Hi, catra121:

I wanted to explain myself about the "sad" icon connected to the messages in this thread. I guess you put a "cynical" icon in your last response in this thread because you must have been shocked and surprised about my "sad" icon even though I had mentioned that my scraped knee wound seems to be healing. The two reasons to my "sad" icon are the following:

1) From the day of my work injury on February 10 to today, February 27, I assumed the fall that caused my scraped knee wound had been caused by my slipping on a puddle of water or oil in the garage. What if I was completely wrong?! My left knee has a long history of ligament problems, especially with the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). To try to correct these problems with my ACL, I did soo many years of physical therapy, I had two ACL thermal shrinkages, I had one ACL reconstruction, and I had one ACL revision reconstruction. Despite all the physical therapy and surgeries, my left knee's ACL keeps having problems again and again and again. Did the physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons do a bad job or is there just no cure for my ACL problems? Result: I have a very poor balance. For example, when I walk, I have the impression I am going to lose my balance and fall any minute. This thought is quite depressing to me. Why can I not walk normally, without losing my balance?! Am I going to spend the rest of my life falling?! My American doctors ruled out the narcotic painkillers I use and my other medications as being the cause of my loss of balance.

2) Even if I wanted to change the "sad" icon, I do not remember how to do it.

Quote: "Until it is completely healed it will probably hurt for a good while...and we all know wounds like this can flare up our RSD as well."

I wonder if my fall could have caused another injury to my left knee, but this time inside my knee, for example to a bone (fracture, bone bruise, etc.), to a ligament (ligament tear or stretch), to a meniscus (meniscus tear), to the articular cartilage, or to any other structure of my knee. Of course, I will never know it because, like I mentioned it in various messages in various threads, my French doctors absolutely refuse to prescribe any X-rays exams, bone scans, or MRI tests for me because they want to save the public health insurance's money. If I was related to a well known person, it would be different; I would get the needed prescription easily. Rich and well-known people are lucky; others, especially the poor ones, can just get lost. This is just so unfair, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Thanks for your information and kind words.