Cortisone Is a Wonder Drug

Not quite two full days after the cortisone shot to my right patella, my knee feels no pain at all. Whew.

Yesterday, almost all day, I felt little stabs of burning pain. I thought that actually might be from the shot itself, as I had never quite felt that kind of pain before. It was different. Or, the burning sensation might still by the xylocaine.

Whatever. My right knee, right now, feels FANTASTIC! Hopefully this will continue!

A Shot in the Knee

I got a shot in the knee this afternoon. When I reported for the treatment, the x-rays from Tuesday had still not arrived from NorCal Imaging. So she called before she gave me the shot, and their oral report was "advancing arthritis." Phew, that doesn't sound so good. But no other damage. So the shot was on.

She had Kristi with her (who works on Fridays), a med student, and told her about the "holy trinity," where you move the swab over the area three times with that horrible-looking brown stuff, to make sure it's cleansed. She then swiped an area where the syringe would go in, and we were ready.

She had mixed a vial of Xylocaine in with the Cortisone and placed it in the syringe. She felt for the patella, and slipped the needle in just to the left of the bone. Then she moved the needle for two other angles to release the steroid into that portion of the knee.

It hurt a little, but not nearly as much as I remember it hurting the first time I received a cortisone shot in the knee. She told me the xylocaine would create a burning sensation, and then would numb the area. I only felt pain, but perhaps that was the burning.

I have to say that my knee felt fabulous within minutes. However, three hours later, the xylocaine has worn off and I feel some pain in the knee. That's to be expected, I understand.

Dr. Miller told me that the limit for cortisone shots is 3 times per year per knee. That's a lot better than I had previously thought.

It might take a few days, but I have no doubt my knee will feel a lot better. Yay for modern medicine and the deft touch of Dr. Laura Miller!

It's Isn't All About Cancer, You Know...

My knee gave me a fit at Disney World. We walked something like an average of 5 miles a day. My knee constantly hurt, especially when I climbed up (and fell from) the train steps. And the three blisters didn't help, either.

I made an appointment with Dr. Miller as soon as I got back. I couldn't feel it, but she felt some grating and some warmth from swelling. Today -- this afternoon -- I am scheduled for a cortisone shot. It helped last time.

For the life of me, though, I can't remember whether it was the left knee or right knee that got the cortisone shot last time. This was maybe 4-5 years ago. It does matter, because you're only supposed to get a maximum of 2 shots per body area. After that, cortisone does bad things. Actually, cortisone can do bad things to you anyway. I have a few friends for which that's true.

The stupid thing is, today the knee feels pretty good. It's felt pretty good the last two days. So, instead of the 8 pain level I reported last week, it's about a 3.

But I think I'll shut up about that unless directly asked. I still want that shot.