Any number on the clock that comes before six is uncivilized.
So when the hospital called and bid me report to the pre-op center at 5:45 AM, I was bummed but not surprised. My “interesting” genetic heritage means I need more prep than most patients.
Does that surprise any of you? I didn’t think so.
But Joy the Nurse lived up to her name and one painless stick had my IV in swiftly and without tears. Fifteen minutes later, I floated in la-la land while the doctors put a tiny camera in my knee.
And found not a single tear. No rends, to rips, no jagged edges. Just smooth cartilege.
And lots and lots of swelling and bone erosion.
It’s definitively NOT:
Caner
Lupus
M.S.
It most likely an auto-immune disease, probably rheumatoid arthritis, the main symptoms of which are:
Joint pain
Swelling
Tenderness
Extreme fatigue (this explains SO MUCH)
It attacks your joints one by one and, if left unchecked, goes after your soft parts, too. Luckily, my condition is in the very early stages, and worst-case scenario is that I’m on meds—for the rest of my life. You know, like in the commercials?
This pill has been known to cause Incredibly Awful Cancers! It can lead to Extreme Weight Gain! You may suffer Sudden Blindness! If your nose falls off, please Contact Your Physician Right Away!
Again, I am stuck with a non-answer, and now my knee is wrapped in so much gauze and tape that it looks exactly like a tree trunk. I look like one of those TLC freak shows: I Didn’t Know My Leg Was A Tree Branch!
I’m home in bed, and I took a ROCKIN’ nap this afternoon. I was all, I’m not tired, I can stay up, leave the baby in here with me …
FLABAM!
Sleeping. Drooling-on-your-pillow sleeping.
And? STILL SLEEPY.
To sum up: knee, still busted. Sleep, good. Cupcakes, better.
Nighty-night.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad to hear from you! Even if there are still more questions, at least you have some answers. And some potentially awesome naps in your future!
You may not have gotten all the answers you wanted….but if there was ever a girl who needed a fabulous drool worthy nap, it was you my dear. Enjoy and I hope tonight’s sleep is equally as awesome
Recovering after my IV sedation for my wisdom tooth resulted in many of those out cold, pools of drool naps.
Well, the way I see it, naps far outweigh everything else….even cupcakes. Sucks that you didn’t get any definitive answers though! Glad to have you back…enjoy the drool time!
Glad to hear it wasn’t “worst case scenario”. Hopefully you can get things sorted out and get on with it.
P.S. I saw The Poo today at McDonalds. She is so well-behaved!
Well, even if you don’t know what it IS, at least you know what it’s NOT. Plus, you probably have some good, drooly nap inducing drugs on hand which is always most helpful.
Wishing you a speedy recovery with lots of naps and cupcakes!
Anesthesia wipes people out, which is weird since you’re, uh, sleeping. Glad it went well and you’re resting. It’s always good to know at least some things are ruled out.
Rheumatoid arthritis is not so bad. Yeah it sucks but if you catch it early you can prevent a lot of the damage. I was diagnosed at 19 and I have so far managed to avoid a lot of the major damage to my body because of excellent meds (im 24 now).
The evil woman who raised me has lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis for the last 40+ years – before all those dire commercials were thought up (and the drugs to go with them). Lots of aspirin and Tylenol helped a little. I hate to say this, but most of my life is memories of her not being able to do things with me because of the disease – it was very hard to understand as a child. Hopefully, for you and your kids, the new drugs work a hell of a lot better – dire warnings be damned!
Enjoy your “time off” (yeah, right, you’re thinking…) lol
Not at all what anyone would expect. Hopefully, some good meds will be a great help. Now go take another nap
Well, I hope that you do get an answer-until then enjoy the tree trunk.
I’m relieved about all the things it’s NOT, and am sending best wishes for dealing most effectively with what it is. Now, go back to sleep.
i’m sorry to hear about the possible rheumatoid arthritis and the general inconclusiveness, as that’s definitely tough news…but a nap? with drool?
it’s wrong that i’m fantasizing about the hospital, isn’t it?
sorry.
Enjoy that Darvacet. You only gets treats like that once in a blue moon!
I’m with you on the sleep thing. I’ve been doing TONS of that the last five weeks.
I’m so sorry you have to go through all that.
My 13-year-old cousin has rheumatoid arthritis, and her doctor recommended meds and ballet class, to improve flexibility and apparently it relieves some of the symptoms. Who knew?
Hang in there…
soooo good and bad news …. I hope you do get better soon and feel better – and take more naps!
Glad it wasn’t one of the “worst case scenarios.” Feel better and enjoy those naps!
typically rheumatoid arthritis is bilateral-it doesn’t start in one leg, but in both. also, painful joints feel better the more you move them with ra, but worse if it’s osteoarthritis. anyway, it’s a very simple blood test. you might ask your doctor to do a lyme disease test-it can look like arthritis, and you don’t always know if you’ve had a tick bite. doctors in states where it is less common don’t always think of it either. just some handy medical advise from someone without an md (i do have ra, though)!
http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hblyme.htm
oh you poor thing!
Hey, what are you taking? I have broken my ankle and torn a ligament and it won’t get well, plus had this happen with thumb last year…so I’m curious