Knee Report

Our friends at the park this year know that this was a bad winter for Pat's knees. First, she tripped on the way to Christmas Eve services at the Come-As-You-Are Worship Center. That required a dozen stitches, got a mild infection, and generally put her on the slow track for several weeks.

About the time that healed to the point that it no longer crimped her style, her left knee "collapsed" while leaving a restaurant in Port Aransas. It hurt greatly when she walked so she relied on a Wal*Mart cane and a pair of like-new crutches from—where else?—Castaways.

An MRI and visit to an orthopedic surgeon revealed that she had a tear in the meniscus. However, since it was getting better, his recommendation was to do nothing; just let it heal. That worked pretty well until.......

......the bus trip to Gruene with the ladies from Rockport 35 RV Park. The increased activity that day set her back to square one. But we did get home and it has been gradually improving.

Today we had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon here in Cedar Rapids. There were a couple of surprises:

• The torn meniscus wasn't the real problem. Nearly total lack of cartilage due to arthritis and "wear and tear" was. Solution: knee replacement, sometime.
  
  
• The doctors in Rockport ordered an MRI without taking an X-ray. The X-ray clearly showed the real problem, the MRI didn't. (This is too bad, as the cost ratio is about ten to one!)

Today's doctor said that a steroid shot might give relief for some months. "Fixing" the torn meniscus would, in her opinion, give only short, temporary, relief if any at all. She did not recommend it as an option.

Pat opted for the shot. Let's hope that it works marvelously.