Theme Thursday: Frozen Peas Are Your Friend

After my visit to the doc yesterday, I've found out that I amongst the one to two percent of individuals who have an allergic and adverse reaction to a common medication for the knee. Designed to give the arthritic knee a cushion against pain, this wonder lubricant is made from rooster combs and called Syn Visc. It works well for many. I am in the minority. It seems my body is treating this substance as a foreign invader, hence the swelling, pain and extreme discomfort.

In practical terms, this is not good news as I may be laid up for days beneath ice bags. In the larger context, it also means that one resource in my limited range of options has been eliminated for good. The synthetic version of this lubricant, known as Euflexa, although it caused no unwanted reactions, also provided no relief.

I can only stand with pain, and walking includes holding on to things or people. The manual chair can't fit through doorways, and once in the kitchen, blocks access to the refridgerator. Nonetheless, I can use it to get closer to these things without stressing the knee, so even limited help is better than nothing. My seventies vintage apartment offers little in the way of re-modeling possibilities.

In keeping with the vegetable theme today, one bright spot involves a gallon bag of frozen green peas. These become very cold, but conform to my now badly mis-shapened knee quite readily, making frozen peas a wonderful ice pack. If I get the urge to snack while lying down with my knee elevated...Who knows? I'm so exhausted at this point, I mightn't mind the taste.

I see the surgeon on Monday about arthroscopy. A heartfelt thank you to all my followers and those who send well wishes with my previous posting and this one. Your words and kind thoughts are appreciated.

Until Next Time...