My GP is a chump

[Londinium]

I saw my GP today complaining about the fact I could barely walk for more than five minutes without getting pain, not being able to climb up and down stairs without pain, waking in the middle of the night with pain, etc.

I explained to him that I ruptured my ACL and tore my cartilage two years ago.

He tested my knee and told me there was nothing wrong with it For a fact I know there is something wrong, one because of the pain (duh), plus I've seen three different DOCTORS who have told me that there is obviously something wrong.

I asked him to refer me to a specialist and he said no, 'im not going to do that'. I then told him that it wasn't his choice and I had private health care which would cover the costs. He than said 'I just didn't want you to waste your time'. Total joker.

I'm going to see a specialist in the next week now and hopefully I'll get this surgery done because I can't go on like this. I hear a creaking in my knee when it bends as well.

If I didn't have private health care, he wouldn't have referred me. How awful is that? I feel sorry for those who would have gone to see him with other problems with his attitude.

Anyway, I am nervous now - I know there are risks with ACL ops, so am really worried about the possibility of Arthritis in later life...

[Vinman]

it sucks your doc is a douche. And I don't want to make your fears worse, but instead want to give you some strait info. As someone who treats/rehabs athletes and has had 2 ACL surgeries and who has a knee that is already degenerating,..... I know where you are coming from as do other on this board.

But the cold facts are that no matter if they reconstruct your knee or not the chances are you'll have arthritis at some point. This is probably due to the brusiing of the bone and cartilage at the time of injury. The damage that is done there is unpredictable and may take years to show up.

If you don't reconstruct, your knee mechanics will be different risking arthritis and you risk further injury not to mention your knee will likely not perform well in twisting turning sports. The nice thing is they CAN restore the stability of your knee with a recnstruction, but it will never fully recreate the physiological mechanics of your knee joint. Which can also lead to arthritis. Kind of a catch 22.

Now you have a decision to make. You can either sit in the couch and dwell on the likelyhood that your knee will eventually degenerate

OR

You can get your knee fixed and enjoy your life and worry about what happens to your knee later.

Sorry for kind of a dark post but I am in kind of a strange mood for me. I usually don't write posts like this so I apologize for the downer....

[Londinium]

Wow, well that has put me on somewhat of a downer actually. I've tried to be much more active in the last year and really got into running again (was planning on a marathon next year). I also wanted to get into training for long distance cycling as my knee has never really caused me any problems until the last two months.

I know that there are more issues regarding arthritis related to the cartilage, rather than the ACL, so it sucks that I have both hammered.

Do you know what the creaking sound is/indicates?

Thanks for your reply

[Vinman]

sorry about that, that is probably stuff your doc won't tell you.

The creaking is probably either swelling or crepitus. Crepitus is the roughness of the joint surfaces as they glide past each other. But this is usually described as crunching or grating, rice crispies kind of feeling. If the creaking is very superficial it could be something as simple as tendonitis.

[Velodog2]

Sorry for kind of a dark post but I am in kind of a strange mood for me. I usually don't write posts like this so I apologize for the downer....

No, thank you for an honest disclosure. It's refreshing to not feel like you're being sold a used car by the dr., always wondering what he didn't tell you that you should know.

[Londinium]

Sorry if it didn't sound like it, but i did really appreciate your reply. The creaking has oddly left my knee, and I haven't had any pain in my knee this weekend. That is strange, but I will see how I feel over the next few days.

[4matic]

I went to a specialist at Stanford with a sore hip on a referral some years back. To paraphrase, "you're 40 y/o, play regular tennis, and have a sore hip? What's the problem again?" Yeah, he was a jerk but that was a good message that needed to be said. Doctors aren't miracle workers.

[Londinium]

Ok, but your problem seems very different to mine. I have had my problem for a couple of months now, had a prior injury (and everything points back to that), as well as the fact he did not understand my medical history. I didn't want him to be a miracle worker - just to acknowledge there might be a problem.

[Londinium]

I am having my operation next week. I have a cartilage tear, which will be operated on and the doctor is not sure how much damage the ACL has until he looks inside.

I am getting quite nervous now, and he did tell me my chances of arthritis, with or without surgery would remain about the same. Oh well.

[TBS]

Good luck with your surgery