After seeing the sports medical doctor, I learned to accept that my swollen knee wasn’t due to a sports injury, but rather an ailment. Changing from the orthopedist (mechanical) to a rheumatologist (inflammatory) should be regarded as logical therefore. Suffering twelve weeks of this kind of swelling (and only a swift pain attack) simply can’t be blamed on excessive sports stress or trauma.
No, the diagnosis probably goes in the direction of my GP’s first hunch back in May: gout or pseudo-gout (chondrocalcinosis). Gout is an ailment in the rheumatic line, caused by christalized acids heaping up in the knee after errors in the body’s metabolism. After reading about the gout causes, I understand why the doctor is studying the ‘pseudo-gout’ option. This ailment looks similar to gout, but this time the chrystals are formed by calcium and not acids. And the circumstances are different.
Some 90ml of excessive (yellow) fluids were extracted from my knee last week and are now being examined, along with new bloodtests and X-rays. A new medication makes me feel lots better and should reduce the inflammation cause. In total, it feels like getting more serious attention, but with a less clear outlook.
A cure for pseudo-gout isn’t around the corner unfortunately. But it can disappear as sudden as it started. Your body has to recover by itself and wash out the calcium chrystals. In two weeks I will know what my physical future holds in terms of sports and exercise. Maybe the current medicins will do the trick and will allow me to start training again.
Rodric Leerling - Sales Power Provider 