The final straw, but let's try SynVisc anyway

Knee-minus-18 months: March 2003:
I was on a sales call in wintry Minneapolis, and was rushing to get to the rental car following my last appointment of the trip, on the way to the airport. I slipped on a very icy street, fell down, and whacked my right knee on the curb. Regardless, I drove to airport, got on the plane, and then drove home from the airport (a 2-plus hour drive). This time, the pain and swelling continued for many weeks. Finally, I asked my family physician for a referral.

This began a series of visits to my orthopedic surgeon. “95% of people with knee like yours would not be walking.” We tried SynVisc (hyaluronic acid) injections, but these were completely ineffective for me. At that point (spring 2004), we decided to plan for a TKR in the fall of 2004. I had a fairly extensive work and vacation travel schedule planned or 2004 that could not easily be changed. The short-term solution was to get a shot of cortisone (DepoMedrol) the week before each extended trip. The long-term solution was to schedule the TKR.