Stupid Knee

I have had problems with my knees since I was 12 years old. I have a condition called Chondromalacia ( http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/patelladisorders/a/chondromalacia.htm ). It hasn't bothered me in about 15 years, save for weather changes (yes, I can predict the weather with my knees). But ever since this past Monday night, its been a whole different story.

I can barely walk. My right knee is swollen and really painful. I bought a brace at CVS on Tuesday morning and without it, I don't think I'd be walking at all. Yesterday, Finn and I went to see "Transformers" (which was AWESOME) and I couldn't get comfortable in the seat ~ my knee kept cramping up. I'm even thinking of going over to Goodwill today to see if they have a cane or crutches for sale; something to help keep the weight off my leg and maybe help it heal.

Went to the doc yesterday. She says I need an MRI. Well, I told her I probably need an MRI or X-rays and she agreed. She verified that the knee is swollen in comparison to my left one. She also prescribed some ibuprofen (which works much better than trying to take four OTC ibuprofen) and some Ultram for the night. The Ultram works wonderfully! And the ibuprofen keeps most of the edge off during the day. We're trying to manage the swelling and pain until I get my benefits in a couple of weeks so I can get that MRI.

The only thing I'm afraid of is this is the beginning of my journey to a new knee. I've always known that that's a possibility. The chondromalacia has continually worn away the cartilage in my knees. I'm afraid that the right one has given up its fight. I'm sure that having the Crohn's, which is an auto-immune disorder, hasn't helped the cause either. There are things that are going on in my body that are related to the Crohn's. In all honesty, I've had a feeling that things were getting worse, that my body wasn't feeling the same for a few months now. I just haven't had the money to get blood work and such done to confirm.

I will keep you updated as the days/weeks go by. But I wouldn't be surprised if I post from my hospital bed after replacement surgery.

Quickie Update!

OK. Here goes...

Hubby is getting better. He can walk again and he's moving around easier. He goes for a check up after dropping me at the hospital for my test. He's hoping to go back to work on Tuesday! :)

Me...I'm hanging in there. They had to put me on prednisone for the pain since I was still in quite a bit of pain on Friday. It's getting better, but am still needing the pain killer to deal.

Tomorrow is my EGD. I'm terrified. But, it's just to check on my ulcer, so all should be good.

That's it for now...gotta log off. Will write more on Tuesday!

Doctor Update

A recap: Very painful Crohn's flareup right now. Had to go to the doc on Friday afternoon. Here's what happened...

So, he confirmed that yes, indeed, I'm flaring up. Duh. So, he gives me medicine. First one: 500 mg of Pentasa, two pills, twice a day. Second one: three mg of Endocort, three pills, once a day. He then gave me Vicodin for the pain until the other stuff kicks in (so far, not happening). I now have to call the office this week and set up and appointment for my Remicade infusion. And, I have to go get an endoscope next Monday.


What's that? An endoscope? But I thought Crohn's was in the intestines...doesn't an endoscope go through the mouth?


Yes, an endoscope. Yes, my Crohn's is in my ileum. Yes, an endoscope goes down in to the stomach through the mouth.


It turns out that the last time I was hospitalized (December 2006), they performed both a colonscopy and endoscope. During the endoscope, they discovered that I have an ulcer. An ulcer! Can't ever imagine why!? So, the doc wants to go in and see how that ulcer is doing. Of course, he makes it sound so easy. In the meantime, this is what I have to do:


Hubby has to take a day off work. I need someone to take me to the hospital and drive me home after. There also needs to be someone home to watch the kids. Hubby will do that, maybe bring them to the park or something for a couple of hours. I have to starve myself starting midnight the night before. That means no coffee on Monday. NO COFFEE. My appointment isn't until 11:30! Thank goodness they give me good drugs, otherwise, the migraine that is going to ensue from no coffee will kill me. Once I am home, I will be so out of it. It should prove for some funny stuff. Too bad we don't have a video camera. They will also probably do a biopsy. No reason why, they just like to cut tissue while they're in there just in case. I don't have cancer. I think they just like to cut and make it hurt.


So, this is my life right now. Popping pills, laying in bed, feeling bad because I don't have the energy to take my kids down the street to the park. It's enough to make dinner or load the dishwasher. I do my best, but sometimes, it doesn't feel good

Update

I'm going to see the doc at 3:15 today (or 15:15 for you military types). It was going to be Monday afternoon. Funny how when you mention that you're in an incredible amount of pain and request pain killers that they fit you in within a couple of hours. Yay for pain!

Boredom

I've been so bored the last couple of days. I have Crohn's Disease and have been flaring a bit. So, because of that, I'm needing to rest and stay close to the bathroom. My side hurts to lift anything, so even doing laundry is out. I get tired so easily that cooking dinner is a major feat.

Crohn's Disease. How does one delicately describe this affliction? Since I'm bored, I'll try my best.

Crohn's affects everyone who has it a bit differently. Some have problems in their colon, others in their small intestine. Crohn's has the ability to affect everything from the start of the digestive system (mouth) to the end (I'm sure you can guess where that is). On me, it affects the ileum; that's the little flap that goes between your small and large intestines.

When I have a flare, I get a lot of pain on my right side just under my ribcage. Now, before I'm told that it's my gallbladder or liver, it's not. Trust me. I had everything tested for seven years before coming to a conclusion of Crohn's.

Once the pain starts, I know that the gas and runs aren't too far off. That's the fun part. To be a girl that farts and gets away with it because I have a condition. My husband hates it - he doesn't think it's funny at all that I fart. On the other hand, because I have the mentality of a 12 year old boy, I think it's friggin hysterical. So do my kids. They think it's funny that mommy Heine burps.

So, I fart.

And then other things happen. I won't go into that because that's just gross. I mean really gross. But, it's all part of the disease. You deal with it. It interrupts your life. You move on.

The medicine I take for it (which I missed my last dose due to illness) is called Remicade. This shit's expensive! Just the medicine alone is $10,000! This does not include saline, needles, etc. It's an IV infusion that I'm supposed to get every two months. It takes about two hours to be infused. Not fun when you've got two kids and need to keep them happy in a doctor's office for that long. It's a nasty medicine that suppresses your immune system. While on it, I have to be tested for TB. I can't have any kind of cold before the infusion. Every bug that flies along the sicky highway crashes into me and I'm sicker longer than anyone in my house. Great stuff, let me tell you.

Of course, when I have a flare, I also get some good stuff. Usually, the pain is bad enough to require pain killers. And, I'm not talking Tylenol 3. I'm talking percocet and vicodin. I've been on and off pain killers for so many years that I have to take the harder stuff. It's quite fun, though. The pain goes away and I get sillier than normal. Give me a drink and we're good to go!

So, I keep my chin up. The Remicade flowing. Pop some pain killers. Fart a lot. Poop even more.