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Dr. Lukac:

It's been 7 weeks now since the second treatment. It was far better tolerated than the first one. I had almost no post-reactive inflammation following injection... Just 4 or 5 days with very mild increase which promptly disappeared.

The medial side which was the worse zone (the medial meniscus) continues to be 100% fine since the first treatment. I am totally convinced that the meniscus tear has closed since it doesn't lock anymore (I used to have lock follows by a pop sound when I rotated the leg in a certain way) and it doesn't do that anymore. After a year of hard pain there typically under weight or certain rotations, seems to be totally healed. I don't feel absolutely anything there anymore since middle of July.

I have recently made hard tests like 4 or 5 hours of walking in the country side in irregular terrain doing landscape photography (carrying some weight), and not a single hint of pain, no post walking inflammation... absolutely nothing in the medial side... Considering that before I had pain in each step, even just going from the bed to the bathroom, and used crutches for a year to unload weight from the medial meniscus due to pain, this can clearly fit into a description of a miracle recovery...

The patella side continues a bit more stubborn. I don't ice it anymore at night, I can put the improvement level at around 90%, but it still fires some small inflammation following certain exercises, but just residual compared to what it used to be, which was really disturbing and now it's just a mild warmth instead of actual burning for hours sensation. The frequency in which it appears is also much less... before was several times a day, now I often go a series of days with nothing, and when it comes is like I said is of low intensity. Nothing that comes close to needing ice...

Thank you,

Luis

Hello Dr. Lukac:

I am 100% fine in terms of pain, inflammation and night burns, don't remember the last time I had pain at all (zero), or any inflammatory reaction.

Patella is also feeling great now, although it tends to get just mildly warm with exercise, but I believe that is because everything is too tight with scar tissue, I spend almost 2 months immobilized so my natural ROM is just 90 to 100% degrees. This puts pressure on the patella. However even in the patella zone the current symptoms are just like 2% of what they used to be (reduced to almost nothing)... just a small warm sensation maybe once a week (before I was using ice at night at least 3 times a week to sleep), those days are gone for now.

Medial meniscus (the biggest source of my pain), has not had any symptom since the first treatment. I haven't felt any pain there since July 2014. 100% symptom free now and no locking.

I still hear a lot of noises coming from the knee... I believe the main effect has been a clear reduction of chronic inflammation and consequent pain disappearance. Not sure about cartilage regrowth (but we also need to consider that my lateral condyle is all bone cement - nothing can grow in that side), I know at some point I will require either a condyle transplant from donor or a metal implant, but the more I can post-pone it the better... in my situation I need to understand that all I can do is buy time...

I also feel the knee far more stable (before I could move the knee back and forth with my hands when sitting), surgeon mentioned the ACL was very lax (even though it was never broken or had any surgery on it)... this laxity has disappeared. I can't slide the knee back and forth anymore like I used to. It's rock solid now.

All together I have been living symptom free for a long time. That has been a major life changer...

I will go to the hospital and request an MRI in July as we spoke.

Thank you for your concern,

Luis