Just got back from the doc. He did xrays on both my knees from 3 different angles.
What he had to say was not what I wanted to hear. He said that everything in my knee seemed to fit together fine.. that they were properly spaced. He said that I had some arthritis in my knees, but nothing unusual for my age.... hmm
To my surprise.. there isn't much damage to my knee that I injured. There's a dime size indent on the top of my kneecap, but it didn't show on the xray.
I told him about how I feel when I wake up and he told me to get more exercise. Boy, I'd love to try that one, but there's snow everywhere and I have a 20 month old daughter that I can't just drag outdoors for hours for me to exercise.
He didn't feel I needed a referral and prescribed me what I'm guessing is junk. He prescribed me Requip. I just took my first one, so I'll see how that goes. From what I read, it increases dopamine levels in the brain, so maybe it'll at least put me in a better mood.
Another thing to my surprise, I noticed that it's for Parkinson's disease and RLS. Does he think it's RLS? All he told me when I asked what was wrong and why that it was a muscle thing.
Bah, I hate my doctor.. so nice of guy.. but so unwilling to give someone immediate relief.
He's not the one who prescribed me the Klonopin. It was my doc at a mental health clinic.
Thank you all for responding!
Hi Joleesdad,
Welcome to MedHelp's Pain Management Forum. I am very glad that you have found us. However I am very sorry to hear about your pain and your GAD diagnosis. Life is never easy and pain adds to the challenges.
It is correct that depression and anxiety can add to our pain. You describe a fairly traumatic childhood injury which may or may not be related to your current knee issues. I have recently done a lot of reading on disorder of the knee because I have to have surgery on my patella (knee cap) and cartilage.
Locking and popping episodes are very suggestive, cardinal symptoms of a meniscus tear. The meniscus are tough cartilages that are between the femur and knee and the tibia and knee. Put simply they are like a lining and absorb shocks and help the bones slide and glide easier over one another. There are two menisci in your knee. The the medial meniscus is on the inside of your knee and the lateral meniscus is on the outside of your knee.
The chronic aching and stiffness does sound like an arthritis as Mollyrae suggested. There are several types of arthritis and this should be diagnosed.
If you have a good PCP he/she should not look at you are a drug seeker. You said you already prescribed a narcotic so your PCP apparently trusts that you are not an abuser of medications. When you discuss this with him you should not approach it that you need pain medications but that you need answers and a diagnosis due to the pain. I would call today for an appointment. If they are able to discover what is happening with your knee and legs than you can go from there. Knee pain can make your leg hurt too. It does mine.
Good luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing. We are here to support you in any way we can. I will look forward to your updates. Take Care, Tuck
ALL OF US THAT SUFFER SOME FORM OF CHRONIC PAIN IN OUR BODIES HAVE GONE THROUGH THE THOUGHTS OF NOT WANTING TO GO TO THE DOC BECAUSE WE FEEL EMBARASSED TO ASK FOR PAIN MEDS BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID WE WILL BE THOUGHT OF AS A DRUG SEEKER. BUT, THE REALITY IS, IS THAT IF YOUR LIFE IS BEING DIMINISHED BECAUSE OF THE PAIN, THAN YES, YOU NEED TO SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT. SOMETIMES KNEE SURGERY ISNT ALL THAT BAD, THEY USE A SCOPE MOST OF THE TIME, IT MIGHT BE TORN CARTLIDGE PLUS ARTHRITIS. BUT, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THE PAIN MEDICINE. HE CAN HELP YOU TO BE COMFORTABLE AGAIN. I WAS IN A VERY BAD MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT 4 MONTHS AGO AND HAVE R.A. IN ABOUT 70% OF MY JOINTS AND I EVEN FELT UNCOMFORTABLE ASKING FOR PAIN MEDS. BUT, I WAS HONEST WITH HIM AND EVEN TOLD HIM THAT I WAS EMBARRASED ASKING FOR MEDS BUT, I HAD TO OR ELSE RIP MY HAIR OUT AND ANYBODY THAT I WOULD WONDER TO CLOSE TO MY HOSPITAL BED :-) AND HE PRESCRIBED ME PAIN MEDS.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY WHAT OTHERS MAY THINK, IT IS YOUR LIFE AND THEY DO NOT WAKE UP WITH PAIN AND DREAD THE THOUGHT OF GOING THROUGH THE PAIN AND TRAUMA YOU GO THROUGH, YOU NEED TO DO WHAT WILL HELP YOU, BE STRONG, SEE YOUR DOC AND KEEP US UPDATED, IF YOU WANT TO CHAT OR HAVE QUESTIONS OR JUST CANT SLEEP JUMP ON THE CHAT......................FREEZING IN MONTANA STILL :-)
Hi Joe and welcome to MedHelp's Pain Forum.
It seems as though you have quite a bit on your " Medical" plate. I feel that part of this is related to your stress level. Stress as I'm sure you know can cause many physical symptoms and can actually make you sick or cause pain. Putting that aside, it sounds like you have developed some Arthritis in your joints. Old injuries can definitely cause Arthritis.
I know all too well the feeling of being in pain and not wanting to sound like a drug seeker. Have you discussed your knee pain with your Doctor? I would recommend an x-ray or even better and MRI. This will determine whether or not you are suffering from Arthritis.
As far as medicating the pain, be up front with your Doctor. Explain to him/her that your quality of life has diminished because of the constant pain and that you need some relief from it. Depression and pain go hand in hand and maybe this is part of the reason you're feeling depressed. Anyway....Just be upfront and honest. Don't worry about feeling like a drug seeker when you're in so much pain.
I wish I had more sound advise for you. Please take care and know that we are here for you. Also. please keep us posted. Let me know the outcome of your visit to the Doc.
Mollyrae