Hello, hello! I hope your Monday is going well. I just ate a fabulous lunch:
I grilled a burrito in the George Foreman for about 4 minutes. It was a nice, crunchy change! Inside my burrito was black beans, zucchini, yellow pepper, onion, and cheddar cheese. Plus salsa on the side.
And a bowl of watermelon:
Plus, Dove Dark Chocolate for a little dessert:
Diagnosis Me!
I tweeted last week that I have an appointment with an orthopaedic doctor this Thursday. As many of you already know, about 2 years after I began to run, I developed a knee condition called Chondromalacia. Read about my diagnosis here.
I’m going back to the doctor because (1) I’m not 100% confident in my diagnosis and (2) I want to better understand my treatment options (like Physical Therapy). The first doctor did not bother to discuss treatment options with me at all.
I have a problem at the doctor’s office — I get really nervous and I forget to say everything I wanted to say. Also, I know most doctors make a dignosis within 2 seconds of meeting a patient. So, I’ve written out all of my symptoms and I’m going to force the new doctor to read my list. That way, I KNOW I don’t miss anything!
Let’s play "Diagnosis Caitlin’s Knee Problem."
Here’s the information I’ll be giving the doctor:
- 25 years old. Began to run in Spring 2006.
- Onset of knee trouble: January 2008
- Prior to April 2009, ran 20 – 25 miles/week. Only ran 7.0 miles from April 2009 to present.
- Current exercise: low impact (walking, biking, or elliptical 2- 4 times week); running 2.0 miles max (1 time a week)
- Issues present themselves equally in both knees
- Popping noise in knee with flexion (no pain) — this popping is present at all times and is my biggest symptom
- On a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being what I imagine labor to be, the pain is a 3 when present. Following a long run, it is a 7.
- When present, pain centered on lateral anterior surface of knee above and below the patellar
- Aching and tightness in lower anterior quads
- Stiffness in knee and quad upon waking following low-impact or high-impact exercise
- Water on the knee after long runs
- Mild popping noise in hips with rotation (no pain)
- Supplementation includes: 1500 mg of glucosamine and 250 mg of calcium. Taken daily for the last year.
Is it my cartilage? Or my ligaments? What do you think? 🙂
I have no clue what it could be, but great idea writing all that stuff down to take with you. I always forget to tell them stuff, too, so I think that will help a lot (having the dates, pain levels, etc).