Return of the knee

It's back.

Bugger.

Swollen, painful and not happy. The knee returns.

After much discussion with Ridiculous Man I decided to go back to the same doctor: he speaks English, he is 5 minutes from home, his clinic has a car park. He'll break down the costs and tell me if he thinks expensive treatments are really necessary.

So. Back to the clinic.
He says the gap between my knee bones is slightly smaller in one area (naturally), so maybe that is why the pain feels bad. And the bone is not so strong (it's a different color on the Xrays from a year ago).
I got Xrays, electric pads on the knee and a painful knee injection of some kind of acid which acts as an oil. I'll have 4 more injections over the next month.

I am so so disappointed. A lot of tears yesterday. The young, sweet male nurse in the rehabilitation room just opened the floodgates with his sweetness. He's probably 25 years old. I was the blubbing, middle aged woman behind curtain 5.

ONE YEAR later and this is still so bad?
I really tried in Tokyo. I took taxies. I limited my walking. But still too much.
I knew I wasn't going to climb mountains this summer, but recently it was so much better and I could walk around the shops downtown, walk upstairs almost equally on both legs etc. I hoped I'd be walking in the park to see cherry blossom. I hoped to ski next season....

Now. I don't know. I hate this. 2 years ago I could run 5 km marathons. I could climb volcanoes. I could ski like a mad thing.

I'll try the injections. We are also going to order up some of the miracle stuff they advertise on TV Shopping that helps old ladies run up and downstairs. Any other ideas?

So. Had a quiet day.
Ridiculous Man was being Supportive Man. He fed Okaasan and then he and I drove to a good hamburger cafe near Hokkaido University and had couple time over greasy fries.Then home to TV (Adam Lambert on American Idol as a mentor!!! he reminds us how dull this season's entries are)....and then I cooked dinner. At the airport bookshop I bought a great Japanese food cook book to give me some ideas. So I tried Lotus Root Fish Paste Sandwiches....Yujiro and I thought they worked. A bit fiddly, but good.
Okaasan came home at 7.45 pm just as we finished dinner. I left her and son in the kitchen. I could hear her complaining a bit about about the Lotus Root....something.

I don't care. She lives here. She has to eat what she is given my the 'Orrrible Oyomesan.