Hi de hi peeps. Now that Phill is on the mend, back to me 
Last year, as I was getting off at Gare d’Agde after our trip to South Africa, I missed the last step of the train and the bag I had in my hand pulled me down and I when splat onto the platform, using my right knee as a cushion. It was a bit sore and a couple of uses of a bag of frozen peas and rest it came right.
This year as we traversed the hills of Cape Town it began to ache and then become sore. I whipped out the support brace and walking become bearable and Uber was used a lot.
I recently had a scan of the area and the conclusion is:
“Lésion méniscale instable et complexe du tiers moyen du ménisque interne avec fragment méniscal plongeant dans le récessus tibial inférieur et remontant dans le récessus condylien supérieur, responsable d’un effet de masse sur le LLI, d’une périméniscite focale et d’un conflit ostéoméniscal chronique.
Chondropathie fémorotibiale externe de grade III.
Chondropathie rétropatellaire focale de grade III”
I am booked in to see a Chirurgien orthopédiste et traumatologue on 29 May for an initial consultation. From what I have read online it will require keyhole surgery and a bit of time on crutches whilst it heals (along with another bag of frozen peas).
Have any of you good people had an experience of this sort here and could provide me with common sense information regarding the matter?
Oh, and a bit of good news. On Monday we were offered the large T4 apartment we looked at last week, so we are now just awaiting the rental agreement to have a look at. Anyone know how long this process takes? We started the process of looking for an apartment on 6 March this year, so not too bad a period to finally see and get offered a rental agreement 
Cheers – S&P
Hi
Sorry to hear about your knee.
Re the rental, now that you’re at the agreement stage it shouldn’t take long at all. Are you hoping to move in beginning of June?
I’m quite interested in the process because, suddenly, we might be selling our flat. A neighbour approached me yesterday morning as I was going to work and by 3 pm I’d had an estate agent round who gave me a realistic estimate.
It’s many years since we rented so, if this goes through, it’ll be quite exciting looking for a rental. Are you in the Montpellier area? Do you mind if I ask roughly what you’re paying down there to rent a large flat? We have vaguely discussed the possibility of moving south. But I’m not sure I’d want to leave all my friends here. Have you found it easy to get to know people where you are?
Rents here in Strasbourg seem pretty high but we’re quite keen to move slightly out of the centre to where parking is easier.
Sorry to hear about your knee!
My mother (who is 100) hurt her knee a year or so ago (it just gave way, no trauma like yours) and the doctor diagnosed a damaged ligament - the treatment was essentially just waiting for it to heal naturally, which it did in about 4 months.
In December last year she was at the dentist and they staff rushed her a bit when she was getting down from the dentist’s chair, and damaged it again. This time she just wore an elastic knee support, but it has been slower to heal, so eventually I took her to see a physio and the latter felt that the tubular elastic support that covers the kneecap (which is what she had) was not helping as it puts pressure on the kneecap.
So we swapped it for one that just wraps around and is secured with Velcro, leaving the kneecap exposed, and that has been much better.
I think her injury is undoubtedly more minor than yours, but her experience with knee supports may help I hope.
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Our neighbour a professional football player had the same issue and had keyhole surgery, it went well and on a crutch for a while but healed well, obviously that is also an age and general health sort of thing.
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In terms of rentals, all I can add is that when we were landlords we pushed agents to move quickly to have less than a month gap between tenants.
For the knee I had a knee arthroscopy many years back, which was done via keyhole surgery. Sounds as if your damage was worse than mine, but similar stuff. Surgeon showed me photos of the beautifully debrided cartilage afterwards, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a teeny signature on it. Minimally painful, back on my feet same day and home the following day.
Pretty immediate pain relief as well. However a negative appeared last year in the I now have chondrocalcinose in that knee (pseudogout in english) which my specialist said was a fairly common sequel to arthroscopic surgery. However, even had I known this I would still have had the surgery.
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I came of my bicycle at max speed, standing on the pedals, going down a steep hill. The Sturmey Archer had slipped into Neutral and over I went.
My rt knee hit the ground first, followed by my hands.
After my ma [theatre sister/A & E of various mili hospitals] had cleaned me up, the assessment was that I had displaced the inner/lower meniscus.
In those days [1966] it was not keyhole but a 60mm slice. But it worked and after rehab I was back playing rugby, landing on that leg as a fast bowler, then misusing it doing/carrying manly things for decades.
Now, age 77 it grumbles mightily. My UK GP’s assessment of X-rays was ‘moderately severe osteo-arthritis’ What’s 'moderately severe’ anything?
Next step [sic] would be a new knee, I spose. There’s quite a few on SF who have had excellent results from this.