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Injured knee and no money for doctor

Posted: Oct 27, 2014

I got out of bed Saturday, and when I stepped down, there was sharp pain to my medial knee. I cannot walk on it. Thankfully, there is next to no pain when there is no pressure on it and it is not fully flexed or fully extended. Medial meniscal tear and/or MCL tear? I have leftover NSAIDs from a neck problem years ago and some old tramadol, which are helping. On his way to borrow a walker from a friend, my husband passed a yard sale and noticed a pair of crutches. He stopped and picked them up for $6. Talk about God-intervention! I have no money to go to the doctor. There is insurance, but it is horrendous and covers next to nothing.

I'm so thankful that I can continue to work and don't have to commute. Please pray for me that this resolves on its own or that I get the resources to go get it treated medically. Thank you so much for your prayers.

;

I'm praying for you. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm praying that your knee pain will resolve without having to see a doctor or wreck your tummy with NSAIDs. I have an ACL tear behind my left knee, which happened in 1990. I didn't have surgery, and it's doing fine. I was a pedestrian who was hit by a car driven by a drunk teenager. It could have been MUCH worse. I was in the hospital for a few days. The doctor said if I were an athlete, he would have pursued surgery. Otherwise, it would heal on it own, and it has.

I bet your MCL tear will heal on its own, too, if you take care of it. Did you look on the internet for suggestions on how to treat it?

Thanks for your prayers - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
I am not sure if this is a meniscal tear or MCL tear or both. I have been resting and using diclofenac and tramadol once a day. The crutches are helping me to avoid putting too much pressure on it, if at all. A family member will probably give me the money for an ortho appointment I have next week.

Your story has encouraged me. Hopefully, I will be as fortunate as you were when your tear healed on its own.

Knee - me

[ In Reply To ..]
I had a really messed up knee many years ago, had no money for a doc at the time. Things got worse, but that doesn't mean it will do the same for you. My suggestion to you is, if you haven't done this already, get an Ace knee brace/wrap & use it to give your knee support. If you tore anything, it's a very long recovery. Without support, it'll take longer. Try to notice what your knee does when it's moved. Might need help for the eval. Move your knee carefully in all directions. Pay attention to pain (how bad, what kind), any sounds (pops, clicks, rubs), any hesitation (or moves smoothly). Any swelling, bruising? If you're not seeing a doc, you have to take care of it yourself. If you have some idea what the problem is, you can possibly avoid making it worse. If you need it, use ice, sometimes helps with pain/swelling. Crutches are good, but I'd get a knee brace on it asap. Then give it TIME. Your knee will tell you if this was just a quick twist that just needs a few days to relax or if it's a real injury that could take weeks or months to heal. Listen to what your knee tells you. As long as pain is sharp, you're not ready to walk around the block, so take it easy. If this lasts awhile, try to find some way to see a doc. Sell something you don't need, whatever you need to do.

Thanks for your advice - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with getting a brace on the knee. Lateral motion seems to elicit pain, so I definitely need to stabilize it. There are different kinds of braces, so I want to make sure I get the right one. In addition to the crutches, I'm taking diclofenac and tramadol once a day, which I think is helping.

You're right about seeing a doctor, and I have an appointment with an ortho next week. I'm going to ask a family member to help me out with the bill.

I'm sorry to hear that your knee injury did not have a good outcome, and you are in my prayers for that.

recovered - me

[ In Reply To ..]
My knee recovered, but it was a long time. I used to ice skate, had a nasty fall. Since I didn't have money for medical, I tried to be careful & let it get better on its own. Within 3 months, couldn't walk on it. Had to have surgery. All in all, about 8 months spent getting it back to normal movement. Years later, had another nasty fall & tore up shoulder so much that even surgery didn't fix it completely but did leave me enough movement to do most of what I need to do. Needless to say, my skating days ended with that fall. If your doc recommends surgery, it would be a good idea to have it before your body gets used to the injury. Also, do any and all physical therapy that's offered. Joint surgery recovery can be very painful (childbirth was easier), but it's the PT that really gives the surgery the best result. They go hand in hand. I hope you get really good care. It sucks when you can't have full use of a joint. I had terrific doctors and PT. I'd be in serious trouble now without them. Oh and don't let my early comment about 8 months recovery scare you... that was my fault also. Surgery was 3 months after injury so it was "late", then PT was so painful that I stopped going. When I realized that mistake, I had to work on movement on my own... got it done, but it was months of effort. That was when I was about 20 & had few medical smarts. I've learned a ton since then & highly recommend treatment early & PT is every bit as important as the surgeon in joint recovery.

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