Illness, Injury and Medical Advice from the Internet

Anybody any knowledge of knees?
The last couple of weeks have seen me plagued with an issue in one or other knee. Thankfully not both at the same time, yet. After sitting for a while the first few steps involve a feeling like my knee is going to hyperextend. I can feel it crackling and popping like lemonade behind my kneecap, is the best description I can give. This feeling continues for about 200 metres or so then subsides. Sometimes there is pain but not always. I have been riding my bike quite a bit more but I would have thought that would be a good thing.
Am I about to die or just from the knees down.

Hi, if anyone need explanations or advices for CPAP (Constant Positive Air Pressure), NIV (Non Invasive Ventilation) or Oxygen use, in case of sleep apnea or others breath disorders.
For you or your family/friends.
Don't hesitate, it's my job.

^I forgot to mention I was wearing gel heal inserts for my plantar fasciitis which had flared up. Removing them returned my knees to normal.

Anyone here ever had Lymes ?

Have been struggling with undiagnosed illness for almost 6 months now and think I most likely contracted it cycling the North 500. After much arguing with a doctor who cited 'no clinical proof of need' (how do you get proof without doing the tests?) I eventually had NHS testing after 5months of feeling totally shit, but one, they only test for 2 strains and two, they aren't sensitive enough so return a lot of false negatives; so far i've been told it is 'post viral syndrome ', 'sinus infection ' and just good old stress, neither diagnosis backed up by any kind of clinical test. I got so frustrated that I did research online and sourced the appropriate antibiotics to treat Lymes and felt much improved, but symptoms came back within days of finishing them.
Seeing another specialist tomorrow but not holding my breath and last resort will be paying for private tests at a Lymes clinic in Germany which is expensive :(
My first time dealing with any long term illness like this and aside from physically feeling shit every day and not being able to do the things you love it's really disheartening going to see doctors and coming away feeling you're better off consulting tea leaves...

Got an effing cold. Bunged up nose. My gf had this for a month as did many people I have spoken to recently.

Apart from htfu and lots of liquids any other suggestions to beat this?

I pulled my hamstring playing squash a few weeks ago (entirely unsurprising, I haven't played for about 6 years and didn't warm up).

It's still giving me a bit of pain, walking/cycling is fine but sprinting/jumping (and bending over to tie my shoelaces) I can definitely still feel it. Any suggestions to speed recovery?

Stretch stretch stretch. Go easy on it though.

Where are you up to with this? A friend had Lymes that went undiagnosed for over a decade and it got a bit bad. Ended up going to Germany for some expensive treatment.

Any ACL and Meniscus injury survivors on here?

Anti-inflammatories and time. Don't run before you can walk, no really don't. Cyclists have a propensity towards tight hamstrings so you need to (gently) stretch more than you probably were/are, probably....

I had ACL reconstruction and medial collateral tear cleared up in 2008. It's stood the test of time including having a new asshole torn in the knee by a Jamaica road pot hole etc.

Good to know, thanks mate.

I did mine skiing in January. I've been doing intensive physio to get ready for surgery and was really doing well but then exacerbated my meniscus damage whilst getting out of bed last week. Another six weeks of physio and waiting for inflamation to go down before I'm reassessed.

I think I'm quite lucky because my knee is pretty stable and not much pain so I can take the dog for a walk etc no problem. Just getting serious cabin fever (and fat) from lack of sport.

I feel a bit of a fraud really. There isn't much pain and I can get around ok. It just feels totally wrong

Cheers, stretching was, erm, minimal previously. Will look up some hamstring stretches.

I had a stage two tear of my medial ligament plus meniscus damage- arthroscopy to snip out the damaged meniscus that was locking the joint and then crutches for a while.

How long did your meniscectomy recovery take if you don't mind me asking?

I had MCL and PCL both go at once - ended up having an operation on the MCL one summer, rehabbing from that, then having the PCL fixed the next summer and rehabbing from that.

Mostly things seem to be fine, a couple of years on - the knee sometimes gives me twinges but nothing major. But I'll never ski and I've not really gotten back into running (which, to be fair, I only ever really did grudgingly) - I try to do some treadmill work but running on pavement I still don't feel great about.

Thirty years ago this evening I dashed to Barts A&E (they had one then) and within two hours of my arrival was being operated on for a twisted testicle.

Memories.

Dear God. The very mention of that makes me cringe. I hear it is one of the most painful things a man can experience!

Thanks for the knee ligament stories peeps. Nice to hear some good recovery stories.

thanks for asking... eh-honest answer is I don't know. I gave the NHS a good chance but went to see an Infectious Diseases consultant before Christmas who spent 2 minutes of a 1 hr appointment actually asking me questions and poking me, and 58 minutes obliquely trying to introduce the idea it was stress or ME, despite my partner also having the same symptoms contracted at the same time, exposed to the same bites...

That did it for me so I researched and self-sourced the appropriate antibiotics for Bartonella and Lyme, took these for two months and just finished them a couple of weeks ago. Currently feeling much much better and have had my first cold since this began which is actually a good sign that my immune system is up and running again, but it's a bit like when you fall off your bike and spring up in shock as you're not really sure if you're actually ok or if it's just that false "yay it's fine!" moment before it all kicks in.

Fingers crossed anyway-some people advise taking meds for 2 months longer than officially recommended but I was getting so sick of being sick if that makes any sense that I don't think I could have faced it.

Fuck having that undiagnosed for a decade though-truly utterly a shit disease to have as the psychological effects are akin to feeling concussed all the time and all your joints feel swollen and arthritic. Is your friend fully better now?

Dear God. The very mention of that makes me cringe. I hear it is one of the most painful things a man can experience!

The greater pain follows the operation as, once they have untwisted the testicle they then sew it to the side of the scrotum to ensure that it doesn't twist again (and do the other one for good measure). That is when the pain moves to another level; once the anaesthetic wears off.

just nope

I haven't twisted anything but a vasectomy is good too especially when the cat decides to jump on your lap with no warning.

Good to hear you're feeling better. Sounds like it worked out taking it in to your own hands. That's not the first time I've heard doctors almost refusing to diagnose it – guy on a podcast I listen to was told he "probably had HIV" before they managed to finally diagnose Lyme and after a law suit.
The psychological effects sound really unpleasant...

AFAIK, my friend has already had the treatment; she ended up crowdfunding it to go to Germany as no progress was being made in the home-country but I haven't really heard anything...

Yeah it seems to be a strange political football atm-hopefully that changes as climate change will make it far more prevaleny and I suspect it will end up being given the same status Malaria. I'm definitely going to be far more careful about being outdoors and would recommend anyone sourcing Doxycycline and taking it for at least a week following a bite regardless of whether there is a rash or not, if not just taking it for the duration of the trip as a precaution. The alternative is months of kafkaesque NHS bullshit as you get sicker and sicker :( can't wait to get back on the bike anyway-it's been shit not being able to do that as much as other things like drinking and socialising.