Frost Nip

Yesterday was my birthday, but it was Wednesday so I also had to go to PT. There are just some things you shouldn't have to do on your birthday!

I was still sore after PT on Monday, and doing too much walking while shopping on Tuesday. They pushed me hard, but not quite as hard as Monday. Everything was normal until I got hooked up for e-stim. I could tell the ice was a little too cold, but it soon numbed my knee and I was happy about that. When I stood up my knee was still numb and really frozen. I looked at it and saw why - it was REALLY frozen. There was ice actually stuck to my knee. I was freaking out. Duffy looked at it and tried to melt the ice off with his hands, but it wouldn't really come off. Dave and Duffy seemed unconcerned about it, so I left and assumed it would warm up later. But it had really freaked me out.

Later when I looked at my knee again, the ice had melted off and a big red mark was now in its place. As the night went on, my knee was redder and hurt more. I couldn't bend it because my skin hurt so bad when I tried. Even once I went to bed, if I moved and tried to bend my knee in my sleep I woke up because it hurt so bad.

This morning it is slightly better, but there is still a large red welt on my knee and a few other smaller red areas. I put in a call to Dave because after many, many PT treatments like this, I have NEVER had this problem before. Duffy called me back and asked me a bunch of questions about the red mark on my knee. He determined that I most likely have "frost nip," which is like frost bite lite. Basically they think that the skin is damaged, but the tissue underneath is not. So it's good news and bad news I guess. He said it should continue to get better. In the meantime, I can take Tylenol for the pain (except I can't take acetaminophen) and I should NOT ice my knee.

All I can say is... really? REALLY??

"Frost nip??" Ain't nobody got time for that!