A messed up knee…massive swelling

Stacey,

You know in your gut how you feel…if you feel that something is not right with the knee go to the hospital and get an xray.

It is better to be safe than sorry, hope things get better soon.

Rhonda

Stacey, I agree with Rhonda. Go to the emergency room-at least they should get an x-ray. It may be just a strain, but get your answers that will make your gut feel better. I know that cane is ugly and you don’t like using it, but it really helps you; you said so yourself. Get to ER and remember your cane.:D I know you have a lot of worries, but you take care of you. Sending you a big hug, and continue to pray for all of your family. Take care.
Emma

For some reason God woke me up continually last night and told me to pray for you and for Connor. Everytime he woke me up I prayed until I fell back to sleep. Maybe there is a battle going on and the good side is going to win if prayers are said. Please know you are covered and keep us posted on Connor. Also, I agree about the x-ray. What do you have to lose. Better safe than sorry.

Stacey,

remember to care for the knee. Elevate for the swelling, and stay off it for a bit. Cold for the first 24 hours then warm after that.

It is so hard to guess how bad the injury might be. If you go to the Dr, and it is nothing, you feel bad, and if you don’t go, and it doesn’t get better, you end up hurting even more. Tough call. The big thing is to get the swelling down.

As far as a lack of sensory response (NUMBNESS) and pain, I think you can easily have both in the same place. My feet are basically numb, but they really hurt. It’s like I cannot feel anything they touch, or wear, but when I cramp, the muscles really hurt, just like before. The tendonitis really hurts when I stiffen up. And sometimes it is like the bones themselves hurt. All the while, my feet are numb. I can step on a thumbtack, drive it in, and only know because I hear a click on the floor when I walk (True story)

But one thing I do know, if pain persists, something is wrong.

Good luck
Dick S

frozen peas are the best for icing down knees – they bend to the shape, get 2 packs so one is always in the freezer

also the clicking could be a bone chip – my husband had that happen and they had to go in arthroscopically and take the chip out – sounds similar to what you are going through

with my new AFOs I rarely have to use the cane anymore Stacey – I have much better balance and they look just like tennis shoes – can’t even see the metal with pants on. 🙂

Hi Stacey! I agree with everyone else about getting an XRay! I was watching the news last night and saw the temps across the US when they showed the National Weather. It’s been hot here also but has not reached that temperature yet! We are getting the high 90’s. But that same heat wave is headed our way! LOL!

Do me a favor! Go outside and take a big puff and blow that hot weather to Canada! LOL! I won’t mind!:D 😀 😀
I am not a heat tolerant person! I can’t wait to see the fall get here! I love the fall and spring. Cold winter and hot summers drag me down!

Hope you feel better soon! I too am thinking about Conner at night. I just don’t want to see another child with CIDP or GBS! I want to see my children healthy. But I know two of mine have problems like me. Not as bad as me because I caught them in time but you always have that fear they end up like you!

I cried and blamed myself when my daughter too got diagnosed with Lupus. But her’s so far has not been as bad as mine. Maybe because we caught it early and knew what to test for! But being a mother! You still worry! I will keep Conner in my heart and prayers and hope this is just something very minor that can be treated. Hugs
Linda H

Get It looked at by an ortho Stacey! I do know what you are feeling and not feeling-been through it and going through it. My fall earlier this month still has my ankles and knee messed up-monday I get eval’d for afos. My right knee has had 2 surgs since 04 and 1 on my left. No pain does not mean everything is ok, swelling is a sign of injury in the knee. Clicking can either be from a bone chip, torn cartilage flicking each other-two sides rubbing off each side and making a noise, ligament snapping or bone hitting bone, during the joint movement. You could let it go-but it will catch up to you just in time for you to go to Disney World. If thats not enough of a shove to get it looked at- just let me know I’ll give you some more shoves!;)
My knee didn’t feel painful but was swollen in less then 5 mins just from running on a track at cosi back in dec 03. I went through alot of conventional treatments before surgery in june 04. I was the one who thought no pain meant nothing serious was going on, after all I was still able to work right-wrong!! It wasn’t right until my 05 surg made it right again-that was until this month when I fell and landed on it:mad:
Don’t put it off for too long-you never know what damage is occurring in the joint until its way too late. and you need to leave time to recover fully before your trip this late summer. Take care.

I hope that you do not blame yourself for this injury because of not using a cane. It is good to learn from our experiences and a cane would definitely help prevent falls, but what I hear from you all the time is that you are doing the best you can in a tough situation. I think a lot of us do not like using a cane not really so much because of “vanity”, but rather rebellion/anger at this illness that we are not going to let it take over and control our lives nor let others see “disability” before seeing “ability”. It feels to me more like a struggle to remain in control of our lives than so much how we looked.

I work with children with cancer. Lots of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen are on children with little hair so it has not ever logically felt like hair was important. Years ago, I was told that I had cancer. thank God, that was not true, but I was stunned when preparing for a trip down chemotherapy lane that I cared so much about the fact I would lose my hair, until I realized that it really was not hair that I was mourning–it was the sense of being part of this world without standing out as “ill” or different. Using a cane makes it so obvious that something is different especially in young people.

All this to say– use the cane because it makes it safer, but please do not beat up on yourself about when you do not use it–you are doing the best you can in a situation that is tough and you put others first all the time–including doing a lot for them when it might be better for you to rest. Most of this is because you care deeply for them, but maybe there is a bit of anger that you are not going to let this illness take over your life.

My tiny suggestion is to ask when you see the ortho about if he/she has any additional suggestions to help prevent falls like better AFOs like Julie suggests–not so much because of vanity, but because you have better things to do in life than to let stumbling compromise that and because having a way that is less obvious helps you preserve autonomy with dignity in a world that often does not understand so well what it means to struggle just to walk.

WithHope

Hey Stacey,
Sorry to hear about your knee. That was me… I had orthoscopic surgery last december ’cause my meniscus was all torn up. I’m always in pain so I figured it was just part of the program actually both knees hurt and only one had a torn meniscus. After the surgery and rehab though I don’t fall as often. I do use a cane full time, walker for long distances (it has a chair and my daughter actually likes to sit on it and pretend she’s the queen bee)plus I’ve ALWAYS been a klutz!!! If you keep falling you are bound to break or tear something so be careful!

Take Care,

~Joyce

IF you have a fracture, it mite not show up on x-rays for a couple of weeks-when the calcium heals the ‘cracks’. This has happened to me at least 3 times [1before CIDP, 2 after] and the last one was a strange one in that the knee was bothering me something awful and no one could find a reason…until it started healing.
Since I too have just fallen again in this last month [plus a relapse, oh goodie] I suspect the pics will confirm knee damage again. Worse of this time is that this time, I fell off the bed!
As for the swollen knee? The docs always recommend “RICE” – rest, ice, compression and elevation. It all gets real old very fast, as one can only elevate for so long to any effect. And, the definition of this ‘elevation’ means above the heart…. go figure.
My heart goes out to you as I understand how much this kind of thing well, just stifles regular life goings-on. It usually takes about a month and some physical therapy to start getting around more normally. I suspect that you will be about much sooner than most! I have faith in you!
Please take super cautious care of yourself for the duration. I’ll be worrying about you until then…..

Hi Stacey, Just checking in to see how you did at the ortho. Sounds like he helped you a lot. I hope you get relief for the month. Did he explain what the injury was to your knee?

I fell twice last week. First time I got up out of bed and had fallen instantly and my arm swiped my night stand and knocked everything on the floor. Nothing broke and I landed on my butt and upper thigh. Nothing broken, just bruises. Balance is poor at times, but have the same theory as you. I don’t use my cane around my apt., but keep my cane by the front door, and I have to be honest here, I don’t take my cane all the time. I know I told you to remember your cane. Kind of a ” do as I say, not what I do . ” Sorry to preach at you Stacey. If you can survive going to an amusement park, going on the rides, and keeping track of 3 kids, your strength, kindness, and stamina are truly amazing!

Take care of yourself. Happy 4th to everyone.
Emma