I'm taking a sick day today, just like Walt did yesterday. He's still sleeping at this hour, so I don't know what he'll be able to do today. I think he feels a little better, but he'll have to confirm that. I don't have full-blown cold symptoms, but my nose is stopped up and my nasal passages and sinuses are tender and irritated. I don't seem to have any fever, though, and I'm sleeping okay. Temperatures are still near, at, or barely above freezing every day.
The worst thing is that I seem to have twisted my right knee. I think it must have happened when I put my foot down on the road that runs through the hamlet Saturday morning, which was a sheet of invisible black ice. My foot slipped but luckily I didn't fall. I was walking with Tasha, and I've been doing two walks a day with her since Saturday morning, when Walt realized he had come down with a cold.
Our back yard and garden path are icy but not slippery. The ground is very treacherous though, since we had an invasion of moles and other burrowing animals out there in the October and November.
My right knee was giving me trouble earlier this winter. I was having to do a kind of two-step to get up the stairs. Left foot on step, then right foot on the same step. Then do it again, 30 times, several times a day. I couldn't do the steps alternately, one foot going up at a time; it was too painful. After three or four days of two-stepping, the pain suddenly went away. What a relief that was!
On Saturday afternoon, I realized that my right knee was bothering me again. This time, it doesn't just hurt when I climb the stairs. This time, it hurts the most when I an walking on flat surfaces. The pain is not excruciating. I just have to be careful. Maybe I need a knee replacement. Or an elevator. Or a new house — one without staircases.
On Saturday afternoon, I realized that my right knee was bothering me again. This time, it doesn't just hurt when I climb the stairs. This time, it hurts the most when I an walking on flat surfaces. The pain is not excruciating. I just have to be careful. Maybe I need a knee replacement. Or an elevator. Or a new house — one without staircases.
Oops, "knee replacement, elevator, or new house"...! Very difficult to choose, Ken. Wish you all the best.
ReplyDeleteone floor living makes a ton of difference (I noticed after moving from a 4 level house several yrs ago)
ReplyDeleteI was having problems with my right knee and found that making sure my shoes are replaced about every 5 or 6 months helps a lot. I need support and traction. Over time most shoes lose both.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about the wrenched knee. Ibuprofen helps.
ReplyDeleteI've been really struggling with my knees for quite a few years... bottom line is that I now have advanced osteoarthritis in both knees... I just (finally) went to a knee doctor, last week. He told me that long before talking about getting replacement knees, I should have been told about cortisone shots... I got one in each knee last Wednesday, and the last few days I have used no Ibuprofen. I'll be getting cortisone shots every 3-4 months. Another option is gel injections (one per week, three weeks in a row, and then 6 months before having to have a new round of shots). BUT... Ken, you probably just wrenched your knee, and it will heal shortly. You might pick up one of those stretchy knee braces that they sell at pharmacies.
Thanks for posting this - I did not know about these options.
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