I Forgot To Keep Quiet

Everytime you go to the doctor they ask if you have fallen recently. Do you know why they ask you this? Its not because they want to check if you have skinned your knees or ask if you want an ice pack. They want to know if you are at risk of injuring yourself by falling. Or really are you a fall risk.... Which is very bad.

But you say its only a little yellow bracelet. But no it's not. It means they label you as a fall risk until you can balance on your toes on a paddleboard, a million hours of PT, or something. Its hard to get rid of that label on your medical chart.

Yesterday afternoon, I ran into a particularly slippery section of grass in our yard and fell. I didn't land on my bad knee (the one slated for arthroscopic surgery because it keeps locking up) but on my slightly less bad knee (the one with a torn ACL that can't be operated on). No I am not further damaged other than some sore muscles and jolted body parts.

I had a nicely timed appointment with my knee surgery this morning. I showed up and STUPIDLY told the nurse that I fell on my knee yesterday afternoon. I only did that because I knew they would notice it was swollen.... But I clearly wasn't thinking. I forgot to keep quiet.

The main topic of conversation with the doctor was scheduling arthroscopic knee surgery. I will need crutches for a week or so. I won't be a fall risk (note sarcasm) while on crutches. I will then be teetering around, but not a fall risk.

How can I sit?

My newest advice is don't sit with your legs crossed. The reason for this with my bad knees is that the amount of torque that is put on your tibia when you do that is very high. My right knee (the one with the partially torn ACL) popped and I couldn't move or straighten my leg. It took about 15 minutes before it started to feel better.

I asked the physical therapist at the gym. He was the one who told me I shouldn't sit with my legs crossed.

So if I sit down on the floor, how am I supposed to sit? I can't sit with my legs out straight. I can't bend them to one side because my back would complain. Don't even think about kneeling. That is not possible. I can't stop sitting on the floor either. Sometimes you just need to sit down an take care of something.

All I can say is crap!

Once again, I am an idiot

I spent a long time working on my SSID application. I made notes, talked and talked about it to figure it out. I talked to my doctors. I met with Social Security to make sure my application was complete. I was rejected.

Then I was talking to the lawyer yesterday and realized I forgot to mention my knee with the torn ACL which cannot be repaired due to my rheumatoid. I am an idiot. It like to swell up and cause pain. It does not have side to side stability. My 'good' knee has a partially torn ACL which I am not even bringing into the equation.

The lawyer agreed that it would be a good item to add to my medical record with SSA. Now I have to add it to my documentation for my appeal.

You may call me a moron if you wish.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Day - yesterday

Yesterday was Rheumatoid Arthritis Day. I missed it. I have a track record for missing all my medical ailment days. At least I am consistent. But RA is not a fun ailment.

Rheumatoid arthritis is different than osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the kind you get from overuse of your joints - like too much tennis or running. Rheumatoid is the autoimmune kind where your body body's immune system attacks your joints. And if you are lucky like me, you get both kinds.

30 years ago patients were told to take aspirin for the pain and the focus was not on treating the disease but the symptoms. Now patients are treated aggressively so that there is less chance of deformation in your joints - translate that to less likely to need a wheel chair in the long term.

I feel somewhat knowledgeable about RA as my mother has had it since 1989. But it wasn't my body so that I didn't know that much. Clearly I wasn't walking the walk so I can't talk the talk. Once again the clear difference between being a patient and not being one.

The longer I have it, the more I realize I do not know about it. For example, I do not understand the biologics. I mean I know what they do and how they work, but I do not know about the differences between them. One thing I do know about them is that if you have had cancer, they do not like to prescribe them to you. So I may never get them. And therefore never learn much about them. 

I also know it usually starts with the small joints of your hands and feet and it is usually parallel - meaning if it affects one hand, it affects the other. Both sides of your body at the same time - just so you have more fun. I know from your hands and feet it moves to larger joints - like elbows and knees. But I am not sure about hips and shoulders as much- so that may be my osteo kicking in.

So anyway, I missed Rheumatoid Arthritis Day. So to celebrate today, I will go see my knee doctor and find out what's going on there.