Body update.

[labelleizzy]

Saw my nurse practitioner on Wednesday. We'll have me set up with an OB-GYN soon, I hope. She burned off (froze off) some little warty things on my hands, I'll want to follow up on that.

I told her about the left ankle sprain at the beach in March (Delphinea) and the right knee twist? sprain? just prior to getting on the plane to come back from Japan in April. She tested my knee strength in a couple of directions and is recommending double x-rays for comparison... she thinks I either have a meniscus tear or possibly a tear in the ACL.

which makes me grumpy, but also makes sense as to why I've been having some difficulty walking truly straight lately, without paying super attention. I had been thinking that I was just THAT unfit. Nope. There's a good chance that something is sorta broken.

And then we discussed getting pregnant and whatnot (which reminds me I have to go take my prenatal vitamin) and she said that if the knee warrants surgery that I should wait till after having the baby since the process of pregnancy naturally loosens all the ligaments in your body naturally. Oh YAY. Something else to look forward to... (note to self about her "bisexuality" comments and "bisexuality" as it pertains to family stability...)

I guess it's time to invest in a really good knee brace and more appropriate shoes so I can keep dancing and not hurt myself. Not to mention the yoga I really want to be doing.

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I've got a second massage scheduled for this Wednesday upcoming. They have a subscription service, where you pay X for a month, and at least 1 massage is covered under that, then you get discounted massages if you engage for more than one per month. I like this place. The masseuse I got REALLY got some work done under my scapulas, around my rotator cuff, and around my hips, then spent the last 15 minutes drilling out some of the fossilized muscle in my neck and shoulders. I can move my arms better already, and it DOESN'T HURT to move my back in a variety of ways it has been hurting for a very, very, very long time. And I'm sitting up straighter in my computer chair, I just noticed.

I look forward to more of this crap getting dug out of my system. She understands about the "pain is necessary to get better" thing, and she really liked my tattoo (she's planning a back piece for herself) and she totally just GROUND into me. That sounds a little dirty, but it totally wasn't.

I want to get Jeff in there, and I want to get some work done on my feet and my forearms in addition to more of the same that I got yesterday. My right foot's been hurting, and I think it was all about tension from the back and hips, cos she didn't even touch it, and the foot has been relaxing and not hurting as much.


It's good to remember that often times you simply cannot do it by yourself, and that's OK. My arm flexibility has been crappy for years, and I remember a PT who seemed to be disdainful cos I couldn't put my palms together over my head. Well, now I know this too... I needed help to scrape this out from under my shoulders BEFORE I could do that.

Note to self: remember to find out when to ask for help and bloody well DO IT!

Comments

[blacksheep-lj.livejournal.com]

Your NP needs a clue-by-four. She clearly doesn't know much about orthopedics, and an x-ray will tell you jack diddly about the condition of your meniscus vs. ACL, unless your meniscus is so degenerated that you have an obvious bone on bone situation, which I'd find hard to believe. Further, yes, pregnancy loosens ligaments, but not in a way that would preclude repairing a knee prior to pregnancy, not to mention the fact that recovering from an ACL repair with a baby to chase is probably not a great scenario either. So I'd get someone else's opinion on the whole thing, and make sure that opinion includes and MRI. What kind of insurance do you have? I could potentially point you in the direction of some great orthopedic surgeons and a family practice doc who also specializes in sports medicine (thus is good and ortho knowledgable). All this assuming you DON'T have Kaiser. If you have Kaiser, you're hosed. :)

[labelleizzy.livejournal.com]

since I do have Kaiser, does that mean I'm just hosed?

[blacksheep-lj.livejournal.com]

WEllllll.....sort of. It does mean you have to be a bit more proactive, jump up and down, and make them refer you to the appropriate specialists for the appropriate test. Otherwise they putz around trying to hand you a prescription for some aspirin and telling you to come back in six months if it still bothers you.

I hate Kaiser for orthopedics when you are a lay person coming in off the street. The only way I ever got things accomplished for my athletes was to call the specialists DIRECTLY to let them know the kid needed to be seen. And we had inside connections of people who could facilitate this happening. IF they went in on their own it could take MONTHS, by which time the injury, if left unattended would just be badly healed, and probably become chronic.

[labelleizzy.livejournal.com]

it's been 4 months since the last time the knee went "doiiiiing - pop"... I hope by ... yes, AVOIDING thinking about this, that I haven't hosed mySELF.

thanks for providing information and poking me. I'll be calling them today to see about an appointment asafp.

love ya, lady!