When 2011 came to an end we were all hoping for a brighter 2012 on the horizon. So far… not so much.

Exactly four weeks ago a friend and I were shopping for the school fund raiser basket. We had just gotten home and I had to take Jameson for a walk. I hooked her up to her lease and started out the door. I took a step down, heard a loud pop and pain set in. Thank goodness my friend was still here and she was able to help me back into the house. Not knowing what had happened I called my husband and told him he better come home. Not knowing the extent of the injury we waited to go to the emergency room.

Two hours later it was apparent that the emergency room was the only option at that point. Rich helped me hobble to the car and off we went. They took x-rays and provided crutches and pain meds for two days.

I was able to get into an orthopedic surgeon the next day. He was nice enough to stay late just to fit me in. Love doctors that will work with you and do what is in your best interest. He analyzed how it happened and set me up for an MRI as soon as possible. He thought the knee was locked due to the medial meniscus folding over and stopping the knee from fully extending. Me… well… I was still thinking maybe it’s still just a sprain.

MRI results were in and I met with the doctor. It was a medial meniscus tear and needed surgery to repair. It was nothing that could or would ever repair on it’s own. I was a little speechless because I was thinking I was walking a little easier though still with crutches but still it was a little easier with some weight bearing on it.

Surgery was scheduled for the next week. By this time it was two weeks post injury and time was quickly passing. Pre-op physical, EKG and blood test all came back normal so everything was set to go. Surgery was scheduled for 10:20 February 15. We had set up care for the boys after school not knowing what time I would be home since it was an out patient procedure. Rich was still thinking he would be able to pick up the boys since the actual procedure was only suppose to take less than an hour. I woke up from the anesthesia not knowing what time it was, only to find out the procedure took two and half hours. The doctor came by and explained there was a lot more damage than originally anticipated. The poor doctor schedule was messed up for the rest of the day. I went through phase one recovery room and finally was upgraded to phase two once my pain level had subsided enough with meds. The nurses at the hospital were thorough and attentive to say the least.

We are leaving the hospital at about 5:15pm Obviously later than originally anticipated. Rich brought me home, got me situated in the living room and then picked up the kids from the generous neighbor that kept them entertained all afternoon. Not only did they watch our kids but made us a wonderful meal for all of us that night.

One week later my husband brought m for my first post-op appointment. Still using crutches but able to move around a bit. The nurse called me in and said, “So how are you feeling”? I replied, “Okay and getting better every day”. She rolled her eyes slightly and said, “Yes but you are still using crutches”. Please note this is just this one nurse and she has neglected to even bother referring to my file to see what the extent of the damage. She never introduced herself but said that she usually does post-op visits. This was the only issue we had with the whole procedure. Everyone else has been wonderful with this exception. She then decided to start to read the file and decided that she needed to send in the doctor to speak with me. He asked how I was feeling. He explained that I should use crutches however long I needed them for stability. I felt better at that point. He explained that the damage was extensive. They had to remove most of the medial meniscus and there was enough damage to the ACL that it had been compromised. He had explained some of this to me in the phase one recovery but went into more detail at this point.

Every day has been a struggle but it took about a week and a half and I was down to one crutch. Today I can say I am not using a crutch at all but mobility is slow. I am now able to carry a cup of coffee from the kitchen to the living room without spilling. This is definitely something that is underrated. Luckily I have a husband that was able to be home and help with everything until I could do these tasks by myself. For that I am thankful. I have had multiple friends check on me and offer their help.

Now the road to recovery begins. I am now four weeks post-op and getting better every day. February has been unproductive for me therefore I am officially writing it off. I welcome March with open arms.