I've Been Shot!!!

And the Doctor Said….

Well, today I braved all of the tourist traffic in Lancaster County to have the first visit with Dr. Renz, an Orthopedic Surgeon with the Lancaster Orthopedic Group.  I left early enough to get there in plenty of time… so I thought.  I did arrive on time, but just barely.  I have not been out in the daylight fighting trucks and tourists in Lancaster County… and no I know why.  But I made it, turned in my paperwork, was ushered into the exam room and they set about getting all of my test information together.

Once everything was in place, Dr. Renz came in.  He is a younger doctor but not too young.  He dressed in a suit and not scrubs or a lab coat.  I was struck by how professional he was ad yet he was down-to-earth and personable.  He looked, again, at the pictures of my right knee and declared it arthritic.  There is arthritis all through the joint and in most places it is bone-on-bone.

Since I have never had any kind of therapy or injection therapy or rehab, we decided to give those a try.  I was given an injection of cortisone and then fitted for a proper knee brace.  I go back to their therapy department next week for a series of exercises that I am to do at home to help strengthen the muscles of both legs.  I will go back in 6 weeks for evaluation and we may continue that trend for a while.  But there is no doubt that in time, I will have to have the knee replaced.  But for now, we will shoot and exercise.

The shot was a nasty little thing.  Rub a swab with medicine on it, then spray for cold.  Then pinch and BURN!  It was not a long burn and ended up just feeling full which also went away.  I am sure tomorrow I will feel the pain more than today but by the time I start on my trip, if it works, I will feel pretty good while I am driving and away.

So, step one done.  Many more to go.  But I like that this man just did not jump right in to the ‘let me cut you open’ mode and will instead see how I react to different treatments before we go to the surgical route, even though it is where I will end up.  But I have known that was coming long before I ever went to see Dr. Renz.

Oh Happy Days!  These are the ‘Golden Years’.