Leg issues?

[Dieselhorses]

I think I would find a different doctor.

Going the orthopedic route.

[TRX]

> cellulitis

That plus swelling often means lymphedema; lymphatic fluid puddles in your lower legs because the lymph nodes aren't doing their job pumping it back up any more.

Untreated, your leg (usually it's just one) will swell until the skin starts to split.

I went to the doctor three years ago when the pain got out of hand, got passed around for several specialist consults, and the last specialist just shook his head and said there was nothing he could do. I pretty much gave up in disgust. What I didn't know until a couple of months ago was that one of them had written that he had explained all about lymphedema to me, so the others, reading his report, didn't bring it up.

The annoying thing was, I didn't start getting copies of consults and test reports until shortly after all that, and never thought to go back and get the older ones. Some of those consults, I'm pretty sure the office just block-copied boilerplate from one file to another; results for tests they never ran, things I never said, etc. Somewhere there's a line between incompetence and malpractice, and they're dancing on it...

Anyway, it turns out that A) nobody knows what causes lymphedema and B) there's nothing much they can do about it. There's only palliative treatment; basically just wrapping the leg in Ace bandages, though there are also "lymphedema pumps" like G-suit pants that force some circulation if it's really bad.

I got sent to what was supposed to be a high-end, highly-rated specialist clinic. They seemed to be set up for dealing with women who have had breast cancer (the radiation treatment knocks out the lymph nodes in their upper bodies) and what I would call "end of life care".

Compression stockings and elastic bandages won't cure lymphedema, but they'll at least keep your leg from leaking fluids from open sores. And that's about as good as it gets with "modern medicine."

[Dieselhorses]

Thanks TRX for the insight/advice! Tomorrow going for MRI on knee and lower leg (waited long enough). Hoping that something will show. Pain is almost unbearable but I guess I’ve gotten used to most of it. Will update soon.


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[Dieselhorses]

Sorry guys..last post-TMI

Basically right knee “disassembled” itself some kind of way, have a couple of tears, cyst and fluid. Have no idea what did this.