One day at a time

I went to the doc today and he took a look at my knee. He said things were looking good, and that I can start doing the stationary bike, pool running, and the elliptical, but to start slow. I won't be able to bike outside for at least another two weeks, and probably three weeks before I run, but hey, it's a start. I start physical therapy on Tuesday morning, which I'm excited about, since it means I'll be up and moving again. I still can't quite fully straighten or bend my knee, but I think it's just because of the swelling. I'm trying to remain optimistic; luckily, I have a husband who always is and keeps me on track. I'm worried a bit about starting dance rehearsals for Grease next week, but I don't start until Wednesday, a full two weeks after surgery, and I only have a couple of rehearsals learning songs before our first dance through, which will be three weeks after surgery. We'll see how I feel after the weekend, but if my progress continues at the same speed, I should be able to at least walk into my first blocking rehearsal on Monday limp-free. Cross your fingers.

Recovery

The surgery went...okay. As well as surgery can go, I suppose. Once I managed to stop throwing up everything, it wasn't so bad. I haven't had much pain in my knee, and I've had plenty of meds to alleviate any pain that creeps up. I was on crutches for Wednesday and Thursday and part of the day on Friday. Now I've progressed to a faster hobble, but it still takes me a lot longer to get places. It hasn't even been a week yet, but I just can't help but be impatient and anxious to get moving again. I need to be at least walking without a limp within the week! I can bend my knee over 90 degrees now, and I'm very close to straightening it. I got on the stationary bike last night on the lowest setting and slowly pedaled to get the joint moving, which really helped. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress.

Going under the knife in 21 hours

At 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, I will be going into surgery for the first time in my life. So, it can be understood that I am getting a little nervous. My husband is very reassuring, though, which takes away a lot of the fears I have running through my brain.

My knee is pretty sore today, probably because I was climbing all over our rock wall in the garage last night. Hey, can you blame me? It'll be at least a couple of weeks before I'm able to do it again, and I hate to try it out.

In other news, David and Ashley successfully completed their 20 mile run. Only a few weeks left until the marathon. Hopefully I'll be able to run at least one more run with them before the big day, when I'll be biking back and forth between spectating spots. But hey, I'll be happy as long as I'm in dancing shape within two weeks.

Wish me luck for tomorrow, a speedy recovery following surgery and an easy return to running.

The "S" word

That's right: Surgery.

I met with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday afternoon. He poked and prodded and bent and twisted my knee. Then, he viewed the MRI. He said that my physical exam does NOT match up with my MRI. I'm feeling very little pain, except when I'm running. According to the MRI, I should hardly be able to walk, much less do squats, but I can do both pain-free. The MRI shows a nice, bright white line right through the medial meniscus of my left knee. The options Dr. Hazel gave me: surgery or surgery. So, I picked surgery, the sooner the better. And soon it is! I will be having the first surgery of my life on Wednesday of next week. As you can see in the diagram on the right, he will be removing the bucket.

I'm a little nervous about it, but not much. He will be removing the damaged part of the meniscus instead of repairing it, which means the recovery time will be relatively short. I should be on crutches for two days, then hopefully biking in 1-2 weeks and running in 4-6 weeks. I'm hoping that I am a quick healer, because dance rehearsals for Grease begin exactly two weeks after my surgery. The marathon is of course out of the question, but hopefully I'll be in good enough shape to travel to different check points along the route so I can hold signs and scream my lungs out for David and Ashley.

My poor meniscus...

According to the MRI and my doc, I have a torn meniscus in my left knee. Torn meniscus=no marathon for me. I meet with an orthopedic surgeon some time next week to discuss what I should do to get running again. He's an LSU med grad with sports medicine experience, and the office he's in comes highly recommended by one of David's coworkers, so I'm sure he'll do a great job. Until then, Dr. Rodriguez told me not to run or do any weight-bearing exercises, which means it had better warm up soon so I can get in that pool. Is bouldering considered weight-bearing? Hmmm... He also prescribed me a brace, which I think is actually hurting my knee more than it is helping, so I'm not sure how much I'll actually wear it. I will if the doc next week tells me to, because I want to get out of this dark, run-less time as soon as possible. I just hope I don't have to opt for surgery--and if I do, that I can put it off and still successfully do lots of things other than run.

On a lighter note, I did have a pretty good bike ride yesterday. And David and Ashley seem to be progressing reasonably well toward their marathon goal, so I will be there on the sidelines, cheering them across the finish line.

Out for the count

I tried running on my knee again Sunday while Ashley and David were out for their 12-miler, just to make sure it was still hurt.

Yep, it's still hurt.

I made it a mile before I had any real pain. I took a short walk at the mile, then tried to pick it back up again. I only managed to make it the quarter mile back to my house, where I limped woefully to the back yard to do some other exercises that are not such a "pain-in-the-knee." Sit-ups? No problem. Push-ups? Bring 'em on. Burpees, jump ropes, pull-ups (or attempts at pull-ups?) Not even a twinge of pain. Yet the second I begin a running stride, I begin to feel my knee tighten. Of all the injuries I could get, it just had to be one that is only affected by the form of exercise I enjoy most.

So, it seems as though I will most likely be sitting this one out and cheering on David and Ashley from the sidelines. That is, assuming the two of them overcome their personal injuries.

Of course, something miraculous could happen at the doctor's office tomorrow when he reads my MRI. Then I can run the 20 this weekend and be set for 26.2 come April 6.

Cross your fingers, say a prayer, do some voo-doo. Mama needs a new knee.