Ow.

Hmmm, it seems my plans may change abruptly. I’ve been having a lot of knee pain the past few days…..more than ever. And then yesterday I blew the whole thing all to pieces. I believe I have a medial meniscus tear, since I can no longer straighten my leg without extreme pain. It doesn’t feel instable but I can’t put any weight on my knee at all, so I am in effect confined to the camper. For once it’s a really GOOD thing that my kitchen and “bathroom” are literally one step from my bed, as that’s all I can do; one step om the good leg. I can hop a bit and/or swivel that one leg around to maneuver around in the camper. I can even “walk” Roxie by attaching her Flexi-Lead and letting her go out the door by herself.  Deb has been great about taking Roxie for longer walks & putting her in & out of her exercise pen, though it’s been raining nearly all day today so Roxie’s been mostly inside with me.

Deb even went out to the thrift store in  Gladstone (50 miles rd trip) and brought back a walker, a pair of crutches and a quad cane (with 4 little feet)! I’m afraid to use the crutches for fear I’ll fall and break something else! It looks like the walker will work fine for outside, though there’s no room for it inside.

Now to decide what to do. I have a couple options…..either way I will wait til Monday to do anything.  First I will call the Escanaba hospital and see what their criteria is for financial assistance. Maybe I will qualify. If not, I will try to get a quick appointment with an orthopedic doctor in Escanaba and at least try to pinpoint what the problem is. That’d be a lot cheaper than an emergency room visit. If it’s a badly torn meniscus,  it won’t heal on it’s own and I’ll need surgery.  I already had meniscus repair on that same knee about 10 years ago, with really good results.

Friends Cheryle and Jenni in Asheville have made a great offer; if I want to go back there early and have the surgery there, I can recuperate in their home which is well set up for the handicapped.  So I will also check out the criteria for financial assistance at Mission Hospital in Asheville. It does seem that recovering on a nice flat indoor floor would be easier than a lumpy outdoor campsite littered with roots, sticks & stone.  It’s just the 1000 mile drive when I can only hop on one foot that’s a little daunting…..even if I stayed in motels I’d have to be able to hop around to fill the car with gas, hop into restaurants & rest area restrooms, etc. And I’ve been keeping the knee elevated; I don’t know how it would feel if I’m driving 6-7 hours a day. At least it’s my left knee and not my “driving leg”!

Well. It’s always something, isn’t it! Sure makes life more interesting.