The Old Folks Home

[EmmaDonovan]

I just got shots in both knees. Have been doing the right knee for a couple of years. Now my left knee. Considering the PRP treatment. Spendy though because insurance won't cover any of it. You can guess why. Because it works, and mostly because it isn't owned by any major company. Because its ..our..blood, healing ourselves.

I had PRP done in my left knee about ten years ago. It was't very well known then and I had to go back home (southern California) to a specialized clinic get it done. You're right: insurance doesn't pay for it and it works.

Hurt like @#$^! though. Holy moly did it hurt. Worse than broken bones. I thought I was going to spend one night in a hotel then drive home. Nope. I was stuck in that hotel for almost a week. I was not prepared for that. I had to scoot around the room in the desk chair since I couldn't walk. I couldn't drive, either, so I had to have food delivered. I finally called a friend in Arizona to fly out and drive me back home.

Shout out to the Best Western in Valencia, they were very nice about all of it, extending my stay and moving me into an accessible room with a walk-in shower, finding me a rolling desk chair since the one in my room didn't have wheels, and helping me find local places that delivered food, there weren't many food delivery services back then. Shout out to Tom for flying out on short notice and driving me back to Arizona, too.

Anyway, it worked. I would do it again, I'd just know to prepare in advance for the pain.

 

[Sally PB]

What is the PRP treatment? I've never heard of it before.

 

[pertnear09]

What is the PRP treatment? I've never heard of it before.

Sounds like it's pretty raging painful.

 

[Sally PB]

Yes, it does! But if it fixed a problem, I'd consider it, having been forewarned.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

What is the PRP treatment? I've never heard of it before.

They take some of your blood, spin it to separate the platelets and concentrate them in the plasma, then re-inject it into the injury site. For me it was arthritis, not an injury, but the process is the same. It jump-starts the healing process by triggering short-term inflammation and cell division and cellular turnover, and stimulating collagen production. It repairs damaged cartilage, tendons, ligaments and muscle.

No drugs, no surgeries, no foreign material. Just your body doing its own natural healing.

 

[microchick]

That was my only complaint about my shoulder surgery. The pain control was a bite. They sent me home with hydrocodone post surgically and I timed it. I got 40 minutes worth of relief. My first post op check up the surgeon asked me if I had any issues and I said yes, pain control what you gave me didn't work. He just looked apologetic and said it never does.

Gee thanks for the warning doc.

 

[Cynthia12]

I had PRP done in my left knee about ten years ago. It was't very well known then and I had to go back home (southern California) to a specialized clinic get it done. You're right: insurance doesn't pay for it and it works.

Hurt like @#$^! though. Holy moly did it hurt. Worse than broken bones. I thought I was going to spend one night in a hotel then drive home. Nope. I was stuck in that hotel for almost a week. I was not prepared for that. I had to scoot around the room in the desk chair since I couldn't walk. I couldn't drive, either, so I had to have food delivered. I finally called a friend in Arizona to fly out and drive me back home.

Shout out to the Best Western in Valencia, they were very nice about all of it, extending my stay and moving me into an accessible room with a walk-in shower, finding me a rolling desk chair since the one in my room didn't have wheels, and helping me find local places that delivered food, there weren't many food delivery services back then. Shout out to Tom for flying out on short notice and driving us back to Arizona, too.

Anyway, it worked. I would do it again, I'd just know to prepare in advance for the pain.

Had to read up on that. Says can be more painful if local anesthetic aren't used..or if injected into joint areas.
Also...The location of the injury (e.g., joints vs. soft tissue), the severity of the inflammation, and the practitioner's technique can affect the pain level.
I barely feel this man's shots. Had the shoulders and neck done the other day. Bigger needles, and into muscle. A bit more painful. The very first time I had a knee injection was years ago when you had to have it done in the hospital. That man hit my bone! Dud i hit the ceiling? Almost! He says, oh, sorry.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Had to read up on that. Says can be more painful if local anesthetic aren't used..or if injected into joint areas.
Also...The location of the injury (e.g., joints vs. soft tissue), the severity of the inflammation, and the practitioner's technique can affect the pain level.
I barely feel this man's shots. Had the shoulders and neck done the other day. Bigger needles, and into muscle. A bit more painful. The very first time I had a knee injection was years ago when you had to have it done in the hospital. That man hit my bone! Dud i hit the ceiling? Almost! He says, oh, sorry.

Yeah, maybe it was worse because this was in a joint. I had the local anesthetic. I didn't feel a thing during the procedure. She gave me an Rx for oxy-something, probably oxycodone.

I didn't think I was going to need it and I dislike pain meds but just in case, I drove to the pharmacy just a few blocks from her office after the injection. I was completely fine. Dropped it off at the pharmacy and walked around the store, I think it was a Target. I was in the back by the furniture when the pain started to hit. I sat down on a chair and wondered how the heck I was going to make it back to the front of the store where the pharmacy was. I found an empty cart and used that to get me back to the pharmacy. I took the pill before I even left the store.

I leaned on the cart to get me back to my car and I sat there and called the office to find out if it was supposed to hurt this bad or if something had gone wrong. She could tell by my voice that I was in a bad way and asked if I could make it back to the office. I don't know how I drove myself back there or to the hotel. The doctor checked everything out and said it looked fine and in some patients it seems to hurt more than others.

All the research I had done ahead of time said there was going to be very little pain so I had not expected that. I had even packed camping gear and had planned to camp for a night or two on my way home!

Despite all this I still recommend it, and as I said I'll get it done again if need be. That knee has been fine ever since. That temporary pain bought me years of functionality, without having surgery.

 

[Cynthia12]

Yeah, maybe it was worse because this was in a joint. I had the local anesthetic. I didn't feel a thing during the procedure. She gave me an Rx for oxy-something, probably oxycodone.

I didn't think I was going to need it and I dislike pain meds but just in case, I drove to the pharmacy just a few blocks from her office after the injection. I was completely fine. Dropped it off at the pharmacy and walked around the store, I think it was a Target. I was in the back by the furniture when the pain started to hit. I sat down on a chair and wondered how the heck I was going to make it back to the front of the store where the pharmacy was. I found an empty cart and used that to get me back to the pharmacy. I took the pill before I even left the store.

I leaned on the cart to get me back to my car and I sat there and called the office to find out if it was supposed to hurt this bad or if something had gone wrong. She could tell by my voice that I was in a bad way and asked if I could make it back to the office. I don't know how I drove myself back there or to the hotel. The doctor checked everything out and said it looked fine and in some patients it seems to hurt more than others.

All the research I had done ahead of time said there was going to be very little pain so I had not expected that. I had even packed camping gear and had planned to camp for a night or two on my way home!

Despite all this I still recommend it, and as I said I'll get it done again if need be. That knee has been fine ever since. That temporary pain bought me years of functionality, without having surgery.

How was your knee at the time? Torn meniscus..or bone on bone? I just have the torn stuff right now.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

How was your knee at the time? Torn meniscus..or bone on bone? I just have the torn stuff right now.

Some cartilage loss, enough to make me limp a little. There was still a fair amount of cartilage there and a good space between the bones for it to fill in. From what they've told me if you're down to bone-on-bone then PRP won't help. It would definitely help a torn meniscus - I'd get it done for that in a heartbeat!

Btw, all those older celebs and athletes you see who seem to move so well despite advanced age? Yep: PRP. They've been getting it done in many of their joints for decades. They're probably on a big cocktail of drugs, too, but they've been doing PRP for years so their joints stay healthy and don't deteriorate. Must be nice, eh?