I had my appointment with Dr. Moore early this afternoon. I called his office last week after when my mom was transferring me, my right knee overextended backward and it felt like there was a wiggle in the middle of my knee. That day, my knee hurt in a whole new and different way! Today was the earliest appointment I was able to get with him.
Pam called my Mom and me back and took my blood pressure and talked with me about what was going on. I explained what had happened and told her how my knee hurts so much when I am not seated in my motorized chair with my legs elevated and my back reclined a bit.
Dr. Moore came in and I told him about the overextension and he asked about swelling. He unbuttoned my tear-always and pressed on various spots of my knee and extended it and watched how it was reacting while he stretched it out. It’s still hurt everywhere he pressed!
He asked me about my use of pain meds and the topical cream that he prescribed. I told him that I needed to take the Motrin 800 when my knee overextended for a few days and how the topical cream just takes the edge off but my knee still hurts.
He thought very deeply about what to do. He told me that he was willing to prescribe physical therapy but that there wasn’t much more they could do there. I told him that I haven’t been to Barwis because my knee still hurts. I asked him about the fact that my body is having problems, “bouncing back” from surgery. Having had MS for 17 years, my body cannot recover as quickly as it did when I had ACL surgery when I was 17.
We talked a little bit about a knee replacement and he told me that I was too young and he wasn’t sure that Dr. Frush would want to entertain that before I was 50. I asked him if I was just going to have to deal with a painful knee for the next 14 years. He thought more intensely and decided to prescribe a Tens Unit. My mom and I picked it up after leaving his office:
We picked it up at the Binson’s in Dearborn. My Mom put it on me and I still have it on. Having this on, poses a few questions. First, I am most grateful to have it on because it’s helping my knee to not hurt as much but my legs are extended out and it seems to be working against me having MS. I wear compression socks on both legs and I have been wearing them for a couple of years. Because I had to put the pads on my clean, bare leg, will my leg swell by not wearing my compression sack? How mobile will I be well having this on my leg? It seems kind of constricting with the pads and the cords. Lastly, how is my leg going to feel during the night without it? That makes me a bit nervous.
For right now, with the electric stim. on my knee, it’s helping my knee to feel better. How limiting is this going to be? How feasible is it for me to have this on my leg all the time? Will the pads end up burning my skin? Which was something they talked about in the literature that my Mom read out to me before she put them on.
Dr. Moore told me to try this out and to call him and come back in if I have anymore problems.