PT for Me

No surprise that the diagnosis for my left knee injury is a “possible” torn medial meniscus. I’ll be taking an anti-inflammatory drug for a couple of weeks then starting physical therapy. If there isn’t an improvement within six weeks, an MRI will be needed for a better view.

“Quick to injure, slow to heal” is the reality, usually starting sometime in your fifties, for both men and women. One moment I was perfectly fine, jogging along as usual. The next moment something went “pop” in my knee and there was pain.

Two of a Kind From ’35

This is something I meant to do years — and years! — ago. Early in 1935, Walt Disney Studios released a Mickey Mouse cartoon, his first in color, called ‘The Band Concert.’

At the end of 1935, the Fleischer Brothers Studio released Popeye’s (much funnier) cartoon “answer” to Mickey, ‘The Spinach Overture’.

I’m making the comparison while QC-ing the replacement Popeye DVD set. There has been some cost-cutting, with DVD+R discs and basic packaging, but it plays without messing up, unlike the now-rotting 2007 box set.

Cold Compress Comfort

Between applying a cold compress gel pack several times each day and otherwise wearing a brace, I’m making progress with my knee injury.

The pain has been reduced to discomfort, and hobbling around the house has been improved to reasonably comfortable walking. Here’s hoping I don’t have a torn ligament or cartilage.

Update: I’ve made an appointment to see an orthopedic knee specialist.

Age-Related Injury

The birthday present I gave myself yesterday was a reminder that I’m a year older. I went jogging (calling it “running” would be disingenuous) then, half a mile from home, I felt something pop in my left knee. It came with immediate pain, but I was able to walk home without difficulty.

If the aspirin I took before going to bed helped, it wasn’t enough to keep my knee from hurting like crazy. I kept waking up from the pain, but then I felt something pop back into place. Suddenly it was better I and slept through the night. Today it’s very stiff when bending, but the pain isn’t too bad.

I am reminded of what happened twenty years ago. At the end of a long run, half a mile from home, I felt something pop in my foot. It was my posterior tibial tendon. Today, I’m self-diagnosing an MCL injury.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/inner-medial-knee-pain

So far, I’m not feeling the need to see an orthopedic specialist. I’ve managed the PTT adequately for these many years. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to similarly manage my knee injury.

Unrelated to my physical condition, but related to what I wrote about yesterday, is Trump’s hollow promise of delivering $5000 to every adult if, and only if, Republicans hold onto both the Senate and the House in November. That’s assuming Trump doesn’t do something crazy, like declaring martial law, to prevent the elections from being held.

Let’s pretend this sad attempt at buying votes is actually real. Trump is determined to get hold of state voter registration lists. He would use them so that only registered voters would be eligible for the cash reward. Second, he would deny payment to everyone except Republicans. Third, we suffered a serious inflation spike from Biden’s stimulus payout, so a similar program would likely have the same effect. Finally, isn’t Trump supposed to be worried about Socialism and government hand-outs?