Yesterday I had some doubts about whether or not I should go ahead with the knee scoping but my neighbors talked me into having it done. Today I had an appointment with the surgeon who said that, after looking at my MRI, he thought the knee wasn't bad enough to operate on. I'm happy.
He actually reiterated what I had been thinking, that the risk wasn't worth taking if my knee wasn't damaged enough. He said there are always risks with surgery and sometimes the outcome could be a knee in worse condition than before surgery.
I like this doctor. He doesn't claim to be able to perform miracles and he wasn't afraid to tell me that I might be better off not having the surgery. That is a good, reliable doctor!
Some of my pain is from arthritis in the knee and I had thought that from the beginning. There is some damage to the meniscus but not a whole heck of a lot. The doctor said it probably will worsen with time and we can discuss scoping or, heaven forbid, knee replacement in the future if that happens. I'm willing to wait and see. If I had daily pain I might feel differently but I don't. It's sporadic and sometime disappears as quickly as it comes. My main concern was finding out exactly what part of the knee was involved and, now that I know, I'm not as worried.
It was interesting to hear that he could see on the MRI where I was experiencing pain. It's just amazing to me that this is possible. I'm glad he was able to make the decision for me because I just wasn't sure. I'll bow to his expertise and carry on with a sometimes sensitive knee that will occasionally need some pampering.
The good news, in my eyes, is that my knee isn't as bad as I'd thought.
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