Knee Drama
I promise sometime or another I'll update about the trip. But right now the biggest thing on my mind is my knee. It's being mean to me. Right before my field course it started hurting slightly and the pain gradually heightened the more I hiked and moved around through Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming until it was almost unbearable. I took so much ibuprofin and hobbled around a lot. I think the two full days of driving back to Chicago at then end of the trip helped it some, because now it only hurts moderately, but because it's been in constant demand of my attention (it's hard to think about anything else when I walk...especially downhill) for over three weeks now I decided to go to the Student Care Center today to see a doctor. She did a very thorough evaluation wiggling my knee/legs around, and applying all kinds of pressure in weird angles. Eventually she told me that all of my ligaments are fine, which made me happy I guess but still didn't solve the problem. Because my knee pain is in such a highly unusual place (it's lateral pain on the left knee) for a person of my age she says that I need to have xrays taken and I need to see an orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible. Ack! I've never had anything wrong with me before, never been to the hospital, never had a sprain or a break. It's kinda scary that I might have one now. Wish me luck... I'm on my way over to DCAM right now to get the xrays. Luckily the University of Chicago Hospital is right on campus.
Update: I just got 7 xrays. And I'm so confused on how this whole process is supposed to work. The Student Care Center told me that xrays were 23 hours and that I needed to go to DCAM and also make an appt with an orthopedic surgeon. Last night around 10pm I headed over, only to find out that Radiology was closed, except for in the Emergency Room and the wait would be over an hour. So this afternoon after my first two classes I headed over back to Radiology where I was the guniea pig for a brand new Radiologist Technition straight out of Malcolm X college. She seemed rather unsure of herself, but was very nice. Previously, I was told that I was going to get an interpretation of the xrays (a "wet reading") but after I got the xrays they official nurse lady told me that they wouldn't be done for a couple of hours and only then could the Radiologist look and them and then they would page my doctor. But who is my doctor? The SCC lady I guess? So now I'm thrown back in the loop of miscommunicaton and confusion. I went to go make my appt with an orthopedic surgeon but when I told my problem to the lady at the desk she looked at me like I was crazy and told me that I needed to see Sports Medicine instead. So now I have an apt with them for next week. Wish me luck.
Additional Update: xrays came back fine. My ligaments or muscles or something must be messed up and causing this.
I promise sometime or another I'll update about the trip. But right now the biggest thing on my mind is my knee. It's being mean to me. Right before my field course it started hurting slightly and the pain gradually heightened the more I hiked and moved around through Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming until it was almost unbearable. I took so much ibuprofin and hobbled around a lot. I think the two full days of driving back to Chicago at then end of the trip helped it some, because now it only hurts moderately, but because it's been in constant demand of my attention (it's hard to think about anything else when I walk...especially downhill) for over three weeks now I decided to go to the Student Care Center today to see a doctor. She did a very thorough evaluation wiggling my knee/legs around, and applying all kinds of pressure in weird angles. Eventually she told me that all of my ligaments are fine, which made me happy I guess but still didn't solve the problem. Because my knee pain is in such a highly unusual place (it's lateral pain on the left knee) for a person of my age she says that I need to have xrays taken and I need to see an orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible. Ack! I've never had anything wrong with me before, never been to the hospital, never had a sprain or a break. It's kinda scary that I might have one now. Wish me luck... I'm on my way over to DCAM right now to get the xrays. Luckily the University of Chicago Hospital is right on campus.
Update: I just got 7 xrays. And I'm so confused on how this whole process is supposed to work. The Student Care Center told me that xrays were 23 hours and that I needed to go to DCAM and also make an appt with an orthopedic surgeon. Last night around 10pm I headed over, only to find out that Radiology was closed, except for in the Emergency Room and the wait would be over an hour. So this afternoon after my first two classes I headed over back to Radiology where I was the guniea pig for a brand new Radiologist Technition straight out of Malcolm X college. She seemed rather unsure of herself, but was very nice. Previously, I was told that I was going to get an interpretation of the xrays (a "wet reading") but after I got the xrays they official nurse lady told me that they wouldn't be done for a couple of hours and only then could the Radiologist look and them and then they would page my doctor. But who is my doctor? The SCC lady I guess? So now I'm thrown back in the loop of miscommunicaton and confusion. I went to go make my appt with an orthopedic surgeon but when I told my problem to the lady at the desk she looked at me like I was crazy and told me that I needed to see Sports Medicine instead. So now I have an apt with them for next week. Wish me luck.
Additional Update: xrays came back fine. My ligaments or muscles or something must be messed up and causing this.
