I wasn't going to go to the knee doctor today. My knee was feeling much better and I saw no reason to go. But I waited too long to cancel the appointment, unsure if my knee was really better, or if its just the cortisone shot.
It made me extremely nervous to even think about going, to discuss possible surgery. But I did go, because I failed to cancel before it was too late. I talked to a friend about just calling in and saying I had congestion and a cough, which is a perfect excuse now, with Covid rampaging. It wasn't true, but I didn't have the guts to say I wanted to cancel because seeing a doctor about surgery makes me a nervous wreck. Or because I felt my knee was better and having surgery for a knee that is better seems stupid. Then I don't know if it is better or not, or just the shot. It's hard to know what to do.
I tried to control my breathing once in the office, since I was nervous, but failed rather miserably. I was wearing a mask I should have washed two weeks ago and tried and tried to suppress a cough as allergy triggered nasal drippage ran down the back of my throat.
Why didn't I wash that mask last night like I had planned.
Since I quit the Aleve the swollen bubble on one side of my knee seems far less and that is what seems to cause the burning.
I tried to make my case in the office, that I didn't feel I should have wasted their time, since it was better and all, but she went right into the description of my badly torn meniscus and how she'd remove the torn part in surgery. She said that removal of even part of it could accelerate arthritis, but it needed done. I did appreciate her nature, of being blunt, not dilly dallying around, or making me figure out what needed done.
So its scheduled for the 9th and its a minor surgery, takes under an hour start to finish, and recovery is under two weeks, usually she said. They just go in and take out the torn piece and that's all.
I don't like to think about it however, so afterwards I went and caught four cats up at the Lebanon junkyard colony so I would think of something else. Also because I had four spay neuter spots to fill. Originally I was going to take any Millersburg cats caught and then three barn cats from a friend of the Millersburg woman. But the friend decided she didn't want ear tips on her barn cats, and the Millersburg lady only caught a kitten, a quarter pound or more under spay neuter weight.
I was supposed to trap the cats there at the junkyard a couple of days after the date I'm now scheduled for surgery, a dozen or so, to be fixed at the FCCO, but I'll get them done elsewhere and then that week, I won't trap at all if I have surgery.
Tomorrow I have to have the presurgery bloodwork and EKG and also get COVID tested about five or ten days prior to surgery. Then I can't be anywhere enclosed with other people until surgery. No stores, in other words, no riding in cars with anyone else. I can be out and about but can't be near other people.
That's if insurance approves it. It's a really short minor surgery, in and out, an hour out of my day, then a few days with my leg up watching netflix and its over. I wonder though, since my knee has not been painful for several days, if I should be doing this or just let it heal on its own, because it might be doing that now. Second guessing.
The little Millersburg kitten, now named Tia, went to a friend who tames wild kittens, gets them fixed and finds them homes. Takes the pressure off me and saves me getting the kitten fixed or driving a kitten clear to Portland to find a rescue.
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| The little girl kitten, now named Tia, eating in a crate, while one of Stacy's adult cats checks her out. |
Last night I went to bed early, because I'd have to be up early this morning, to take the cats to McMinnville. My friend up there also offered to take some barn cats. She places them, with farmers, vineyards etc. She's done this for 20 years or more. I had told M about her having some space. She had the four she had caught at the recycle center she's trying to place and she said she'd bring them over before 10. I should never have said 10:00 p.m., when she asked the latest she could come. She's late to everything, and I realized she would wait til the last second or beyond to do it. I tried to amend the time, but it did no good and she arrived after 10, when I was already in bed, and I was not happy with her. I told her I don't want to conform to her schedule, which was a weak way to say "It's really rude to be late."
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| Good luck Tia |
Why on earth would someone care if their barn cats have tipped ears? ~shakes head~ I understand your hesitation about having knee surgery and wish I could offer a useful opinion. ~hugs~ Hurray for Tia's new lease on life! And thanks for sharing those neat images of frost. Take care, my dear.
ReplyDeleteDarla, I'm completely clueless why on earth that would be an issue for anyone. My guess is that these are not barn cats at all, and this was a plan to get her own house cats fixed free. Ha! I have no idea. Move on time, to someone who does want their outside cats fixed and doesn't care one bit, as no one should, about an ear tip.
DeleteOh, that's a good point. I sure don't care. I'd happily take in a three legged cat with one eye and a missing tail. :) In fact, Jezebel has a notch in one ear. At first, in my ignorance, I thought it had been tipped. We soon learned the truth when she went into heat inside our home and kept us up at all hours. We sure got her fixed in a hurry and now I just wonder how the other cat fared. :P
DeleteI hope your insurance dose approve it - and that you go ahead. I do understand your fear, but with luck that short surgery and the recuperation will save you a heap of pain. Do you have someone who can take you in and pick you up?
ReplyDeleteSigh on your later friend. We have two of them and as far as I can see they don't leave home until well after the time they said they would arrive. Which I find infuriating and, as you said, rude.
EC I bet everyone has a friend or two like that. This woman behaves as if the entire world MUST change to accomodate her schedule and when she wants to arrive somewhere. Lol. It is frustrating and this time with her I had determined to not even answer after 10. It's enabling, lol. I gave in, but I won't again. Right. Well I'll try not to give in next time.
DeleteSurgery is always scary no matter how small or large, but I think you've suffered long enough with your knee. I think you're making a wise decision to go with the doctor's recommendations. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the well wishes. I also feel a need to get it out of the way, in case of election issues and you know, perhaps the demise of health insurance as we know it. So that played a role in my decision too, to get it done now. If the new court topples the Affordable Care Act, and throws insurance, hospitals, everything into turmoil right during a pandemic, there could be hard times ahead for all of us.
DeletePlease do NOT back out of the surgery! You're worth it.
ReplyDeleteI won't, Kathy, although I did think about it. I did all the presurgery stuff today.
DeleteYour surgery doesn't sound too bad but it is of concern about the acceleration of arthritis.
ReplyDeleteWhy on earth would that woman be concerned about ear tips on barn cats. Really!
It seems there is a lot of trust that you won't mix with people between a COVID test and your surgery. I know you won't but I wonder about others.
No, it sounds pretty simple and fast recovery. I have no idea why an ear tip would bother anyone on a barn cat. In fact, they are great, cat won't ever be mistaken for not fixed. Yeah, probably way too much trust, Andrew. They call every day after the test, they said.
DeleteHere's hoping that it goes as smoothly as described. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, but you're clearly a tough old bird, and I'm rooting for you.
ReplyDeleteWell I caught a cold so it had to be put off. Then I decided, with the help of some friends, one of them a medical professional, not to have surgery right now. Not only due to covid but because my knee hasn't hurt at all in two weeks time. I don't even take a tylenol in the morning now. So he told me to hold off, that the cortisone shot may have been all I needed and that the risk of developing arthritis, without a meniscus, if removed, requiring knee replacement, is far greater. To just wait and see.
DeleteI would do as you are doing because of the arthritis risk and because I've had this kind of surgery, and it wasn't the "piece of cake" recovery that you were promised, plus it didn't even alleviate the problem.
DeleteI also read a study out of Canada that compared patients who had meniscus trimmed and those who didn't one year later and both groups fared similarly. Nice to hear another opinion, from someone who had the surgery.
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