Tales from the orthopedist's office

Rockin' the paper shorts at the orthopedist's office.

Well, I had my orthopedist appointment yesterday. I left frustrated and angry but now with a bit of time between me and the appointment, I can say rationally that we’re on the way to solving the mystery. Hopefully.

I had a bit of a reality check as I was sitting in the waiting room feeling sorry for myself. Someone got wheeled out of the exam area with both legs stabilized in a wheelchair, and someone else was straight-up gurneyed right through the waiting area into the exam area by ambulance staff. I realize everyone is on their own journey and someone else’s suffering doesn’t minimize mine, but it did remind me that if I am walking, even if I am limping, to the orthopedist on my own power, I am in comparatively great shape.

I came prepared with lists of my left knee’s history (years of tennis, chondromalacia diagnosis years ago, etc.) and two pages of the log I have been keeping for the last few weeks of all the pain, popping, catching, sudden inability to bear weight, etc. that has been going on. After some x-rays, the doctor took a minute to go over my list and then bent and twisted my right knee this way and that. He assured me he would be more gentle with my left, and he was. He said my ligaments felt fine (I didn’t think I would still be walking around with an ACL or MCL tear), my x-rays looked fine, and both IT bands were really tight.

Then he dropped the bomb. “Your IT band is probably just inflamed.” Record scratch – what????? Why am I having pain at the front of my knee and inside my knee for my fricking IT band? “Sometimes it presents that way.” I literally just stared at him for five full seconds, I was so blown away. He actually stopped writing on whatever he was writing and stared back at me. “It could be a stress fracture. We could schedule an MRI to rule it out.” All I could muster was an “OK.”

I was initially angry because I felt I wasn’t being taken seriously, like he was just blowing me off and invalidating how this has been affecting my life. But logically, after some reflection, I know that doctors have to eliminate the easy stuff first, and an inflamed IT band sure would be a comparatively easy fix. What ticked me off, though, is that on my discharge slip when he recommended the MRI he wrote something about a possible torn meniscus. So he KNOWS that could be a problem but he didn't even say it to me?!? Was he trying to protect my feelings or something?!? That rubbed me the wrong way.

I am trying to focus on the important thing, that we will hopefully soon have answers, whether I need ibuprofen or surgery or something in between. But I'm not going to lie: I will be SO ANGRY if for the last six weeks I have been hobbled by something that could have been taken care of with a handful of over-the-counter pain relievers. Not to mention all the money and fitness I have lost. But I'm trying not to think about it until my next round of tests next weekend. Stay tuned.