Well, my knee has NOT stopped hurting since September 21st and after my January 5th appointment with Dr. Frush, my knee began popping out of its socket. It has popped out from January 6th to February 15th eight times. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but each of those eight times has been excruciating! It makes a popping noise when it comes out and another popping noise as it has to be put back into place. This fact has concerned me greatly!
My friend Renée took me to Dr. Frush’s office and came back into the exam room with me. The nurse case manager had arrived to Dr. Frush’s office and explained to me that my physical therapy had been approved but only twice a week for six weeks. I REALLY liked going to therapy three times a week.
I had called Dr. Frush’s office the week before and told one of his assistants about my knee popping out. So he knew about it before he came into the room. He sat next to me and we talked for a while before he examined my knee. He had his “thinking face” on. He asked me specifics of my knee popping out and clarified the fact that I have not been to physical therapy since December 1st.
Then the examination began. He pressed on my knee and it still hurt everywhere he pressed. I asked him about my “Mount Kilimanjaro” and he told me that it is called the “Hoffa’s pad” and that I do not need to worry about it. I researched “Hoffa’s pad”online to spell it right, first of all, but also to get some more information about it.
Apparently, it is actually called the Hoffa’s fat pad.” The peak happens when there has been knee trauma or surgery which I have had both. It happens with the shortening of the patellar tendon from the trauma or surgery. He told me it was just the “Hoffa’s pad.” So it was good form that he didn’t tell me that my knee was “fat.”
Then he held my knee with his left hand and pulled it to the left with his right hand. That hurt a whole lot more! Then he switched hands and pushed my leg to the right. Instead of just saying, “yes” when it hurt, I grabbed the arms of my wheelchair and gasped. My reaction kind of concerned me almost as much as his look of concern.
He told me that he wanted to hold off on surgery because I had not done all of the possible and necessary non-surgical remedies. Two extensions of my physical therapy have been denied. He told me that he was going to prescribe one more round and see how my knee is doing the next time I see him.
Then, the nurse case manager went in to talk to him as I went to the front desk to see about my discharge papers. As I was arranging my return visit, she came up and met me at the front desk. She told me that I should go to therapy three times a week for four weeks and she will work on getting the two more weeks approved. She told me that Dr. Frush told her that if my knee is not doing better at my next appointment, he is going to go in with a scope. She then told me that paying for two weeks of therapy is a lot cheaper than a scope!