Diaries I Read:
So, I think y�all know that I�ve been having problems with my knee for about the last six months, and that�s a big part of the reason I haven�t been running much lately.
(Except for the half-marathon I ran a couple of weeks ago � a 13-mile race on virtually zero training. While I was rather pleased with myself for being able to run the whole thing after taking so much time off, I did finish with a very slow time. But even that didn�t really bother me � what could I expect after weeks on end of couch-potatoing it? What did bother me, though, is how I felt for the two days after the race. Seriously, I could hardly move. I was walking around like I had a big stick up my butt. Everything hurt, from my head and shoulders to my feet. And my left knee was on fire.)
Anyway, several months ago I went to a doctor recommended to me by my dad. I had to wait a couple of weeks for the appointment, and then when he saw me, he basically blew me off. He said to �take it easy� for a little while. I had already been taking it easy for three months! He also said that �patellar pain� is quite common.
Here�s the thing, though. This is not patellar pain. I know where my patella is and that�s not where it hurts. It�s below my patella. And there�s a little bump there, like a knob. It is tender even just to touch it there. You know how it would feel if there were a little stone in your shoe? Every time you took a step you�d feel it. That�s the only way to describe the way my knee feels. Like there�s a little stone in there irritating it.
So I went to a different doctor. He came recommended from a couple of people in my neighborhood. But more important, I wasn�t gonna let him get away with the crap that the last doctor did. I wasn�t gonna leave til I had a better explanation.
I was pretty impressed with this doctor. He seemed to listen, and he wasn�t satisfied with just telling me to rest. So he took X-rays (so had the other doctor), and his answer was that the screw in my knee (I have two from my ACL reconstruction my sophomore year in college) was irritating me and should be removed.
I found this interesting because that had been my very first inclination when it started bugging me six months ago. It seemed to be right around the place where the screw would be. But worthless doctor #1 had blown off that theory and told me that my reconstruction looked just fine and seemed to be holding up well.
Doctor #2 showed me on the X-ray where you could see that the head of the screw was protruding out just a bit beyond the bone. Maybe it always did that, maybe not. But he figured that was the cause of my problems and suggested taking it out.
That freaked me out a little, since I figured the screw was there because I needed it � because it was holding something together. But he said that after eight years, everything has healed up and the screws are worthless at this point.
So I�m going for it. I didn�t even have to be asked twice. If this is what�s wrong, I want it fixed. I�m tired of being uncomfortable and avoiding running because of it. And this problem is not going to go away; it will probably only get worse with time.
Plus that, he said the surgery really isn�t that big of a deal. They�ll do a little incision and then just unscrew it. He said he�d also check to see if there was any bone buildup and, if so, he�d shave off a bit. (For some reason, I suspect that they might have to do that.) He said I�d be able to put weight on it within a day or two and run on it in about two weeks. No big deal, really. Especially compared to what I went through with the initial knee surgery (about a week in a passive motion machine, at least two weeks on crutches, six weeks in a brace, and six months of physical therapy).
So I�m scheduled for Thursday, February 26. I figured that was a good day so I�ll also have the weekend to recover before I have to be back in the office.
It�s weird, but I�m actually looking forward to this surgery. I just want to fix the problem and be done with it. No more screwing around. Ha ha � pun intended.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004