One of the biggest adjustments I'm going to have to make after this surgery is relying on others for a period of time. That's tough for me because I really don't like putting my burden's on others... since everyone has their own to bear. I live by myself so I'm used to cooking for myself and cleaning for myself so as simple as it seems, I have a hard time asking for a hand.
I'm setting this up because yesterday I was doing some cleaning around the apartment and one of things I wanted to do was bring some stuff up into the storage place my apartment has in the attic. One of the things was my golf bag which was simple enough... the next was my air conditioner. 99 times out of 100 it's not an issue, but trying to get myself to ask for help to bring it up was driving me nuts. Plus, it doesn't help anything since all the neighbors on the floor I'm on are around 2 and a half times my age. Here's what was going through my head at that moment: the Dr didn't say anything about lifting stuff. Obviously it's not the best idea, but it's a stupid air conditioner and I need it in storage. Doctors recommend things you should do and shouldn't do with your body but if there's anything I'm good at, it's listening to what my body is trying to tell me. With that said, I took a deep breath and hauled that stupid thing upstairs. THREE FLIGHTS. Made sure to take it slow and at the first sign of anything going on in the knee, I stopped, put it down and walked around for a second. And you know what happened? I MADE IT! The dumb air conditioner has now gone away for the winter and my knee feels fine!
Now the issue is I have to vacuum after shoulder day at the gym :(
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
It's clobberin time
I've spent many years at the gym in front of this thing. Putting a LOT of weight on my shoulders and squatting or picking up a whole bunch of weight off the ground, deadlifting. It got to a point where I was able to not get sore. I could squat 3 plates, and walk out like nothing was happening and walk around the next day like it wasn't no thang. My friends who follow me on facebook can attest to that.
With that said, I ventured out to the gym today after work to test out simple/easy stuff on my legs (the Dr gave me the ok and actually said it was a good idea) Because I had NO idea where to start weight wise, I kept it low weight, high reps (not what I like doing, but thems the breaks). All machines too, which is more of an annoyance for me then anything useful. But regardless, it's been 3 months, I thought I knew my body. This low weight, high weight shit messed me up. I mean, I didn't mess up my knee or anything. My legs were wobbling like they haven't wobbled in a long, LONG time. It boggled my god damn mind.
Anyway, I got through the short workout no problems, and along with the tiny leg workout, I did like 10 minutes on the bike. The idea is that I should keep my legs strong so that after the surgery, they can be supportive to the new ligament as it heals and binds to the knee.
Before it gets asked; no, I don't intend on squatting or deadlifting until way down the road after the surgery. It stinks. I just continue on with these puny machine workouts. I do hammer away at the upper body stuff, so there's that.
But, I'm pushing on. December 7th. The jokes will write themselves so I won't make any. But I will part with this quote- 'What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! "
Why Google, why?!
I was just doing some early morning research as I was cooking breakfast and noticed that google was trying to mess with my head. No, google! Why would I ever want to look at ACL replacements gone wrong?!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
And the result is in
This afternoon I had my follow-up to my MRI with the orthopedic Dr. And to the shock of no one, I've been moving on a busted wheel for 2.5 months now. More specifically, the ACL is most definitely torn and there's also a tear in the meniscus. I've never seen an MRI in real life before, but it's pretty obvious something is wrong from what I saw.
So what happens next? Well surgery is pretty much the consensus. The way the tear is, it can't be repaired, the best situation is replacing it. This is where the title of this blog fits, because the Dr said I'm looking at about 4-5 months before I can start doing "activities" again... and 9-10 months before I'd be considered healed.
For a knee ligament replacement, you're giving a couple of options on how it's replaced. They can either graft the ligament from your hamstring, your patella or you can get a ligament from a donor. And before you ask, the donor is human... I'm not going to turn into a sequel to a Rob Schnieder movie. Each choice has it's pros and cons and I really don't know which way I'd go right now. I'm going to look into it a bit more and probably dedicate a whole post to it.
So what happens now? Well, the surgery is the obvious answer, but it does get a bit more complicated then that... at least on a personal level. Without being ominous about it I'll just say preparing for this is more then just picking the date. In the meantime, the Dr did say that I can use a stationary bike and an elliptical... so I can get back to cardio! He also suggests getting my quad and hamstrings into shape between now and whenever the surgery is. That actually makes me stoked, even though it won't be done via squats... which for some dumb reason I miss doing.
Follow me on twitter @bbowes81 or comment here or e-mail me... I don't know if there's an e-mail button somewhere on my blog, but if not it's bigbadbowes@gmail.com
So what happens next? Well surgery is pretty much the consensus. The way the tear is, it can't be repaired, the best situation is replacing it. This is where the title of this blog fits, because the Dr said I'm looking at about 4-5 months before I can start doing "activities" again... and 9-10 months before I'd be considered healed.
For a knee ligament replacement, you're giving a couple of options on how it's replaced. They can either graft the ligament from your hamstring, your patella or you can get a ligament from a donor. And before you ask, the donor is human... I'm not going to turn into a sequel to a Rob Schnieder movie. Each choice has it's pros and cons and I really don't know which way I'd go right now. I'm going to look into it a bit more and probably dedicate a whole post to it.
So what happens now? Well, the surgery is the obvious answer, but it does get a bit more complicated then that... at least on a personal level. Without being ominous about it I'll just say preparing for this is more then just picking the date. In the meantime, the Dr did say that I can use a stationary bike and an elliptical... so I can get back to cardio! He also suggests getting my quad and hamstrings into shape between now and whenever the surgery is. That actually makes me stoked, even though it won't be done via squats... which for some dumb reason I miss doing.
Follow me on twitter @bbowes81 or comment here or e-mail me... I don't know if there's an e-mail button somewhere on my blog, but if not it's bigbadbowes@gmail.com
Thursday, October 11, 2012
MRI Part 2
I wasn't mad or angry they pushed my MRI back so far... they explained that they had a couple of ER cases they had to take that pushed everything back. I can't really argue with that since at one point, they had to drag my broken-back self into that thing in an emergency and probably bumped a person or two.
Because of the fact that my MRI appointment was now at 9:15pm, they told me the only way for me to get into the building was thru ER. Tell the desk I have an apt and they would send the tech in to get me. I figured that would be the case. The ER at 9:00 is a pretty depressing place. I didn't have to wait long before 'Ders from Workaholics called me in.
From there, it wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be. I signed some paperwork, put all metal objects into a locker and they put me onto the contraption that would feed me into the MRI. The cool part about it was that they had a set up where I could listen to music as the MRI was going on... thru sirius XM. The tech asked what type of music I liked and settled on Lithium station, which is the 90's Grunge/Alt station. So thanks to Kurt Cobain, Perry Farrell, John Popper, Zach De la Rocha and the dork from Eve 6 for keeping me at ease while that big magnet was doing its thing. I just hope the next person who used the MRI didn't have to go in headfirst... you know... because of nerves and stuff.
I tried probing the tech guy for what he saw, but he stood by his "I'm trained in using the machine, not reading the results" mantra. He did say that he notice some inflammation and other things that made it seem like something was up, but didn't know what it was. My follow-up consult with the ortho is on Tuesday so you'll hear from me then at the latest with how that goes.
I'm considering dusting off my twitter for short spurt updates since getting angry about sports teams is old hat now. I'm @bbowes81 and we shall see if that works at all.
Because of the fact that my MRI appointment was now at 9:15pm, they told me the only way for me to get into the building was thru ER. Tell the desk I have an apt and they would send the tech in to get me. I figured that would be the case. The ER at 9:00 is a pretty depressing place. I didn't have to wait long before 'Ders from Workaholics called me in.
From there, it wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be. I signed some paperwork, put all metal objects into a locker and they put me onto the contraption that would feed me into the MRI. The cool part about it was that they had a set up where I could listen to music as the MRI was going on... thru sirius XM. The tech asked what type of music I liked and settled on Lithium station, which is the 90's Grunge/Alt station. So thanks to Kurt Cobain, Perry Farrell, John Popper, Zach De la Rocha and the dork from Eve 6 for keeping me at ease while that big magnet was doing its thing. I just hope the next person who used the MRI didn't have to go in headfirst... you know... because of nerves and stuff.
I tried probing the tech guy for what he saw, but he stood by his "I'm trained in using the machine, not reading the results" mantra. He did say that he notice some inflammation and other things that made it seem like something was up, but didn't know what it was. My follow-up consult with the ortho is on Tuesday so you'll hear from me then at the latest with how that goes.
I'm considering dusting off my twitter for short spurt updates since getting angry about sports teams is old hat now. I'm @bbowes81 and we shall see if that works at all.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
MRI in 2 parts
I am about an hour and a half away from my MRI and I've kinda been freaking out most of the day and I'm not really sure why. I'm not claustrophobic or anything, so it's not the actual event that's been bothering me. My guess is is that by getting the MRI, it finalizes everything. Like, I'll be looking at the picture that proves that I've been walking with a busted knee for the last two and a half months. I'd still like to believe that is going to heal on it's own. It also probably didn't help matters that I spent some time researching recovery. It get's very overwhelming. Different people handle different injuries in different ways. That's probably the big thing I need to overcome. Person A who hasn't been having much success in recovery doesn't mean I am going to be in the same boat.
However, since sitting down at home, I've put on the new season of The League and I've calmed down so when I head out in an hour, it should all be cake.
And as I was typing this, I got a phone call from the MRI office and I my apt had to be delayed a little bit. And by a little bit, from 6:30pm to 9:15pm... so that kinda rekicked the nerves. But the answer to calming those nerves is just more The League. It's always the answer.
I originally wanted to do this in 2 parts in one post. But since Im going to be tired when I get back from the MRI, Im just going to do 2 parts in 2 posts and discuss the actual MRI experience tomorrow in the AM. Tonight, you just got my rambling about it.
And as I was typing this, I got a phone call from the MRI office and I my apt had to be delayed a little bit. And by a little bit, from 6:30pm to 9:15pm... so that kinda rekicked the nerves. But the answer to calming those nerves is just more The League. It's always the answer.
I originally wanted to do this in 2 parts in one post. But since Im going to be tired when I get back from the MRI, Im just going to do 2 parts in 2 posts and discuss the actual MRI experience tomorrow in the AM. Tonight, you just got my rambling about it.
Monday, October 8, 2012
My left knee
The last time I wrote anything was Aug 23, 2011. Well over 13 months ago. Since then this website has changed and I don't even know if I'm writing in the correct space. I just clicked new post and now I have a huge white... page I guess that I'm typing on. Let's see if this is being wasted or not.
Hello my readership of 4. This is my umpteenth time trying to get this blog off the ground. I think this time is a little bit different because this journey is a little bit different and it's going to be more informative then the dreck I was writing about before. What am I talking about you might ask?
Two and a half months ago, I tore my Anterior crutiate ligament on my left knee. So what? This is a common injury that many athletes face at some point during their careers. It's not that uncommon, why waste a tiny corner of the internet writing about it? Because I think it's interesting and I want document the entire process since I don't think many people have (I could be wrong, but where I live in the world wide web, I can't find much, if any)
So back to the story, two and half months ago I tore my ACL. The big deal about it is that it happened two and a half months ago, but I found out about it last week. To clarify, I've been walki... hobbling around on a busted wheel for two and a half months. Why? Easy, it didn't feel like a ligament was busted. It felt like I sprained it, which is still a pain in the ass to deal with, but recovery is... simpler. Despite friends, family and co-workers telling me to go see a doctor, my stubborn ass stayed put because hey, the swelling was going down... my limping went from full borne pain each step to a slight limp with minimal pain. I R.I.C.E'd myself everyday for the first month and as the pain subsided, I weened off doing that. I was feeling better, it certainly couldn't have been worse then a sprain in my mind. I even started jogging again.
Then in early September I re-aggravated it. I don't know how, but it really started bugging me, out of the blue (to my mind). My knee started buckling on me, so at that point I "caved in" and went to the doctor. He thought it was a torn meniscus but refereed me to the orthopedic doctor to be sure. After that appointment, he confirmed that it wasn't a sprain at all, but a torn ACL. With a possibility of a torn meniscus. I have a MRI later this week to a) see the severity of the tear and b) verify if the meniscus is torn as well.
What my goal is here is to document my trials and tribulations over the course of however long it takes to recover. Any questions I have/answers I receive will be discussed. In the meantime, I'm going to figure blogspot out. Ehhhh? EEHHHHHH?
Now, Rafi Bomb!!!
Hello my readership of 4. This is my umpteenth time trying to get this blog off the ground. I think this time is a little bit different because this journey is a little bit different and it's going to be more informative then the dreck I was writing about before. What am I talking about you might ask?
Two and a half months ago, I tore my Anterior crutiate ligament on my left knee. So what? This is a common injury that many athletes face at some point during their careers. It's not that uncommon, why waste a tiny corner of the internet writing about it? Because I think it's interesting and I want document the entire process since I don't think many people have (I could be wrong, but where I live in the world wide web, I can't find much, if any)
So back to the story, two and half months ago I tore my ACL. The big deal about it is that it happened two and a half months ago, but I found out about it last week. To clarify, I've been walki... hobbling around on a busted wheel for two and a half months. Why? Easy, it didn't feel like a ligament was busted. It felt like I sprained it, which is still a pain in the ass to deal with, but recovery is... simpler. Despite friends, family and co-workers telling me to go see a doctor, my stubborn ass stayed put because hey, the swelling was going down... my limping went from full borne pain each step to a slight limp with minimal pain. I R.I.C.E'd myself everyday for the first month and as the pain subsided, I weened off doing that. I was feeling better, it certainly couldn't have been worse then a sprain in my mind. I even started jogging again.
Then in early September I re-aggravated it. I don't know how, but it really started bugging me, out of the blue (to my mind). My knee started buckling on me, so at that point I "caved in" and went to the doctor. He thought it was a torn meniscus but refereed me to the orthopedic doctor to be sure. After that appointment, he confirmed that it wasn't a sprain at all, but a torn ACL. With a possibility of a torn meniscus. I have a MRI later this week to a) see the severity of the tear and b) verify if the meniscus is torn as well.
What my goal is here is to document my trials and tribulations over the course of however long it takes to recover. Any questions I have/answers I receive will be discussed. In the meantime, I'm going to figure blogspot out. Ehhhh? EEHHHHHH?
Now, Rafi Bomb!!!
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