After the last injection, June 18, 2010, I felt like i had the flu and my knee hurt - ached, throbbed, couldn't straighten it. I went home, had something to eat, and promptly fell asleep for about two hours. When I woke up, the flu like symptoms were a bit better but my knee felt like someone had scraped the inside of it, rubbed it with a little alcohol and then stuffed it full of cotton balls. Walking reminded me of one of those creatures in The Living Dead. This lasted through the following Sunday (June 20, 2010).
Then, all of sudden, all was well. Monday all of those symptoms just evaporated.
So, I started over on the rehab - leg sliders, quad sets, hip burners, low load elliptical, low load squats - and I was really pleased with my progress. My leg felt like a leg again instead of a hip and foot with a rusty mechanical joint stuck in between.
Walking was normal. Up and down stairs - no problems. No symptoms. Now, I know at this point that just because I don't have symptoms, that I have the green flag on any and all activity. I just stuck to the plan.
All was well until Thursday, June 24, 2010. I woke up with right knee
pain. It's like I have two right knees. One - fluid, stable,
symptom-free - and Two - tight, swollen, painful, touchy and angry. And
they fight it out over who gets residence in my life.
You might be wondering, "What happened?"
And so am I.
Really.
I have no clue other than the dreaded Prolocoaster. For those of you just reading this, the Prolocoaster is the up and down, around and around fluctuation of symptoms that leaves you scratching your head and fighting off the Worry Monster (I talked about this back in March when I was going through prolotherapy on the right shoulder). Because the symptoms are so pronounced, it feels as if you've taken a huge step back; the whole thing has just been flushed and all is lost and you'll have to start over or have surgery or maybe never be well. THAT is the Prolocoaster.
Well, I'm riding it now, blindfolded. And here's my attitude. I'm
going to keep doing my drills and as long as the symptoms don't get
worse, I'll keep doing them.
And, to really make things interesting, I'm headed to Port Aransas,
Texas on Monday June 28, 2010 to celebrate Ellen's birthday. Dogs and all with the a Night of Living Dead
limp. That'll look good on the beach. "Mom! It's that monster guy! He's coming this way again!"
I'll let you know how it goes.
