It being problems. As you probably know, by now, my knee (well, something on my leg) has been hurting for a week--starting on the 13th. No known reason. I had worked out at the fitness center on the 12th and I had walked home from lunch--about 1.6 miles. But, my leg was working fine when I went to bed. On the morning of the 13th, the leg hurt. I worked out as usual on the 14th, except I cut the treadmill speed down from 3.8-4.0 mph to 3.1 mph. It didn't hurt while exercising--until I got to the weight lifting part where I had to move weight forward (upward) with that leg. Owie. I cut back on the weight and let the right leg carry most of the load. On the 16th, I upped the treadmill speed to 3.3 mph and, again, cut back on the weight on the one weight-machine exercise that really bothered the leg. Somewhere in there, I visited the Mayo Clinic website and decided that I probably had tendonitis. The site said to seek medical attention if the injury failed to show improvement within 7 days.
Well, the longer I babied the leg, the more improvement it showed. Yesterday when I worked out, I had to keep the treadmill speed to 3.2 mph, cut back the distance to 1 mile, and cut down the reps on one of the weight machines from 30 to 16 on my second set. (I attributed this slight deterioration to my having spent too much time spading in the garden Saturday and Sunday.) But, everything was hunky dory. This morning I arose, feeling pretty good about my leg. It was feeling so good that I forgot all about it. Forgot about it until--running out to get the paper (in the rain), I felt a small "crunch" as the leg gave away. Major owie. I've been icing the thing down for 20-30 minutes at a time and have wound an Ace bandage around the leg from mid-calf up to a few inches above the knee to keep the swelling down. (Aren't I being good? I've never before made this concession!) I dug out my cane that I bought on 9/11/2001, and it looks like I'll be using it to get from the car into the classroom this afternoon. They'll take one look at me and decide that I need long-term care--LOL.) Maybe I can go see an ortho-person who specializes in sports injuries? What a hoot!
Wouldn't hurt to have it looked at. If nothing else, it will give you some peace of mind that it isn't anything serious.
And don't laugh about the cane, I've had to use one before. Only get concerned when they give you a walker. hehehe
Posted by: Wichi Dude | March 22, 2005 at 05:40 PM
I'm glad that you were taking it easy with that leg. When you described the "crunch" I cringed! I hope that it's not something serious. I think the cane is a good idea. Is it possible that you might need crutches? I know....you're too tough to use crutches, aren't you?! Well....take care of your leg!
Posted by: Buffy | March 22, 2005 at 11:28 PM
About 11:00 AM, I decided to call my physician. She is on spring break (she's on faculty at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita), so I made an appointment with another physician for 1:30 PM. Fortunately, Hunky Husband drove in from St. Louis at about Noon (he had arisen at 2:30 AM, unable to sleep--he usually gets get-home-itis.)
I asked HH (using the clutch in my car aggravates a knee that hurts) to drive me to my ombudsman class that started at 1:00 AM. Leaving class at 1:15, I was driven to the UKMS-W to see the physician.
Dr. G talked with me for a couple of minutes, manipulated the leg to see what would make it hurt, and rather disdainfully announced that I "only" had arthritis. Yeah, that's what they told me back in 1975, so I guess that it hasn't gone away. He had x-rays taken to be sure that there were no minute fractures, consulted the most recent bone density test results, told me to go ahead and exercise but to take ibuprofen to control the pain.
While I was with the doctor, HH ran an errand. When I got out of the x-ray department, I called HH on his cell phone and he returned to take me back for the last hour of my ombudsman class.
Poor HH. If I would just listen to him, I wouldn't have to go to the doctor--LOL! He keeps saying, "Take ibuprofen!" When we got home, he gave me his huge bottle of ibuprofen tablets from which I poured perhaps 50 of them. We shall see how they work for my fitness center foray tomorrow morning. All is well, I guess. I feel a little silly for having made such a to-do. We shall see how many days it takes me to get past the cane-using stage. Thanks for your concern.
Posted by: Cop Car | March 22, 2005 at 11:41 PM
It's better to check with an expert than to self medicate and be sorry. If WS had done that, his back wouldn't be as messed up as it is now.
Instead, he self-medicated with ibuprofen (and beer) and stressed it more because he would do things he shouldn't because the pain was better from the reduced swelling.
Posted by: bogie | March 23, 2005 at 03:35 AM
We can't win for losing is my theory. I have seen a physician for knee pain three times--1975, 1985, 2005. (Well, Dr. S looked at the knee in 2002, but it was pretty cursory.) My impression is that I am just a wimp. My knees hurt some, most of the time. It's just when it becomes excruciating that I actually see a physician (and I didn't even do it then, in 2001!) I don't know how people with REAL arthritis problems live.
Posted by: Cop Car | March 23, 2005 at 08:26 AM
Morning report: the knee is feeling much better this morning. I took a total of four 200 mg ibuprofen, yesterday, and really wasn't sure that they were doing anything. I may not need to take any, today. What a relief. Hunky Husband attributes my aching back and calf muscles to the funny way that I've been walking, and I'm sure that he is correct (the back muscle ache is from using the cane!) As usual, once a pain recedes, I can't remember how it felt or why I thought I was in such bad shape. Have a great day! (Obviously, it will take me some time to build up in my exercise routine, again.)
Posted by: Cop Car | March 24, 2005 at 05:43 AM
Glad to hear your knee is feeling better!
I think we all fall in the catagory of "wimp". Whenever I decide I just can't take "it" (whatever the symptom(s) might be) and go to the doctor the response is one of these things-
1) It's viral and will go away (the last time a doctor told me that I hacked up a lung for 4 months!)
2) Yes, you have a cyst. Don't worry about it-I'm sure it will go away (after taking 97 sonogram pictures)
3) You are an amazingly health woman-get out of my office so I can see some sick people!
Argggg....Doctor's can drive a person to drink!
Posted by: Dudette | March 24, 2005 at 09:02 PM
Glad you are feeling better!
The ibuprofen probably helped reduce the swelling, if not the pain. It is amazing what sort of pains can crop up due to not moving the way you normally would (using a cane or even limping)! Fortunately, those symptoms usually disappear once you get to motoring properly again.
Posted by: bogie | March 25, 2005 at 05:34 AM
Dudette--One of these days you or I will be REALLY sick and those doctors will be sorry for how Cavalierly they treated us--LOL!
Bogie--Amazingly enough, there was no swelling to begin with. I had iced the thing down and when I saw Dr. G, one of the remarks that he made was about there being no swelling. Perhaps the use of the leg on Wednesday would have produced swelling, sans the ibuprofen, though.
Posted by: Cop Car | March 25, 2005 at 09:20 AM
Okay....just what did you do on 9-11-2001 that required you to get a cane? I'm sure you must have told me, but I can't recall.
In my book, bringing the swelling down was a good idea.
If we were all still 20, the motions we go through to keep something from hurting us wouldn't bother us, but now that we're a bit older, every change in our customary movements causes discomfort when other muscles take up the slack. It's comforting to know that ice, heat, ibuprofen and time will help us get over most of those aches.
Posted by: Buffy | March 25, 2005 at 01:46 PM
In August 2001, early one morning (before it got light), I was out walking. On my way home, I decided to dash across a major street while there was no traffic. Having crossed the street, I had to run across the grass strip between the street and the sidewalk. I forgot that there was a ditch between the two and found myself hurtling helter-skelter down the embankment in the dark. I got home and my day proceeded normally. The next day, my knee hurt. Worse, the second day. Then it just got to the point where it was a nagging thing and I pretty much ignored it.
The second week in September, Hunky Husband and I met my Elder Brother and Expert Seamstress in the Tampa FL area for a week of birding. The walking aggravated my knee so much that by the morning of 9/11/2001, as we were driving to our intended beach spot for birding, I asked Elder Brother to stop at a drugstore so that I could buy a cane. I could no longer walk without leaning on one of the guys, and I figured that would get old for them pretty quickly. We spent six hours birding. On our way back to the motel, I noted that the flag at a firestation was at half-mast. When I saw another flag at half-mast at a post office, I mentioned it to the rest of the family. Elder Brother turned on the car radio and the first thing that we heard was a report that the Pentagon had been hit by an airliner. Then, they said that the WTC twin towers had each been hit and had come down. You can imagine that we were as confused and stunned as the rest of the nation. Eventually, we came home--in the rental car that we drove while in Florida. Fortunately, it was a Lincoln TownCar, so at least we drove in comfort--and with three drivers, it didn't take all that long.
For at least one week after returning to work, I used the cane. It had been in a closet ever since--until last Tuesday!
Posted by: Cop Car | March 25, 2005 at 04:38 PM
P.S. For those who don't know why there were three drivers rather than four: Expert Seamstress has no driver's license. Back in 1983, Expert Seamstress took a few driving lessons using their one car (out of their 3 Mercedeses, mind you) that had an automatic transmission. This was AFTER Elder Brother had two heart attacks within a 10-day span. She probably could drive him to a hospital; but, let's hope that she never has to! I can just hear her swearing because she can't get the seat adjusted high enough for her to see out of the windshield.
Posted by: Cop Car | March 25, 2005 at 10:33 PM