a wuss. He said I was really hurt.
I wish I had taken a picture of how swollen my knee was yesterday because there was a ball about the size of a grapefruit on the top right of my knee.
Which brings us to today. Today I got the diagnosis from the MRI. I have a torn miniscus. Sometimes you can walk on a torn miniscus, but unfortunately, mine is completely flipped under the bone, which is why it is so painful and why I can't walk. Below are my x-rays.
So I have to have surgery. If they just cut out the tissue, the recovery should be pretty easy and I'd just need another week or two after surgery in the brace. If they decide to sew the cartilage back together, it will be six additional weeks in the brace. Obviously, we're hoping for the former. The worst part is that it's my right leg so I can't drive, which is a problem when it comes to getting my kids to and from school since David commutes to Rock Hill and can't help with that. Not to mention the fact that my surgery is scheduled for the day he flies to Idaho for a job interview. Thank goodness my mom is coming to help.
I have already been blessed so much by the generosity of friends who have brought in food and given my kids rides. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by such good people.
My kids think it's awesome that I get to drive around WalMart. I feel like an idiot, but oh well.
For now, I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this isn't going to be a quick fix, but hopefully everything goes well. At least I won't have to cook Thanksgiving dinner!
