Thread: Medical conundrum

I haven't read it all Ding (too much brain strain), but my advice is to always wear a conundrum. You can never be too careful these days.

Dunno Ding, when my lower back cracks a wobbly the legs tend to go a bit weak and loose some strength but nothing like that. Hope the quack can give you some answers.

Goodluck, John

Welcome to 50 Ding!

Bloke I work with had five successful operations on his knee in 14 months the year before last. It doesn't appear to be an exact science.

Cheers, (and I hope it works out ok)

P

Just a thought having joint problems myself, but when you have a weak leg the other leg compensates for it, just how much determines how much pain you have or perhaps just how much extra load it is having to deal with to compensate. Ain't fun, sorta like problems create other problems.

Long day, I hope this makes sense .

You're not going to want to read this.



My uncle had something similar - he was knocked out by a lump of timber being dropped on him, doctor's said everything was all right. A few years later he started getting problems with his arms - weakness, pins-and-needles.

Turned out that the timber had broken several vertibrae - just cracked not displaced - and the medico's had missed this & he now had cancer in the cracked vertibrae - no way of telling if treatment would have stopped this but things were pretty advanced when they looked.

I also know of a Policewoman who got cancer in the leg after being kicked by a drunk while on duty - again, not treated until too late.

So I'd suggest that a trip to the big smoke & a full checkout may be in order - just think of it as a 100,000km full service on the car - expensive & unconvenient, but neccessary if the old bomb is going to keep running.

Hi dingo

I have had 9 knee operations due to dislocations. Sadly I have bone broken away from the back of both patellas and no cartlidge left in the right one at all. The right is on track to be replaced in the next 5 or so years if im lucky . Lateral releases on each knee helped the tracking and took away the pain somewhat.

Is there bone damage or only cartiledge troubles?.

With all my knee problems I never had back problems so there is some concern there for you IMO.

I am quite unsteady at times particularly on the right but that hasnt dropped me yet.

Is it workers comp, Private health or god forbid the public system.

Has your doctor suggested an Xray of your lower back and hip region. If not I would suggest that you pressure him/her to do that. I was starting to experience an aching hips and thought my hips were giving out but it appears that I have compressed discs in my lower back.

Also for my knees I take at least 2000 mg of glucosimine and calcium and that keeps the pain out of my knees.

Yeah Ding, I've found that when you get older you get crook in all the joints....then the managers of the joints kick you out.

Hi Ding,

Any chance it could be a Cyatic Nerve problem? The pain in your lower back and the pain in the legs could be "inferred" pain from the cyatic nerve being compressed somewhere else. DAMHIK...

H.

Originally Posted by Barry_White

Has your doctor suggested an Xray of your lower back and hip region. If not I would suggest that you pressure him/her to do that. I was starting to experience an aching hips and thought my hips were giving out but it appears that I have compressed discs in my lower back.

Also for my knees I take at least 2000 mg of glucosimine and calcium and that keeps the pain out of my knees.

Hey Bazza

Do you find the cold makes em ache more

Originally Posted by dazzler

Hey Bazza

Do you find the cold makes em ache more

Not really. I would reckon the cold would affect them if I had arthritis. With my knees if I run out of the glucosamine for more than about a fortnight they become sore when I am walking.

Hey there Ding

I have had a right knee problem for about 7 years now and have had pretty much what you descibe happen to me. I had three arthroscopies and one distall realignment. I now have no cartilage in my right knee and have already got the initial 'twangs' of arthritis.

I lost strength in my right leg and they found that it had withered by about 25 percent. Your hips and back have developed soreness because you 'limp' and to make movement easier you will be favouring that side of your body, whether you realise this or not.

It took me four years of physio to regain 95% of my strength and movement. Although as you should well know that everybody reacts differently to medication and physio treatment. I hope yours is swifter than mine.

Geez talk about no news is good news!!!... sigh... to answer the workers comp question... the RIGHT knee is workers comp but the comp doc isnt interested in the left thigh pain nor the lower back nor the left hip nor even the wobblygobblies... just the right knee if its the right knee its workers comp if its anything else see your own doc and get it sorted but his view is that the comp insurer wont be interested and tends to fob me off when I broach the subjects

I see him again on Tuesday for another update form and then a referral to a knee specialist in Perth two weeks later... for my RIGHT knee

Im gonna hit him with it again as I think your right about over compensating... the physio stopped the moment the last surgeon (the one that operated) said "thats it mate what you have is arthritis and the pain you have is what you have you will need a replacement but its not bad enough for that yet probably in a year or two but for now back to work"... so the physio stopped the insurer stopped the gym and pool membership and I was left to my own devises... the doc has determined that we see this other specialist in perth in 2 weeks and then decide whats to be done... if he says okay we can operate and fix it then onto the mat I go again but if he says what the other one said then its back to work... although I have lost my job thats gonna mean some interesting times ahead

Mining companies take a very dim view of workers who have been on compo... which means a tad of a fight to get a job in the industry again.

And the rehab people are a bunch of flamin ignoramouses who wouldnt have a sodding flamin clue!!... Today they sent me for a couple of interviews for return to work "training" as... ahem... a shelf packer at mitre 10 entailing much bending and labeling of shelves below knee height even the sodding manager got that they sent me there! bending all day is not going to happen!... and as a TA to a bloody plumber for shytes sake!!... IM A BLOODY TRUCK DRIVER!! put me on a damned truck and I'll be friggin fine!... but no its these types of positions or back to being a bloody counsellor by their reckoning

Anyways... 2 weeks to see that new specialist then another 2 till I see the damned doc again for the RIGHT knee and then FUGGGEM!!! between now and then Im goin back to a mine ANY FLAMIN MINE!! but back to bloody work and to hell with this workers comp crap drives me bloody troppo

Ding, you need to have a CT Scan of that area and the legs. Any X-Rays that you have taken should include pictures takem whilst standing upright. If it is compo, these weight bearing pictures will be left out of an X-Ray collection as they will show clearly any compacted jionts, such as knees and hips was well as vertebrae. Something "THEY" will want to avoid seeing.

A simple thing like a pinched nerve can disrupt sensation to the legs. Also, if you have favoured one leg for some time, you can cause stress to other joints in the other leg and hip, as well as the spine.

I lay claim to years of suffering and being unable to work a normal job. I am now the proud owner of a half-knee joint replacement for both legs, and can walk again, for quite long distances, whereas before, the clothes line or the letter-box was a huge effort.

I wish you well Ding, all the best mate.