I Fell Down. Owwee!

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Last Tuesday, I took a nasty tumble onto solid concrete. Flat out. My hands were occupied at the moment it happened and I didn't even have time to brace myself. It had been decades since I'd fallen like that and I just laid there for a beat or two, looking at the world from that stupid angle.

Anyway, I came down on my knee and banged it up pretty good. Got an ugly scab. For a day or so afterwards, it hurt like hell and then, the pain began to subside and it was just stiff but starting this past weekend and right now, it's hurting again and I'm a bit concerned. I've been doing my regular workout and everything else but the pain in my knee comes and goes and doesn't seem associated or brought on by any particular movement or strain so I don't get it.

It's been so long since I've sustained any type of injury (Thank God) like this, I'm just unfamiliar with the healing process. I remember it being a steadily progressive thing, not back and forth like this seems to be.

My husband and I are self-employed and don't have medical insurance so I don't run to the doctor unless I absolutely have to. Whaddaya think? Do I have to?

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Ooh, that sucks.

I wish I could tell you something useful, just sympathy for now though. Will you have to pay anything to just call and get an opinion from your doc?

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Eoe--

You might have chipped a bit of bone somewhere in the knee and the chipped bit is drifting around and stabbing you at odd moments.

Is your knee swollen? Discolored?

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I would not fool around with a knee. The best thing would be to get an X-Ray. You don't want to deal with a more serious problem later on.

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My knee is not swollen or discolored at all. The pain is more of an ache than a stab or a throb.

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yeah, you may have hurt something deep within.

I took a fall a couple of years ago and land flat on my outer thigh...bruised the muscle close to the bone.

wow, it took a long while to get better.

Agreeing with everyone else....go to the doc.

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Chai, when you hurt your leg, what did your doctor do?

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The patella (knee cap) is not attached directly to the femur, or to the tibia and fibula. It floats on a cartilagenous pad, and is held in place by a membrane known as the meniscus (there are actually two, the lateral and the medial meniscus--you get one each, and no spares). I tore the lateral meniscus by slipping on the ice several years ago, and was really laid up for a long time. You can read all about your knee, and the two meniscii by clicking here. I suggest that this is something you want to have taken care of as soon as possible.

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And here I thouht set was going to say something about "doggy style".

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eoe wrote:

Chai, when you hurt your leg, what did your doctor do?

Well, my knee wasn't involved, so your case is different.

But, he put me on anti-inflammatories. If you get them, make sure you also get something in case it effects your stomach. Some can really rip up your gut. I got him to change drugs for me to one that didn't make me feel like I was gut shot.

Even so, I took I think 2 days off work, and limped the rest of the week. Wasn't right for about a month.

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Ouch!!! I'm with the others in saying I think you should see a doc.

Maybe just a spain or something minor, but just to be on the safe side, I'd have it looked at.

Ohmmmmmm......

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Well, I will dissent a little bit. I am, like you, a type that doesn't go to the doctor unless she's dragged in, or is dying.

I would give it a few more days, anti-inflammatories, and stay away from the workout for a few days. When you work out, things are in motion, there's a rush of oxygen, things tighten, pull... not good if you have something already inflamed in there. It takes awhile for a knee to heel. Give it another week or two without the workout. I merely pulled a tendon once in a knee and it took a good month to six weeks before the pain went fully away and then it would still come back occasionally. For a knee, it's not at all unusual that the pain comes and goes, at least from my experience.

Of course you don't want to fool around with a knee...but before you dish out hundreds of dollars, I'd give it a few more days of rest and DO take ibuprofen (600mg a day) for about a week - whether it hurts or not.

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People! Did ya read my post?

I said that I don't have any medical insurance.

How much are xrays out of the pocket?

My hubby and I went for basic checkups, including lab work, last year and it cost us close to $500 apiece!
Sad

I guess I just want someone to tell me to:
A. Wait a week, see what happens
B I'm just getting older and don't heal as quickly as before
C. As long as there's no swelling or discoloration, it's external

Maybe I should have started a poll??? Smile

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Okay Dag. That's what I'm talking about!!

Seriously, I appreciate everyone's post. Thanks for responding.

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600mg of Ibuprofen isn't enough for one dose (for me). That's why you need to see a doctor. The first thing they do besides take X-rays is to put you on anti-inflammatories. Typically, for someone my size, 800mg of Ibuprofen 3x a day. Sounds like a high dose, and it is, but that is what gives it the anti-inflammatory properties.

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Naproxen sodium is an over-the-counter a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which was first marketed under the trade name Aleve. I have found it very effective for arthritis, and the prescription version (higher dosage) is what the doctor game me when i tore my left lateral meniscus. If you buy it, look for the store brand or "generic brand"--just look for naproxen sodium as the active medical ingredient.

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Welllllllll.

I usually do the Go to the Doctor chant, and can only nod with Setanta.

Personally, I've fallen on a hard surface on my knee without catching myself/helping cushion the fall several times -- because I have miserable peripheral vision and a lifetime tendency to trip/conk my head on cabinet doors/the tops of cars when getting in.

Last time I did it was when I fell at Home Depot, not seeing that someone in line had a long log-like garden timber sticking out of a low cart. That still hurts once in a while, and it happened in early 2005. Hurt to kneel on that knee for about a year. Before that, in the early nineties, I tripped on a piece of plywood when we were remodelling our house; that one also took a couple of years to not hurt at all.

Both times I didn't go to the doctor, because I had a giant deductible on my insurance.

I'm aware that I was stupid both times.

Check around and see if there are any Clinics in your area that take people without insurance on some kind of sliding scale.

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By the way, i highly recommend the naproxen sodium, but i advise you not to take any other pain pills with it. It is an anti-inflammatory, and will incidentally help to relieve the pain as a result. But it is a bad idea to take aspirin, acetaminophen ("Tylenol") or iduprofen ("Advil" or "Motrin") when you are using naproxen sodium. I believe there is a possibility of adverse reactions if you take it in combination with any of those analgesic pills.

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Okay Set. I just took my last two Aleve (I hadn't taken anything since the tumble) and I found a couple of samples of Advil that I planned on taking tonight. Are you saying I shouldn't take the Advil?

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eoe- Figure it this way. Since you don't have health insurance, you don't pay health insurance premiums. So instead of paying premiums to an insurance company, you are self insured, and pay the bills as they happen.

As you get older, it might be a good idea for you to look into individual health insurance. You'd be very surprised as to what crops up as you get "mileage" on your body. Insurance companies get a better deal from hospitals and other medical facilities than you can get on your own.

Also, if you don't have insurance, some places will play "Let's Make a Deal". If you do go for X-Rays, talk to the financial department and try to negotiate a fair price.

The main thing is that you need to take care of something before it becomes a major problem.

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I Fell Down. Owwee!

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