Back from ortho

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Gosh I dont go out if it isnt for doctor appts! It was nice to see my old friend Dr. A. He is looking well...lmao. Is it bad when you have seen a specialist so long that you are on a first name basis and speak when you see each other in public? The man drives an awesome car that I am sure my appointments helped pay for...lol. Yellow Ferrari.

They took xrays of my back and knees today. These docs are much better. After looking at the films, they believe I have moderate degenerative disc disorder in my lower back but we will wait to see what the MRI shows before going further. My knees are a complete mess. My right knee has stage 4 degenerative arthritis. Thats as bad as it gets. Its shot. My left one is stage 3.

They gave me steroid shots in both knees and on both sides of my lower back in the sacroiliac joint. Im having a bit of a buzzy feeling now since any steroid in me tends to hype me but I have to get relief somehow.

I was kind of shocked though at the shot in my right knee. It hurt really bad. Normally these shots are not bad at all but this one hurt and I yelped. They did the other knee and it was like normal. doctor told me that showed just how bad my knee was right now. Im really good at getting shots in joints now.
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
Ouch ouch and ouch. Glad you got some answers and hopefully some relief as well. Discussion started on knee replacement?
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I have had the arthroscopic surgery done on both knees and then this gel stuff injected three times in each knee. I have bookmarked that page and will ask my doctor about that.
 

klmno

Active Member
LOL!

Well, I guess it's good news that you got some answers and shots that hopefully will give you some relief but I'm sorry to hear that your knees are giving out on you. Is there anything at all that can be done to give you long term relief?
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Sounds like me and my urologist, whom Nichole just made an appointment with. lol We used to joke I helped put his kids through college and buy his house.

I hope the shots help, you deserve some relief.

((hugs))
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Well I am really feeling it tonight. Argh...ouch...ouch. And absolutely no sympathy from Tony since he had a tooth pulled yesterday. I felt really bad for him too. I got him soup and made nice soft food for dinner even though I can barely stand up. Thing is, when he gets a tooth pulled, his pain goes away right away. He only took one pain pill. He does take the antibiotics but the pain goes away once the tooth is out. Not me, my mouth and jaw hurt for at least a week or more.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
OUCH!!

Janet,
It sounds so painful. I hope that you get a relief from pain soon! I remember when husband had a cortisone shot and he had to take the next day off of work.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I am sorry your knees are so shot. I know the weight is a problem with the knees. Are they telling you that you are not eligible for knee replacement because your weight? How do they expect you to lose weight if you can't move because your knees are so bad? Doesn't make sense.

I strongly suggest asking for local anesthesia next time you need a steroid shot in that knee. My pain doctor says he has his patients get the steroid shots from him because he does that and most ortho docs don't. Actually my pain doctor is the ONLY doctor I trust to give me a shot. Most docs don't give shots, they tell nurses to give them so the docs are NOT great at giving them. But orthos and pain docs are different, lol.

As for the weight, have you had them check your thyroid and A1C levels? Thyroid issues can keep you from loosing weight under ANY circumstances and A1C is to see if you are likely to have diabetes. Many diabetes medications can help in weight loss if you have insulin resistance. Not sure which type of diabetes medications, but there is a type that is pretty helpful. Or so I ahve been told.

I hope they can do something to help with the pain and the joint damage.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
ohh, owie! I hope that the shots are worth it. You'll know in the a.m., don't you think? I'm glad you like the dr.
I hope that once the MRI is done and all the reports are in, that the doctors can come up with-a good plan to get you out of pain.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
When Mom had her knees done... the knees were so bad that the doctors couldn't guarantee she'd walk again. The pain was SO bad that Mom was more concerned about the worst-case for pain... and the doctors told her that, in her case, the "worst case" would be limited mobility similar to status quo (she was 90% wheelchair bound), and at least 95% pain free....

Based on the pain-reduction factor, for her... it was a hands-down guaranteed win (at least as far as you can guarantee anything in the health field)... mobility was simply a bonus. (30+ years later, she's still not wheel-chair bound).

In other words, Janet... even if they can't do a joint to handle daily major wear and tear at your current weight... they CAN solve the pain problem there... and THAT may enable you to find non-weight-bearing ways to get active... and start an upward cycle.

Here's hoping...
 
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