Well it's been a few months since I've started doing therapy on my knees, so I wanted to share in my progress. I did physical therapy for almost three months. It helped my right knee a ton (once i got the official referral from my doc), and it got to the point that it would only ache after a long day of walking. My left knee was definitely better since the beginning of my therapy, but I had a flareup at the beginning of June that put me quite literally back to square one. Not sure what caused it, it occured around us going to Out of Africa, but it was bothering me before we went. Anyway, once that happened, my physical therapy wasn't as effective (since that leg was super-weak), and I had to limp to the point that my left foot would cramp up from using my walking muscles differently.
So there was one secondary option my doc recommended called Supartz. It's a series of weekly shots over a five week period that is meant to help build a cushion in the knee joint. I was interested in getting them before I had the flareup, but once that happened, I called to schedule the injections. I checked patient reviews online, and all seemed to be positive, that the injections cured almost every person's pain, often for years. I was nervous about how much the shots might hurt, but I figured a lot of pain for a short time is better than the pain I've been having lasting for the rest of my life.
Well, today I had my third set of injections. I'm getting them done in both knees (as Ammon put it, "Your body is so fickle, you should just get the right knee done too just in case.") Thus far, the pain during the shots has been tolerable. It's a lot like when you get a novacaine shot at the dentist. Except it's in your knees, and a little quicker. The feeling for a few days after is just that of puffiness within the joint. For the most part, my knees have been feeling better. I can still barely straighten (and still not lock) my left knee, which makes any sort of long periods of standing and walking a bit uncomfortable, but it's better than limping. Today, the injection into my right knee hurt like the dickens. I got really nauseated and had to lay down for a few minutes; then I couldn't straighten that one for a few hours, but that seems to have passed (THANK GOODNESS; just try walking without straightening either leg... it's a little goofy)
I'm interested to see how these next two weeks go. Since my doc is going on vacation next week I will have two weeks between my injections, and it seems that my knees get better the longer it's been since an injection. Anyway, as for the Weight Watchers experiment I've decided to go back to my original diet plans. I've lost 21 pounds since January, but only about 5 of those were Weight Watchers. Once I went back to trusting my instincts in healthier eating I lost 2 pounds in a week. Long story short, Weight Watchers wasn't helping me do anything I wouldn't do on my own, and it was just more confusing. So we'll see how things go from here.
