On Friday I saw the knee doctor again. This time he gave me a cortisone shot in my left knee. I have had this done several times before and I am always surprised that the shot is painless. Before the injection the doctor freezes the area with a heavy spray of ethyl chloride to numb the area. And it works.
The brand name of the medication is Kenalog. It reduces the inflammation in the joint and that causes the pain to go away. It also has some negative side effects on the tendons and cartilage in the knee. So I can have only 3 or 4 shots in a 12 month period. At the end of a year we can decide to continue with the shots or look into surgery.
I told him I has seriously considered what we had discussed earlier in the week and I am ready to start the process for the replacement surgery. This time he is giving me reasons not to hurry and maybe wait until next year. Quite a change from two days ago. I am very confused.
After the shot my knee felt better at once. I'm sure for the first day it was just the lubrication from the liquid injected into the joint. Saturday was good too, it was like having a new knee -- and I slept well, too. Sunday it still feels good but I can tell the knee is weak. I need to be careful not to over-stress it and damage it more than it already is.
I asked about exercises or physical therapy and he said there was so little cartilage left that there was really nothing to do at this point. We will wait and watch.
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