Knee pain? What knee pain?

I found the one biggest drawback to being home for a week. I made too many trips up and down the stairs! I have had bad knees since high school. (Then they called it patella femoral pain syndrome.) Usually I just ignore the situation and pretend that all is good. I know that isn't really an answer, but it is the easiest thing to do!

I had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee in October. I thought for sure I'd torn something, but it turns out that it is just arthritis of the knee cap. My knee caps do not sit right and so the cartilage on the underside of the knee cap (that should be smooth )looks like a mountain range. In some places it had worn away all together. He evened things out and removed the cartilage that had become "debris."

At my last appointment with the knee specialist he pretty much told me that there is no way to fix it, just to treat the symptoms. Avoid the things that hurt. That means limit trips up and down the stairs - easier said than done!

So since February I was doing very well in my ignore it method. I'd just mentioned to Morgan that all of a sudden everyone was asking about my knee. Random people at school, my family on the phone, the director of CCD, etc. All was going well...

Sunday Morgan called me upstairs to read an e-mail. I 'felt' my knees. It was the first red flag. Morgan went golfing and such so we went to 7pm Mass. I bought 3 new outfits during my week off and I had on a dress with wedge sandals. All of a sudden a felt each and every step. Ouch! Even my 'good' knee hurt!

SO I am back to the point where I have to wear supportive shoes to work. (So much for the cute skirts and dresses!) I almost stopped at the store on the way home from work but decided it was too far to walk. No fun! I have a feeling I aggravated things because I was home to go up and down the stairs last week.

I did find an upside though! Instead of going upstairs to the computer after work I spent almost an hour on the patio swing with ice on my knees reading my book while Morgan took the car. (So much for Scouts...but what can you do!) After all the time I spent fixing up our little yard it was a treat to get to enjoy it!