Knee Trouble

A week ago my right knee seized up in pain and woke me up out of a sound sleep.  Keep in mind that my right knee is my GOOD knee. (I once had a meniscus tear and arthroscopic surgery on the left knee.) My mother said it was because my husband kicked me in bed (good ol' Mom) but he sleeps on the left side of the bed and couldn't really reach my right side if he wanted to. It was almost like a spasm in one of the lateral ligaments. I had similar spasms on the left knee but not as bad.  I couldn't seem to work it out with the usual ice, anti inflammatory tablets and elevation.  It was a little better the next day but I still had to walk gingerly.  I did miss one day of work but I didn't want to take any more time off.  I limped back to work on Tuesday and lasted the rest of the week.

My friend, the yoga guru, suggested that my problem is tightness in my hips.  Because of my exercise routine on the stationary bike I may have too much tension in my hips causing the stress to the knee.  She showed me some hip stretches and I've been doing them every day.  I also stretched before and after my cycling at the gym today. I think it helps.

I had a visit with the dietitian last week.  She gave me some new ideas for keeping control of my snacking.  It mainly goes back to the basics of keeping track of intake and adequate fluid intake. She also suggested a behavior modification group for weight loss surgery patients.

I've been a little down because of my dental situation.  I was in a lot of pain and couldn't really chew for a couple of weeks.  I really wasn't able to eat salads or anything crunchy.  I still can't manage protein bars at all but I was getting a little carried away with those anyway.  I'm adjusting slowly and today I did eat a small amount of salad.

The good news is that TCBY just opened a store a mere mile from my home.  They have one sugar free flavor at a time.  Today strawberry.  Fresh fruit toppings and sugar free hot fudge!  Yum!!  We're also getting a Pizza Hut and IHOP but those are both off limits!

Its a never-ending battle to stay healthy.  This hasn't been the first time in my life when my attempts to exercise caused pain.  I wrote about those in a post some time ago.  I think I may seek out a Physiatrist.

Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physicians, are nerve, muscle, and bone experts who treat injuries or illnesses that affect how you move

Rehabilitation physicians are medical doctors who have completed training in the medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation The job of a rehabilitation physician is to treat any disability resulting from disease or injury, from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. The focus is on the development of a comprehensive program for putting the pieces of a person's life back together after injury or disease – without surgery.

This sounds exactly like what I need.  Now I need to find one and see if my health insurance will cover this.

Love to all, 

Marlena of Mohegan.