in october 2015, i dislocated my left kneecap for the first time in four years. ah, the four year stretch. it seems to be the longest time i can go without breaking myself/others/electronics.
my kneecaps have always been awful. my knees, hips, ankles, spine -- well, let's just say all my limbs have never been great. each time a kneecap dislocation happens, i'm in the most intense pain i've ever felt for what feels like an eternity (but is usually under a minute before it pops back into place) and then i can't walk for days. four years ago, i slipped in a puddle at work and my screams echoed through the entire kitchen for a week. i've dealt with this from about the age of 12. growing up in a small town where doctors never understood the phenomenon that is my body, i was consistently sent home and told to rest and ice. when i tell my specialists about this, they are dumbfounded.
so when it happened again in october after i had been in physiotherapy for 8 months and was feeling quite strong, my physiotherapist ordered an orthopedic surgeon referral. in december, i met the surgeon who briefly told me that i need to strengthen the muscles which surround the kneecap and keep it in place. surgery was not an option due to a high failure rate. a few days later, i began those strengthening exercises with my physiotherapist. a couple more days later and i manage to injure myself again, but have no idea what i did. all i remember feeling was a sharp pain in my right knee while walking on the treadmill at the gym and then i was unable to walk for the next week without copious amounts of pain in both my right knee and right hip. the kneecap did not dislocate. there was hardly even a sublaxation of the kneecap. something happened, and i was temporarily disabled.
after this had been happening for 3 weeks and i didn't feel like i was getting better, i checked myself into the hospital and got x-rays which returned normal and a referral to a sports medicine doctor. once i told my physiotherapist about what had happened, we began electroshock therapy and she told me to begin acupuncture. when i met with my naturopath, she provided some relief and told me to begin osteopathy. when i met my physician, she did some bloodwork to check that everything was normal and will conduct a "leg exam" upon next visit, whatever that means.
today, i met the sports medicine doctor and once again explained all of my troubles. similarly to each specialist, he rolled his eyes at the way i was never treated properly until recently. he prescribed anti-inflammatory pills to reduce tension in my muscles and kneecap braces for both of my knees. if in 6 weeks there is not much improvement, he will refer me back to another orthopedic surgeon for consultation. he believes that although the issue lies within the weak kneecap muscles and extremely tight outer muscle that runs down from the hip to knee, there could also be a ligament issue that has been overlooked.
yes, there are officially 7 specialists keeping me alive and helping me get better.
i miss the gym. i miss walking without pain. i miss walking everywhere. i miss friends. i miss doing things.
my only goal is to get better.
