Two days

I have the weekend to go,then back to the hospital for surgery on my right knee. All is in order, all is lined up. All of my tests were normal, something both the nurse and surgeon said is not particularly common. Everyone who has told me about second knees assures me that the second surgery goes more easily. Not because there is less work but just because the patient knows what is ahead. Certainly for me the knowledge means a lot. So much was up in the air the last time. I have a better handle on what meds work and about how long it will take for me to get back on my own. This weekend, then, is mainly for tidying up. When I return home it won't be long before a nurse and physical therapist show up at the door. I want to be generally ready for them. I am excited. I have had a lot of pain in my right leg and I really hope to see improvement.

Changes!

I did see a massage therapist. In fact, I have seen her several times now, initially every week and now every two weeks. She works mostly on my legs but moves to wherever the need seems greatest. Yesterday she focused primarily on my right hip, the current bane of my existence. The Restless Leg Syndrome has decreased. It is still there but it is not as jolting and monstrous as it was. I manage, even without drugs, to get some sleep (although without drugs I still tend to wake frequently and even with drugs this is often true). I am not having long sleepless nights as I did before. As a result I have more energy. I am able to make little forays into parts of my home (cleaning and organizing) and go out in the world (errands) without feeling exhausted.

As for drugs. I did get a prescription for Requip, at a very low dosage (.25 mg), one per night. It helps me get to sleep but it does not keep me there. It does work, I repeat. I am relieved that I will have these with me when I am on a plane next week, not to mention when I am trying to get some sleep wherever I am. I do not want to be on drugs for the rest of my life so I will continue to look for alternative treatments. It does seem like massage helps. Maybe over time RLS will just become a vague memory.

Sleep: Is it a dream?

The last two days I have had almost no sleep at all. Tuesday night my cold kept me up - sneezing, coughing, generally feeling miserable. Last night my right leg went into almost-regular spasms. The top of the thigh would jerk into a painful spasm so frequently I could not get settled enough to fall asleep. I feel seriously deprived of sleep.

Yesterday afternoon I met with a friend who wanted to hear more about my knee surgery experience because she sees the same thing in her future. I was happy to talk to her. I am almost always glad for an ear. In the course of our long conversation the Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) came up. She has it too, and has had success with a prescription drug  - Requip. Requip is used for Parkinson's symptoms as well as RLS. It has a number of side effects, the most dangerous of which appears to be the potential for falling asleep suddenly (like when driving). My friend said she takes it only at night, which makes sense, so this may not be an issue if I were to use it.  I am going to make an appointment with my regular doc to see about trying Requip.  It would be wonderful if I had this issue somewhat resolved before I go into the hospital again.

Last Stage

I met with the surgeon last Wednesday. He saw that my knee is still not straight and he said it probably will be eventually and that he has had other patients who do fine without having it completely straight. I asked him for a prescription for massage, which he gave me, but said insurance may not cover it. True enough.  I asked about the next surgery and he said "any time". I said how about early October and he said he'd set it up. I should get calls from Nancy soon, with a date and instructions.

So this means I am on my own right now. No therapy, no future doc visits on this leg. I am continuing with work at the gym and at home, interrupted by trips (right now I am in Las Vegas). It's an odd feeling, free really, and I don't mind it.

Some Good, Some Not so Good

It seems like so much time has passed since last I wrote in here. I think that's because I have been busy doing other things, things unrelated to my body. These activities have worn me out and made me feel like not writing. But worse than that, which I'll explain in a minute.

I have been traveling a lot for events that are hosted by a foundation I belong to (and am vice-president of). I have had to make car trips to Los Angeles and back three times within a short period of time. On the good side, it seems like my knee handles the trips rather well, meaning I feel okay when I get to my destination, not too much stiffness or pain in that knee. And one night, Friday night a week ago,  I slept without drugs and went to sleep quickly. I woke later and was up a bit but overall it was n amazing night, almost like old times. The next two nights weren't as good but still weren't the worst either, and I was still without nighttime drugs.

Lately it's all gone to crap, though. The restless-leg syndrome has accelerated, is affecting both knees, sometimes for hours. And now my back hurts and I feel worse today than I have in a long time. I think all the driving is adding up to the need for possible chiropractic intervention.

But before I go that way I will continue with massage, which I started a little over two weeks ago. I have had two massages using mainly "trigger point" massage, working on those adhesions. I feel some hope for this type massage in helping both with the restless legs and with the straightening of the surgical leg.

I may be at the end of my time with physical therapy. The prescription ran out last Wednesday, two days ago. I see the surgeon again next Wed and it's possible he will not renew the prescription. Mainly because my knee is not straight and in particular is not any straighter than it was six weeks ago. In spite of all of my and Paul's efforts. It's been discouraging but I still think it's possible that I will be able to get it straighter over a longer stretch of time, like one or two years, or even more. If there is no more prescription I am going to be rather more on my own, which will be a little sad. I hope that if I no longer get to see Paul that he will take a little time to talke to Clara, my gym trainer, about where to go from here. I want to keep up with whatever I can.

A Good Day

After several days of feeling both emotionally and physically unwell, I am feeling much better today. The pain in my knees is minimal and I felt enough energy to stop at a hardware store for various items after going to the gym. At home I worked on a graphic design that I have not had the energy to deal with. Perhaps this is a kind of reward for going through so much shit.

So what else might I do? I might make a fleece blanket for a little foster grandson. I might do more organizing of sewing materials. I might make me lunch and veg out a while!

That Restless Leg Thing

I have mentioned getting that "restless leg" feeling frequently, particularly in my "surgical leg". Lately I've been feeling it in both legs, sometimes more in the right than in the left. Today it's been bothering me almost nonstop since I got home from physical therapy at about two.

I occasionally take a look online.  To me, this kind of feeling is not a "medical condition" so much as a discomfort for which there should be some simple solution. I used to think it happened when I had not exercised enough, because stretching and moving around does relieve it. However, I am exercising plenty now and I can't, obviously, get any sleep if I am getting up and wandering around to relieve this symptom.

There does not seem to be a single cause for "restless leg syndrome". Sometimes it is caused by a lack of iron, so today I bought an iron supplement (even though I am no supplement fan). There are other drugs developed for this condition but I am not willing to go there yet. I can't help but think these are neurological drugs that, in the long run, will do more harm than good. Also, they don't specifically target this condition, which is why they don't work for everyone. I hate taking drugs that I may have to take all my life. I'd rather find a better solution to end the situation.

I would love to hear from others who might have found a good solution.