Nearly The Bionic Woman

This is the solution to the problem? What it is, is the thing that hurts all of the time instead of just when the ligment got stuck in the hole left in the back of my knee cap. It is also the reason I get a free pat down every time I go through security just trying to get to work. In uniform!

I was diagnosed with RA when I was 17 years old and had my first arthroscopic surgery a few years later. Last year, I was having a lot of pain in my left knee again. I took some sick days from work hoping the rest woulld calm the inflamation. It wasn’t until I saw a lump pop up on my knee after a stabbing pain that almost threw me to the floor. When I reached down and touched the lump, it was gone. A few minutes later, it emerged on the other side.

I think that I possibly have had a sick sence of humor for many years and so playing with the lump, moving back and forth what I already knew was just another piece of broken off cartilage was lots of free entertainment. Of course, when this But, when the record sticks the fun comes to an abrupt halt.

Further exams showed that it was necessary to go in and remove the piece.  All went as well as could be expected for a second “scope” and all of the pieces were removed. A lot of the back of my knee cap was removed and what I would later discover left an unusual predictament.

For the most part considering just having surgery, I felt pretty good. One day I felt a sharp pain in the back of my knee. It started to get a little worse each day until one day I was left paralyzed with pain stuck in the basement with my young child and no one else around. I remember screaming “No. No. No!” I couldn’t move. Not even an inch while my son stood there crying with me scared. I was finally able to muster the words that Mommy needed to unlock my knee and I was going to scream. He went upstairs as I forced my leg out of the position. One loud pop and it released. The intense pain almost immediately subsided and I was able to crawl up the stairs to the first floor.

Later, back in the physicians office, I saw the hole that had been left by the disinegration. The problem is that I say hole but it was more like a crater with two jagged cliffs on either side. Just barely wide enought for the ligment to get stuck in.

Not something that I could even consider going back to work with since I am on my feet all day and responsible for people’s safety. The next step was either to go back in and hope for the best since there wasn’t that much left or do a complete knee replacement. I knew that I was pretty young for this surgery (only 34 at the time) but I needed to be able to run and play with my son. Not to worry about the next time that happened and where I would be.  Let’s do it.

Continue reading Warranty On A Knee Replacement?