Sorry, this is going to be long!
5 weeks ago I was just crouching down to look at books on a low shelf, and when I stood up the most unbelievable sound of ripping inside my knee, the sensation of something on the medial side being torn across the front of the knee and the breath-taking pain led to me being stretchered into an ambulance and taken to A&E. I was in so much pain that they could not really touch my knee or evaluate what might have happened, so they x-rayed and saw no broken bones so sent me on my way with a big splint keeping my leg straight. I cannot begin to explain how painful this was and still is, despite 5 weeks passing! 2 weeks after the injury I had a physiotherapy appt at hospital and the PT couldn't believe I had not been given an MRI or referred to a knee specialist (NHS!). She told me to get my GP to refer me for an urgent MRI as she couldn't really help me as I was still in so much pain. Long story, but GP dictated referral letter and then it sat in secretary's in-tray for a week, eventually it was faxed (after lots of phone calls and tears on the phone from me!) and last Wednesday I was seen by someone else (a physiotherapist at the Primary Care Trust who makes initial diagnosis and refers people on) who concluded that yes, I need an MRI (obviously!!). But this is the UK NHS system, so although she marked it as urgent I suspect it will be at least a couple of weeks before it's done, and a few more weeks before results come and then months before anything actually happens if I need surgery! The thing is I am in agony, totally unable to weight-bear so am on crutches and cannot look after myself at all, cannot work, cannot shower myself, cannot drive and most importantly cannot look after my children. My poor husband is having to do everything whilst trying to work full-time and it's becoming too much. With the constant pain for 5 weeks with no apparent end in sight and being house-bound and unable to do anything I am starting to get depressed (burst into tears a LOT!!!). Anyway, the pain is all on the medial side and is excruciating, particularly when the knee is slightly bent, even lightly touching the medial side when the knee is bent (up on the bed) feels like I'm touching an open wound. When I ripped whatever I ripped, it felt like something moved forcibly and tore across the knee on the medial side. I am assuming I've torn medial meniscus but after 5 weeks the pain hasn't settled at all. In addition I wonder if I have torn either MCL or have actually ruptured/torn the medial plica (part of the actual knee capsule that all your knee parts are inside)? I am so fed up, cannot see an end in sight to this as I haven't even had the MRI yet and after 5 weeks I am no further forward. I feel guilty about my husband having to do everything, guilty about my children effectively not having a mother, guilty about not working and to top it all I've got to let the children know that our long-awaited holiday to Spain (first family holiday abroad) is being cancelled as I cannot cope with the pain and disability and the thought of flying and being somewhere else while I'm in this situation.
I don't really know why I'm posting, just needed to vent! But does anyone have any ideas what I might have done that would still be this intensely painful on the medial side 5 weeks after injury (no progress at all!)? Could a torn meniscus really hurt this much? Or given that the area that tore felt like it was across the whole front of the medial side, is it possible I've torn the plica? Synovial capsule? MCL??? I'm so fed up, missing the summer and am starting to lose hope that I'll ever feel normal again :'(