Odd Maladies

I found a new, unusual malady this weekend. In the process, I realized that I have completely rejected my well-meaning doctor's advice. But part of this is because perhaps I chose the wrong specialist to go to with my complaint.

On Sunday, a week ago, I began to experience pain in my left knee. It was aching, and especially so when I got down on the floor where I often sit and do school work, or put together photo albums, or other projects where I like to spread out. By Monday evening, my leg hurt very badly, but only if I crouched down, or climbed stairs. It didn't hurt to stand, or walk on flat ground. By Wednesday at noon, my leg was swollen tight in my slacks. It was obvious to my co-workers, and the school nurse nearly forced me out the door to the doctor. But I waited until after school to go. Again, the pain was mostly from blood constriction and so was really only painful when I knelt, crouched or any other activity that bent my knee with weight on it.

The doctor at the walk-in clinic listened to me, checked it out, called ahead and sent me straight to the ER for a sonogram to check for bloodclots. That was my thought too. However, no bloodclots! I hobbled through the day Thursday, then Friday I left school early for an appointment at the ortho clinic.

No, it didn't hurt when he did this, or that, or that thing either. An x-ray pronounced my joints to totally free of arthritis ("They are the knees of an 18 year old." I'm glad Trish can't read this--she'd have been jealous.) So, I think he felt compelled to make a diagnosis, and it was iliotibial band syndrome. He prescribed PT for 6 weeks and ice and ibuprofen.

That night I looked it up and read all about it. Hey! It is something that almost exclusively affects long-distance runners or other faithful joggers/runners. Well, that's definitely NOT me. So I kept researching knee pain all the while my stupid knee is feeling better and better.

On Saturday, I had a job at Primary Activity Day, and I spent part of my time sitting on the floor working with my little groups in the rotation. Up and down, scrunched all up--no knee pain at all! The knee is fine, no swelling, no pain. Hmmm.

Here's what I've self-diagnosed: pseudogout. Yes, it fits everything. It is similar to my annoying hip, and I have all the right symptoms. The cure/treatment? None...But next time my knee swells up ridiculously for NO REASON AT ALL, and I limp on it for a few days, I will relax because I know that it will also resolve itself after a while, just like that.

I'm not disrepecting my ortho doctor at all in ignoring his diagnosis, but I'm also not going to blow six weeks on PT for a condition that doesn't exist. So, I'll just find an immunologist, get a blood test for the calcium and check my parathyroid and we'll see what's up. Weird body...