The Knee and The Old Lady

Yesterday's visit to the doctor was not fun. He drained fluid from my knee and it was not a pleasant experience. I was lying down (so I wouldn't faint!). He asked me if I'd like to see what he extracted from my knee. I said, "Sure". It looked just like urine. Honestly. The doctor gave it some name I'd never heard of. He extracted about 90cc which relates to between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of junk. Plus he gave me a shot of cortisone. When I first looked at my knee, I realized that it looked much more normal in size (a relative term b/c I have tree-trunk legs). So I fully expected to be able to walk out of the office much better than I walked into the office. Nope. It just didn't work that way. Apparently, according to doc, the muscles behind my knee are extremely weak and this makes my knee buckle up under me and I almost fall when I take steps. Bummer. I had trouble with this before the fluid drainage, but it's much worse now. So, I - a 50-something-year-old-woman have resorted to . . . . . drum roll, please . . . .
That's right, a hiking pole! I'll be dern if I'm gonna use a walker or a walking cane. At least this hiking pole looks athletic and not pathetic. And let me tell you it is very helpful. It keeps me stable when walking, it helps me get up from chairs (and toilets) more gracefully and it just makes me feel safer. Last night I could not have walked without it. I must say that today is better. The back of my knee feels so much better today. The cortisone shot has begun to work, thankfully. I'm still keeping my hiking pole close at hand and hopefully tomorrow I can return the pole to its resting place until my next real hiking experience.