So I went to Dr. Zinno, got a cortisone shot, and I was pain-free… for a whopping two days. Whoo hoo.
I tried to rest it as much as possible over the summer, but now that I’m back to work, my knee has decided to crank things up a notch. As a free bonus (because it is nothing if not generous), it now makes charming little crinkly, crunchy sounds, like Rice Krispies met Almond Granola in a noisy love affair.
I called Dr. Zinno’s office in late August, but thanks to my employer switching insurance companies, I had to wait until after September 1st for the first available appointment. Today was finally the day.
The best thing about Dr. Zinno, aside from the fact that he can stick a needle in a joint without making me cry, is his sense of humor. When I told him I was done playing the Getting Older Game, he immediately suggested the Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game. I’m going to have to look that one up. When I told him about my new sound effects, he said, "Of course! Your kneecap is shot!" That's another thing I like about him. He doesn't mince words. I'm totally okay with that.
Since cortisone fizzled out in record time, we discussed alternative injections. Step two is Zilretta, an extended-release corticosteroid that works over time. Step three is a gel injection—experimental, expensive, and in need of insurance approval. For now, he’s requesting the Zilretta.
And if those injections still don’t work? Drum roll please ... Intervention. When he said that, I briefly imagined a table talk with my knee and its troublemaking friends, discussing its recent bad behavior and incentives to correct the same. Sadly, he meant the surgical kind: Knee replacement.
I really don’t want to play this game anymore. Can’t we just switch to Jenga? At least until the “natural aging process” makes my hands too shaky to pull and stack the blocks.
