The Knee (Again, Joe? For Christ Sake)

Did the second opinion thing this past Monday.

First off, I knew right away I would like the guy because the examination room was plastered with high quality, framed pictures of THE PATS and the Bruins.

Yeah, baby.

The guy was great. We talked a lot, he asked a lot of questions, then he gave me an examination that went way further than anything Dr. Schmuck ever did.

First he delicately poked and probed. Does that hurt? Then he got aggressive. Put one hand on the right side of my knee, grabbed my foot with the other hand and pressured my foot to the right. Put one hand on the left side of my knee and pressured in reverse. Had me lie back, grabbed my foot and bent my leg back towards my chest.

No pain. So that was a good sign.

He explained that everything that was happening to me sometimes does, so don't panic.

But he was surprised that the knee is still swollen and still has fluid in it. He prescribed some pills for that. Prednisone. A corticosteroid. I've always wanted to use that word. I hear it constantly in all those bullshit "used car salesman" prescription medication adds on TV.

It's helping. But not dramatically.

So here's where I come down on all this. I still experience pain, but not a lot. That is surprising to me 9 weeks after surgery. Still, it does not shrink my expansive lifestyle too much. The knee still feels uncomfortable, awkward and fragile when I walk on it a lot, but again - nothing I can't live with.

I've been off crutches for a couple of weeks. So I just gotta ride it out.

Dr. Feelgood told me to keep exercising it, keep icing it, and to call him in a month.

So that's what I will do.

This thing turned into a monster, but what are you gonna do? I'm 68. If I can take a healthy shit in the morning and gum down my Wheaties, the day is already a success.