My body is falling apart! argh!

[Helene2013]

Feeling much better today. To say Tuesday I would have sworn that my leg would have exploded from being so hard and swollen. My knee was floating in synovial liquid.

Yesterday was the first day I was able to walk without crutches. I did not go shopping though. hihi I just walked around the house and did my grocery and it was more than enough.

My doctor prescribed 1000mg of Naproxyn (500 twice a day). Since I had a huge bottle of Aleve 220mg, pharmacist said I could keep using those as it was the same. Just a few more pills to make it too 1000mg/day. I also have a pill to take in the morning to avoid stomach ulcers from that many pills.

MY PT did some type of taping behind my lower leg to help the fluid go back to the knee lymph node as it can absorb it quickly into the system. The tape is similar to this one but it is on my lower leg (the pic one is on thigh).
https://www.google.ca/search?q=ruptu...%3B1952%3B3264

I also wear during the day a pair of compression Firm Support Knee Hi 20mmHg.

All this combo has helped a lot. I think I'm on the right track. Since the xray report said it may show some osteoporosis my doc has given me a reference paper to go pass a bone density test. No one thinks I have bone issues but better know now than too late. My diet was always good on calcium, did a lot of weight-baring activities and I'm not menopaused. But who knows!!! So my test is on Dec. 30. I could have gone before but it is not an emergency and I did not want to miss more work just for this.

Today I was good enough to vaccum and wash my floor, did my dusting. Hubby has been excellent support but there is so much I can ask him for. He drove me to work daily (which meant he had to take some time off his own banks), walked the 3 dogs (one at a time) alone, did chores and grocery by himself. I could not ask for a better partner, in sickness and in health. hihi

Tomorrow I'll try to walk to the bus, 30 minute ride to rest the leg, then walk another 15 minutes to my office. Then I should be able to keep calm for the day and he always picks me up at 4pm to head home.

I'm going back to PT Thursday evening and I'm hopeful she will be able to give me fun things to do. I will try to ride my bike (on trainer) for 10-15 minutes today and see how the leg goes. I think it will be fine. Then ice it, warm bath and it will be quiet evening.

I'm making a xmas log for dessert. hummm miammm

I have some more PT exercises to help the thigh as it loses quickly strength. I have to flex as much as possible my toes towards me to stretch the calf - which will push the liquid back up.

[Crankin]

Glad you are doing better, Helene. You have the right attitude.

[shootingstar]

Take an easy Helene. Great that hubby is doing whatever he can to help you. Getting you to and from work is very helpful, etc.

[Pax]

Glad you're getting better, Helene! Hope to be joining you soon.

[rocknrollgirl]

I just read your entire post and the only thing that registered was " off the crutches" HA! Shows you where my brain is stuck! Oh and that you got to do chores. Great news on the progress.

[Helene2013]

haha. Too funny.

But I'm far from out of the woods yet. It is hard to walk. So easy to cycle - of course no resistance and no up on the bike trainer! Go figure!

Just walking to the bus is something! Once at work I can limit my steps but if I had a stand-up job or very physically demanding one, I could not do it.

It has improved but I'm far from taste of victory. But it is much better than just 7 days ago. If it has not really improved after the holidays, I'm seriously thinking into rethinking about asking for synovisc injections and see if this time it would help. Worked one time, the next not. But that was many many years ago.

[Pax]

Hope you get some quality relief soon, chronic pain just saps the will to do ANYTHING.

[Helene2013]

I was back to crutches on Thursday. Was doing much better, although swelling is mostly gone in the lower legs, it is pushed to the top by the knee-high compression stockings.

On Wed night I had to walk a lot - in a snowstorm - without crutches as they had a national funeral going on and they decided to close many streets in the heart of Montreal, which meant my husband could not pick me up at work like he usually does. So I had to walk down a hill in the snow. My whole leg was killing me to cry. So next day I had crutches and back on the strong dosage of Aleve. Husband drove me to work also.

PT appointement was Thursday night and she did miracles again. She told me to get back on 1000mg of Aleve for now, keep icing, and warm baths, get some thigh high more than 20mmhg compression stockings. It would help all the synovial liquid to get resorbed faster. She gave me a few more exercises to help everything out. For the next week, no cycling on trainer, no snowshoveling. But I have to use the roller to roll on the back of whole leg, some light squatting (if knee tolerates it since it is swollen), and a few more things to get my legs to be stronger. And to use crutches for longer distances. At home and once at work, I can go without them if I do not have to walk for.

So now I wear all day long (removed nights) the compression stockings, back on Aleve full strength, etc. And so far so good. I don't have a lot of pain and can walk better.

She is off to Hawaii for 2 weeks but if I must see someone before her return, my file is with another PT (the boss of clinic and she used to be my PT at the time). So I'm good. Now we only try to maintain the "shape" I'm in. There is no way like she says that I can push it. I start my Christmas vacation next Friday and she said that once I'm more rested (during my vacation) we'll introduce some cycling and a bit more to my routine to make it more fun. But for now, I listen and only do what she said: rest, elevate, ice, do the excercises given and enjoy the time of not having much to do. hihi

But it is going to be a long wait to return to my previous activities. So better arm myself with patience. Which I have little of to start off with. hihi

[Catrin]

Hang in there, and it IS hard when we are so used to being active! Sorry to hear that you had a set-back. Take care!

[Helene2013]

Well after more than 4 weeks, I am starting to be better. I did some cycling on trainer once last week and again yesterday. It is not much (just over 10km) but it is a start. I also combine this with physiotherapy.

Went today to see her and she is very pleased with the result (she said it shows I do the things she recommended).

My legs are almost back to normal. I have some swelling when I'm done with a big exercice program but she expects it will be like this for a little while. But at least I can do it and my calf is no longer swollen. The knees are sensitive but swelling almost gone. Only one tiny spot that is still recurring when using strength. It will get better.

I still have a lot of stiffness in hips and need to realign my posture. So some exercices to help it.

Going to see her on Jan 13 (2 weeks) to get my new winter program on. Yeah! Slowly will reintroduce me to running/hiking on treadmill and re-setting the bike/muscle program. We won't train as hard as last winter as I was preparing myself to my 135km bike challenge. I'm already "good" at it and know the routine. So it won't be as much training. 3x/week is ok. I have a life beside gym. hihi Last year it was 6 days out of 7. That is too much for the time I have in the evenings. So she will keep it more balanced and if I feel like adding to it, I will be able to.

Tomorrow I have some PT and I can do an hour of light cycling and start adding light speed intervals to get cardio working. Not to add too much resistance yet. Playing it slowly is the way to prevent reinjury so soon.

I also have my bone density test at 10am tomorrow. She's pretty sure I have nothing to worry about. At 52 and always been active with weight baring activity she foresees nothing abnormal. But who knows. The knees are a wreck but that is cartilage. It's just that the radiologist wrote on his report "possible osteoporosis?". So Generalist is not taking chances and sending me for that test.

BUT!!! The good news is that I just registered myself for a 110km max bike ride around Lake Champlain on June 6th. No timer, our own pace. I can do either 60, 50 or a combo with is 110km. I wrote 110 and will see when I get there how I feel. PT was so happy to see I finally got over my "defeat" of the 135km of last summer. I still cry and can't really get over that one where I stopped after 70km because of cold, rain and stong winds (and it was in summer). I could not risk a fall at this point as I was too cold and unused to that kind of weather. But still.... That will be my revenge. hahaha

So I think I'm back but I need to be careful for the next couple of weeks not to overdue it thinking I'm better. Always "train" with your mind on safety and stopping if the leg says it has enough. There will be other days for training. We don't want to get back to square 1.

[Crankin]

Sounds like you are doing well, Helene.
Tell me more about the Lake Champlain thing. I love it up there.

[Catrin]

...But still.... That will be my revenge. hahaha

So I think I'm back but I need to be careful for the next couple of weeks not to overdue it thinking I'm better. Always "train" with your mind on safety and stopping if the leg says it has enough. There will be other days for training. We don't want to get back to square 1.

First of all, it is great to read that you are feeling better, woohoooo!

Second, what you said in the last three sentences is KEY, and so hard to learn when you've found an activity that you love to do. Keep on doing all the great things you are doing!

[Helene2013]

Thank you Catrin. Feels good to walk normally and start looking ahead and move instead of just sitting leg up or lying in bed whining. haha

Sounds like you are doing well, Helene.
Tell me more about the Lake Champlain thing. I love it up there.

I don't know much yet about this ride. But it is on the Quebec side. The pamphlet says they are going through St-Georges-de-Clarenceville, Pike-River, St-Armand, (Philipsburg), Henryville, Bedford, Canton de Bedford,Mystic, Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge and St-Ignace. They are not touching the US side for that one.

You can get an idea of the map from this link.
http://cclacc.ca/inscription.pdf

[Crankin]

That looks nice. I have to find out when my club's bike rally is; that might be the same day. It wouldn't be good if 2 of the leaders were missing. If it's something we decide to do, I will let you know and ask advice about where to stay.

[OakLeaf]

Glad you're feeling better, Helene. Healing wishes for the New Year!