meniscus tear in left knee, muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, chills, poor sleep quality
Posted , 3 users are following.
I had muscle pain on both my legs for 2 weeks starting from april 2015 and been walking like a penguin ever since and then BAM theres sudden sharp pain in my left knee everytime i try to walk or bend my knee. I literally had to hold on to the wall or anything to get me to move between rooms. I didnt remember having trauma or doing high impact sports so its kind of weird for all of these to happen suddenly.
My doctor thinks it was muscle sprain and maybe meniscus tear so he sent me for physiotherapy sessions. Later on mid june 2015 the mri results showed that i have meniscus tear on my left knee and my blood test showed that my ASO (anti astreptolisin-o, acquired from fighting off bacteria that stays in mouth and throat and causes throat infection) titre was 800 (normal: 200 or below).
So it could be that my antibody attacked my meniscus and other nearby tissues as i also remember that ive previously had 3 wisdom teeth extraction surgeries (oct2013, jan 2014, march 2015) and i often suffer from sore throat and flu and the likes.
My doctor suggests arthroscopy if i feel that the pain is not improving after physiotherapy sessions. But it was improving lately so i postponed the surgery but i still have to wear knee supports and take tramadol or nsaids to control my pain and movement.
The problem is that im 21 y.o medical student and i just started my clinical rotation that will last for 2 years so i can be a doctor and then i have to do internships for another 2 years.
Do you think i should continue or choose other careers with my bachelor degree of medicine?
Because other than knee pain, i also suffer muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, poor sleep quality (waking up in the middle of the night because of pain) and sometimes chills and those surely disturb my work and i dont know how long they will last.
1 like, 5 replies
penny49988 k.meirina
Posted
That is alot to contend with at your age. I have torn my meniscus in the past (twice) and know the impact it can have on you. I hav yet to have surgery and seem to have improved to a degree.I really don't want to suggest what you should do regarding your career path since you have worked so hard to get to where you are.Ttime will tell...I hope that all gets well for you soon.
All the best,
Penny
k.meirina penny49988
Posted
I still need to check for other antibodies to understand my condition better and check other body parts as well since this condition sometimes leads to heart and central nervous complications.
I'm open to both choices to leave before it's too late or to continue going. If it is discovered that my condition may harm myself or even my patient then i will not force it because there are still a lot of ways to help people other than being a doctor.
I hope your meniscus gets better, too
penny49988 k.meirina
Posted
thank-you ...I understand your concerns and think that you will make the right choice. I hope that all goes well with your health and path that you choose to take.
Take Care,
Best Wishes,
Penny
hope4cure k.meirina
Posted
Works very well for my knee & a torn meniscus can be serious if not taken care of . I am hoping to avoid knee replacement.
there are many types of kee supports available as well as just rest can do wonders.
Keep a check on your knee have a MRI done to see the extent of the tear and keep track of the healing process.
sometimes pain meds can cause the symptoms your describe. Cheek up on the side effects to be sure.
take care
k.meirina hope4cure
Posted
I started wearing knee supports (the ones with a hole on the knee) after the mri results came out and i've been attending physiotherapy sessions and it was all good until late july. During mid july i could walk at home without knee braces (still clumsy but almost no pain) and walk normally (no pain) if i wear knee braces.
So i decided to sign up for my first clinical rotation (6 weeks, 20 july-22 august) and i think i took the wrong decision lol. I walked a lot and climb stairs a lot, going around the hospital and doing night shifts in the ER, and my knee braces didn't work anymore, it was really painful everytime.
What's funny (and ugly) was that i fell off a motorcycle exactly on my first day of work (at around 40 km/h) and sacrificed my left elbow and hip to fall first (minor scratches) then roll to my right and getting scratches on my right knee (yes my right knee brace was torn off i don't know what would happen to my knee if i didn't wear my knee brace). Nothing happened other than minor scratches (not even bruises) so i continued working. I dont know if this affects my condition because two weeks into my clinical rotation i felt the pain on both of my knees and hips. My pain meds no longer worked on those pains so i endured the pain for the rest of the weeks.
I am now taking 3 months off and my doctor sent me to physiotherapy sessions again while i consult my surgeon discussing if a surgery would worth it or not (i dont want surgery).
I am now training my muscles and try swimming twice a week and so far it feels good, the water really helps lifting the weight off my knees. I hope everything turns out well.