Healing the Pain

Since my slight mishap just two weeks ago, I've made amazing strides in my recovery. The final determination from the doctors I have seen is that when I dropped my motorcycle I strained my calf muscle, strained my muscles in my knee, bruised some bones, including my kneecap, and I had a contusion on the inside of my knee. The lump in my knee was about the length of my hand and about 1 1/2 inches thick. I couldn't put any weight at all on my knee for 3 days and was confined to crutches. But sitting on my ass wasn't going to work for me. Katie Scarlet was waiting in the garage for me and the road still called me in my dreams.

Everyday I was determined to get up and push that knee towards recovery. Highway lovingly looked on, ready to help at any moment, as I moaned, grunted and wept as I struggled to stand, move, bend and walk. After trips to the Urgent Care, my regular doctor and an orthopedist, I was becoming discouraged. I had become frustrated with the same information about what was wrong and nothing but a handful of pills, a brace and crutches, and being told to "give it time" to recover. I didn't have time! My bike needs riding and I need to be on her.

My friend Kay suggested I see her husband, Dr. Peter Lathrop at San Diego Pain Treatment. I had spoken with Dr. Lathrop a few times at the networking meetings I attend occasionally in San Diego and I'm ashamed to say I hadn't even thought to call him for this. I made an appointment for Friday, which was just one week after the accident. I hobbled into the office on my crutches with my knees bound up like a Chinese concubine's feet.

Dr. Lathrop used a treatment on my knee, "Microcurrent Electrical Therapy – a low-volt pulsed microamperage stimulation which stimulates the body’s natural processes to relieve pain, reduce spasms and edema, release muscle trigger points, tonify weak muscles and assist the healing process through soft tissue regeneration." It simply felt like a tiny pulse of electricity coming from a device the size of a smartphone, that he rubbed across my knee and calf. The entire visit lasted 15 minutes and was a pleasant experience.

When he finished he asked me to stand up, without the brace and crutches. I shot him a look of disbelief and thought for certain I would be collapsing momentarily. I stood up and to my amazement, I felt no pain. None! Visions of healed parishioners at the Holy Roller Tent Revivals bounced around my brain and I began to laugh. He asked me to bend, stretch and walk, all of which I did, pain free.

I've seen him 5 times now and the pain is gone. Really gone! For a few days the pain would return a few hours later, but it lessened daily. My knee still feels weak, but with some exercise it will be just fine. The huge lump the orthopedist told me was under the skin and would leave a dark bruise on my skin never came to the surface. It's as if the bruise ceased to exist.

Katie Scarlet had some service done while I has doing the same. I just got the call. She's ready to go.

I'm ready too.