Update on the knee and DMSO

I have been under the weather these past two weeks. My annual Fall and winter respiratory difficulties are worse than usual this year and the constant coughing, sneezing and nose blowing have left me exhausted most of that time. Not only am I behind in my updates with the DMSO treatment of my knee, but also in the treatments. I did not take notes, but I will give an update as best I recall.

A bottle of 99.9% DMSO showed up unexpectedly a while ago so I switched to it. Improvement slowed which I attributed to there being less progress to make as the pain has almost completely subsided and mobility almost completely restored. After a hot bath I was completely pain free and the knee back to 100% flexibility for the first time since the injury, 3 months previous. That was two Sundays ago, a day I slept all day due to many nights up all night coughing. I treated my knee only once that day, after the bath. I awoke the next day with my knee in pain. I had noticed a strange trend where I awoke in the mornings with the knee hurting until I bend it as I get out of bed. The pain then just evaporates, I go down the stairs with minimal soreness despite the considerable pain I felt just moments before. While this seemed to happening for some time, I was not sure that it was not a function of waking up and the first conscious sensation was pain in my knee making it seem greater than it really was. Now I had proof. I went back to bed Sunday night pain free, so the pain I felt Monday morning was more than that I had as I fell asleep the night before. This phenomenon continues. Tuesday that week another milestone was passed, I went shopping at the supermarket without the cane. Left it at home. Yes, I drove there, but was confident enough that I would not need it in the store, I didn’t even bring it. That night, the coughing hit bad. I got up at 6 am to go into the med school but the nonstop hacking compelled me to email that I was taking the day off. Returned to bed and slept straight through until 5pm when I arose for a restroom trip and a glass of water and back to bed. No DMSO was administered at all that day. Since then has been up and down with my condition. Tuesday this week I laid down for a two hour nap expecting to get up with my alarm at noon. Slept through until 5 pm again. I did not go back to bed again until very late that night though.

My head and chest cold is wreaking havoc on my ability to sleep which messes everything else up. My regimen of twice daily applications of DMSO has been completely broken these past two weeks. Some days only once, others not at all. Actually, several days passed without any at all. The good news, pain and immobility have not returned. Progress stalled but not pushed back. It also allowed the increasing skin irritation to clear up.

Was on campus most of Wednesday this week and did not use my cane there. No longer necessary for just walking. I am still taking escalators and elevators and really need to sit on moving trains and buses, sadly, I cannot also do so, but the cane is no longer required for walking.

Also on Wednesday day, another care package from a subscriber arrived, 70% DMSO with 30% aloe vera. This is a gel and allows for easier use and less waste. The first application was late afternoon the same day when I inadvertently applied way too much. Both legs got treated in their entirety! Great improvement again with flexibility.

Once I finally beat back this cough, I will hopefully be able to have the Chinese magician, the Chinese massage therapist I mention earlier, see what he can do. I still suspect surgery will eventually be necessary, but still hopeful it may not.