Knees update

On Friday last, I had my final Synvisc injections in my knees.

This time, the shots didn't hurt quite as much.  That could have been due to the fact that I took a codeine contin before I left home.

The discomfort for the rest of the day wasn't nearly as bad either.  I mean, I was still uncomfortable, and I had to stay off my feet as much as possible.  But this experience was nothing like the previous two had been.

Both knees were much more functional throughout the wait period than they had been with the earlier shots.

And there really was no pain to speak of.  Just a "weird" sensation in the knees -- like they were heavier than usual, if that makes sense.

The Doctor explained that the pain between shots was to be expected.  It was a very large needle that was being injected into the knee and the joint needed time to recover from that attack.  She said that she didn't have arthritis but if a needle that size were injected into her knee, she'd have a lot of pain and would need time to recover.

What she was telling me was that I should expect to spend recovery time just from having had the injection.  And that could take up to two weeks.

She told me that the average response time was six to eight weeks for a patient to really know if relief was had from this treatment -- because it could take that long to recover from having had the injections.

That being said, based on how my knees feel today -- not quite 48 hours after the third injections -- I think it's safe to assume that I'm on the road to a successful treatment.

Why, you ask?

Because my knees feel different today.

More reliable.

Less painful.

I couldn't say that after the first shots.

I couldn't say it after the second shots.

But I can say it with confidence after the third shots.

That bodes well for success, non?