My husband is having a lot of knee trouble. He even woke me last night and asked for an ice pack in bed because it was hurting so much. Of course it’s his stronger leg, the one least affected by his PD. Unfortunately, the pain gets in the way of his walking and both his legs are getting weaker as he isn’t using those muscles. It’s also changing his ability to get up and down and he is no longer able to do even one sit to stand. It’s a real concern for his long-term abilities.

He’s worked with his PCP and an orthopedic specialist and no one seems to have an answer that will bring him relief. They’ve tried shots in his back and his knee. He would have temporary relief that probably was because of the lidocaine injection they give prior to the cortisone. He has worked with Physical Therapists for years, again with little or no positive outcomes. My husband is looking for a way to move without pain that doesn’t involve surgery. We are convinced he has some kind of soft tissue damage but no one wants to hear that because they don’t know how to fix it. I am at the place where I am ready to ask his medical team about a referral to a chronic pain specialist. We have to get a handle on this before he loses the use of his legs totally.

There are those in the medical field who remind us kindly that he does have Parkinson’s Disease and that chronic pain often comes alongside that diagnosis, especially in the later stages. That answer doesn’t work because it sounds too much like giving in to the disease, something my husband has never done. We see his new PCP next week and go back to the orthopedic specialist the week after. I am crossing my fingers that one of them might have a clue. Because this time it isn’t just Parkinson’s.