A few days ago, after five minutes on the treadmill, my knee finally said a hearty “Fuck You, You’re Done.” I tried to brush it off and finish the workout on an elliptical machine, but I ended up limping to my car. The next day, I couldn’t walk without screaming pain in my knee.
This is timely. Remember not long ago, I wrote a piece about aging. You can read it here if you like. “Aging with an attitude” got a whole lotta response. Seems like I’m not alone in my attempts to deal with the inevitable!
We will start to go ‘out of warranty’. Maintenance needs to be scheduled.
I saw an Orthopedic Physician Assistant the very next day. (He was exceptionally cute… but I digress.)
During his examination, he pressed on various parts of my knee, asking “Does this hurt?” “What about this?” He gave the knee a quick yank and I screamed so loud they could hear me down the hall. I’m nothing if not dramatic. 😂
I have a nice sized Bakers Cyst in the right knee and a small one starting to form in the left. They are relatively common and happen for a variety of reasons: overuse, arthritis, an injury. After the upcoming MRI, he’ll know more so he can devise a treatment plan and get me up and running.
Putting any weight on this leg is worse than childbirth… I’m not making that up! So while I wait for the “cure”, behold my fashionable walker, complete with tennis balls. (All I need now is a dog like this. 😜) My guy is a veritable home health care store. Since his back surgery, he had everything I needed... a cane, the walker, even a shower chair. (I refused the commode.)
This hurt so much that first night I had to scoot my ass across the floor to get from point A to point B. (You do what you have to do, but man, my dignity took a hit!) And as I write this, the anti inflammatory is finally working.
Look, there is no shame in aging. When a part needs a tuneup, we take care of it. No one wants to hear my “poor pitiful me” crap… it only makes the situation worse.
It’s not a heart. It’s not a liver. It’s not cancer. It’s a painful inconvenience.
And that treadmill has not seen the last of me.
Because, you know…. attitude.
I had not heard of Baker's cysts before. I had a ganglion cyst once though. Finally had to have surgery to have it removed. Aging is humbling, that's for sure. I'm sorry you've been having all that pain. I hope things are improving on that front.
I totally understand. I have Baker’s cysts behind both knees and I get injections every six months to keep them “working“. But then I tripped over something the other night in the dark and took a flyer. Ended up fracturing a kneecap. It feels like two steps forward three steps back. Take care of yourself.