I got the MRI results back for my knee last week. The results did not surprise me. The commentary did. The official report from the lab:
History:
Medial meniscus tear. Medial compartment degenerative change.Findings:
A small amount of joint fluid is present, within physiologic range. There is heterogeous bone marrow signal in the metaphyseal regions; this is a common finding in menstruating females.
To summarize?
1) In addition to my arthritis, I have a meniscus tear in my knee.
2) I am a menstruating female.
And apparently this is a common finding. WHEW!
I need Arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn meniscus. This is allegedly a pretty standard procedure with a recovery of about 6 weeks(though full recovery will take longer than that.)
Thus begs the much more difficult question: when to do it. I’ve been experiencing pain for well over a year now but have been able to maintain my lifestyle by hiking and biking every day (though running and volleyball are definitely out).
But our schedule is kinda tricky. Jamie and I are heading out on a cruise next week (aboard the Norwegian EPIC!), I need to be in Park City for a conference the beginning of December, then there’s Christmas and we also have numerous ski trips planned including Telluride, Echo Mountain and Crested Butte.
Right now, mid-February is about as soon as I can swing it. Maybe I’ll even do it on the 20th–my birthday.
I’ve already had lice as a birthday present.
Comparatively, a new knee sounds pretty darn swell.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 