I was about 14 when my knee first dislocated and it was so quick I didn't know anything had happened until I was on the floor and coming out of a daze, being 14 I carried on playing with my friends and then when it was time to go home my friends had to act as a pair of crutches for me to get home on bless them, a trip to the hospital was called (my knee had completely swelled up) and was told that I had dislocated my knee and possibly done some ligament damage but my knee cap had replaced itself pretty much immediately so all they needed to do was check the fluid around my knee (with what seemed THE biggest needle ever), send me to the plaster room and plaster me from hip to ankle for about 6 weeks - what fun that was. At the end of the 6 weeks we had the now very loose cast removed but it coincided with a move up North so no aftercare never really happened as in physio. About 12 months later I started to have problems again with my knee but this time it was due to pain and locking of my knee - the only way I could unlock my knee was push it so many times in a certain way and my lower leg would drop and I could use it again, so again back to hospital for an x-ray and it showed that I had a loose piece of cartlige floating around the knee area which had turned hard and was causing this new problem - so an op was needed and keyhole removed the now foreign body, bandage and back to crutches for awhile.
This in my mind was the end of everything or so I thought - during the next 20 (cough) years my knee would move alot and I would compensate for this by moving quickly as I could tell it was moving and ready to 'pop' again, had pain alot in my knee but just put this down to the fact that it was now damaged and something I needed to learn to live with you.
Jump forward to two years ago...
I was getting ready for work one morning, grabbed a pile of washing and bang ! the next thing I know I can feel my leg going all out of shape feeling lots of pain and my body twisting out of control, I remember screaming out in pain ''aahhh you have gone again''' this time though it never went back into place and I was on my own with two kids in bed, fortunately it happened in between the tv cabinet and a chair so I had some kind of support, I wiggled to the chair but couldn't turn round and I still felt all twisted and the pain from my knee not going into place was increasing, I shouted for my daughter bless her and she knocked at our neighbours, but it was still early and they never heard her knocking, fortunately it was a Monday and my mum was not in work so I rang her for help and she was on her way, as my youngest who was about to turn two had also woken up and my daughter was now a little scared by what was happening. I had now managed to sit on the chair but the inside of my knee was in agony as it was taking the full strain of my knee cap being on the other side and pulling everything out of place - the sensation of touching your knee and it not being there is very hard to describe all jelly like and very surreal. I was now starting to sweat alot and felt sick and knew I was going to pass out - my partner was now on his way home also as I rang him in panic. Mum was here now and looking after the kids and settling Grace for me, did not help that my two year old was completely wide awake and trying to jump all over me. I couldn't lift myself or move and the sweating was getting more severe so I finally had to give into my mum telling me to ring for an ambulance but before this I rang a 24hour helpline why I don't know, it just didn't feel right to ring for an ambulance as it wasn't life or death, but the lady on the other end was lovely and said I needed one as she thought I was going into shock and could not move myself even to get into a car when my partner arrived so she rang for the ambulance and told me to relax. So my partner gets home and was kind of lost I was trying to make people laugh by saying hey feel this but it didn't work and next thing the amublance is here - the paramedics were really nice and agreed that they needed to be called and not to worry, they managed to lift up my bottoms and saw that my knee cap was still out of place and they calmly explained that they need to put it into place before they can move me into the ambulance - this sent me into a panic as the pain was so intense and my leg felt so heavy and trapped, they gave me some gas and air to suck on to help with the pain, and placed big bumpers around my knee and then I realised the bumpers were a brace, they lifted my leg and with me puffing on the gas and air, the screaming and tears started and they kept on lifting and finally my knee cap went agonisingly back into place with a final grind as it settled this resulted in an almighty scream from me, and then the relief sank in immediately the pain lessened on the inside as it was no longer being pulled out of place. So off to hospital and the parademics told me on the way about a footballer who's knee had also come out but he screamed none stop and I was so much more calmer and a better patient than him, bless they will say anything to keep you happy. X-ray confirmed that my knee was back in place, and a brace was placed, crutches given and sent home shortly after with an appointment to see the fracture clinic. Phew what a morning !!!!
