Week 17 - Wish I had better News

Therapy has been going well in some respects and not so well in others. Since therapy is a roller coaster of ups and downs I'm hoping I'm just on a low spot. I started doing 1/2 squats on December 3 and 18" step ups to try to simulate the first step of the truck which is close but still not the 22" that is necessary to step up. I can't even imagine stepping down from that height... Yikes!

I'm not sure if I mentioned the horrible pop that I have going on too. It's next to the inner top part of the knee cap and is an awful feeling. It's like my knee gets tight inside especially when making a forward motion (sometimes sideways too) and I feel like I can't walk right unless it pops; which hurts of course. It's also audible and kind of has a slap type sound.

I saw Dr Anderson yesterday and tried to explain it to him. He keeps saying it's scar tissue. I keep telling him I don't think so. My PT has fortunately witnessed this several times now and has made comments about it in my file. Anyway, Dr Anderson said it could be that the micro-fracture is not doing what it's suppose to which is "fill in". The micro fracture is on the end of the femur bone which is where the pain and popping are coming from. I now have a script for another MRI to make sure everything is ok.

Now the bad part. I've mentioned that I was to have the other knee scoped for a meniscus tear on Dec 1. Well that didn't happen. I got a letter from the worker's comp people sending me for an IME (Independent Medical Evaluation) for a "second opinion" on whether or not the meniscus is torn, whether or not surgery is the best option, and to evaluate my right knee. Now common sense would tell anyone that sees me on a daily basis and knows what I'm going through with PT that there is no way I could possibly do my regular job in the condition I'm in now. BUT, the IME (being on the worker's comp payroll) has the final say in what my treatment should be if any. So this guy technically can say he thinks I'm able to do my job based on X,Y, and Z. It's so frustrating!

So now I'm waiting for the report to come in from the IME on Dec 10. I really have no idea what it will say. I did give him a 8 page report of sorts on how my PT is going and what my pain is like, but it was more on the left knee than the right since I didn't find out that he was examining my right knee until the day before. The report should arrive soon. It will probably come tomorrow since that's my birthday; just to add salt to my wounds.

In the meantime, Dr Anderson says no PT until he gets the MRI. Worker's comp probably will have a cow about authorizing the MRI. Although I really could use a break from PT for the benefit of both knees. Since I've been hobbling up and down the stairs for over a week now.

Yes, this sucks. If you are about to go through this yourself and are reading; I highly doubt you'll be dealing with the same popping and probably will have at least one working knee at the time.

I'll post again when I have the IME report.