Wednesday, September 02, 2009

The confidence is gone!

I marched into the Ortho Doc's office full of confidence, looking forward to getting the second in the series of three injections in my knees. I was full of vim and vinegar thinking that I would be so much better after getting these shots.

I was called back right on time and taken to a room. I was relaxed and very confident. In fact, I was looking forward to the whole thing. I sat on the table, and they brought in the tray with all the paraphernalia for the injections.

The doctor came in, and we exchanged a few pleasantries. He prepared the left knee. He put the injection in, and all was well. Before he could get the band-aid on, I had a stream of blood heading to the floor. He asked if I were on blood thinners, and I replied no. He wiped up the blood, and I had another stream running down my leg again before he could get the band-aid. He got the site bandaged, and the bleeding stopped - or at least was contained. But the injection didn't hurt - at all. OK - let's do this!

He prepared the right knee. He jabbed the needle in, and it HURT! He injected the fluid, and it HURT! Then is was over and I was bandaged. We all said see you next week, and I got off the table. The pain that hit that right knee was horrible. It felt like someone had put a knife in the joint. Every step was agony. Of course, the doc was on to another patient, and the nurse was gone to chart.

I hobbled out of the back into the waiting room. I considered sitting in the reception area, but I didn't know if that would help. I left the office and headed for the ladies room that I noticed when I took an alternate path to the office. I went in. At least I could sit in privacy for a bit.

I couldn't stay there all day, so I went out to take the long trek to the elevators. (Why does an orthopedist have an office as far away from the elevators as possible - in a hospital at that where you have to walk fifteen miles to get into the building???) I finally got to the car. I really wasn't sure I could drive - the pressure of applying the break was sending pain all the way up to my lower back.

I wasn't worth shooting yesterday. I was on my butt or back the remainder of the day. Now I am not so full of bravado about the injections next week. But then I think of the recovery from knee replacement. I guess I'm not so bad after all. I just hope these work, and I hope they last at least six months.

Peace.

1 comment:

Judy said...

Good Grief! I would have been scared--probably just hit a little artery when the needle went in that caused the bleeding, but the pain--that's what would have scared me. I probably would not go back for the 3rd shot, but that's just me. But...maybe you can put off the surgery for a few months--get it done in January when you can sit and recover and not have so much going on?