So, early 2012 I did something to my knee that I felt a 'pop'. I felt a ting and just shook my leg and thought "that was weird". I kept walking and when I got to the stairs in the warehouse and couldn't put any weight on it. I figured like any other little deal it would go away. Weeks became Months and it wasn't going away.

I had a physical and the Dr made an appointment for a specialist, but he was really blowing it off like it was nothing so I cancelled the specialist appointment.

Over the next year my knee would feel better and then worse. I kept thinking I needed to workout harder, cycle more often.

I made another physical appointment and this new Dr made another specialist appointment. I seen the specialist who gave me a cortisone shot. My knee felt great! I could feel it getting stronger and stronger. After a period of time, that all stopped.

Over the last few months it's been causing a lot of pain. Mind you, I have been told I have a high threshold for pain tolerance and there were times just sitting still hurt like hell. I hopped on my bike to go to swim class and my tendon felt like it was going to snap it was so tight.

So, last week I went and had another physical and was told my knee is structurally sound. He says I have patellar tendinitis. He suggest I get a 2nd opinion with a specialist, some Andy dude. Andy kind of blows me off and I get the impression I'm just being a pussy and need to walk it off. I told him the grinding is one thing I can live with, but having pain just sitting is something that I have to get better. Andy assures me I won't blow out my knee or cause any damage if I go back to working out and cycling. Whew!

I get scheduled to have an MRI and that was Wednesday. The results came back hours later and I get a call from this lady saying "Andy got your MRI results and you have knee cartilage damage. He wants you to see another Dr to discuss your options and to schedule surgery, which is likely going to be necessary."

Wait, what?

Andy, the who basically said I was fine last week is now saying I'm going to need surgery? That lady tells me I won't be able to drive or do anything for at least a week or really do anything.

That last part, that shook me up good. I've always been invincible. I would get my ass beat all the time on the football field, crashing on my bike, running routes into cars, running into houses, diving on concrete, all that typical boy stupid stuff and never once even had a broken bone.

Then there's the part where she says I won't be able to do anything and that hit even harder. I'm the one everyone counts on. I'm the one everyone relies on to bail them out and help out. I'm a single parent with two teenage daughters living with him, and relying heavily on him.

Keiana, my near 16 year old has been driving with me and I told her I would probably have to rely on her quite a bit to drive me around. She goes "Oh yeah. It'll be fine, I've got you 😊"

It took a few hours to realize how selfish I was being. Its minor, its a week. So many have to deal with so much worse for so much longer, like the rest of their life. I have to swallow some pride, ask for ... help and in a matter of weeks I will be better than ever.

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About 4 years ago , I fell and cracked my L. Knee Cap. The area swelled as I contacted my Brother who rushed to my aid. The X-Ray showed the crack did not extend across the entire knee cap , but about half-way only. I was issued a leg brace and a set of crutches along with an appointment to see a specialist the next day.

The next day, my knee was drained of a lot of fluid and I was sent to heal up. Living alone with no one to assist me was most difficult. Following another draining 10 days later, of less severity this time , slowly I healed up. However it took nearly 2 years to recover to where I was before the accident . The injury to the knee cap healed up with no problem , but the trauma to the surrounding area , while not an original concern , took much longer to recover.

I've had other injuries throughout my life , but I can testify that the older you get , the slower you heal . For me it was never Pride , but Courage that saw me through . It's not easy to shower or perform other such simple task when your injured. You must face reality and allow yourself 2 to 3 times the normal time to accomplish the same task .

I'm not competing with Zero or trying to top him with my story . I simply want to show empathy with his injury. I hope his surgery/recovery goes well.

(Caution : Being laid up by injury or surgery makes you have to rest still as you heal. Be careful not to gain weight with snacks/treats . Stock up on fruits and veggie snacks . )

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Had my knee scoped for the second time last year about this time. Meniscus tear and cartridge damage. Listen to the doctors and do what they say for rehab.

Welcome to the club

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Hey Kev, sorry you have a bum knee. The good news is you don't have to have it replaced. That would put you up for about 6 weeks. More good news is your daughters will be stronger as women by not needing to rely on you as much. It's nice that they are not in school right now. If you had this done in January it would have been a lot more difficult.

It's frustrating that health care providers can be so uneven in their diagnosis.

You workout so your recovery time won't be as long as someone who never does anything.

Hope your recovery is better than expected.

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Doctor says I should have the surgery much earlier and that it needs to be fixed. I also apparently have something called Patella Alta which just means my kneecap isn't where its supposed to be. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. Should be a breeze. The recovery time isn't much. Kind of funny. When he told me yes, I had to have surgery to fix this, it hit kinda hard. It took the drive home before I realized, eh, this won't be a big deal. A few weeks and you'll be better than before.

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Kevin, I'm sure it will be fine. It's not a major surgery, but any surgery can be scary. The nice thing for you is that you are young and will most likely feel like "brand new" after it's fixed.
You are young, and getting it done now can make the rest of your life more enjoyable. Not getting it fixed would just make you suffer needlessly.
Just do what the doctor says, and don't over do it so it heals properly.

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Zero , don't be afraid to question/speak-out if you feel you should. Infections following even minor procedures are not uncommon . My Sister-in-law's Father passed on due to complications following knee surgery . A former Brother-in -Law ignored a bad leg laceration he got while doing a roofing job and almost lost his leg.
Trust is fine, but knowing everything that the DR/Nurses will be doing is just not being stupid .

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That's true, Smokey.
Kevin. don't be afraid to ask questions. That way you know what to expect, and what to do.
And of course what to watch for as you are healing.

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Problem here is I kinda am stupid. When it comes to pain, I push more and I'm kinda scared I might mess up. Thankfully I'm aware of my stupid so hopefully I just trust the physical therapy person.

I have no idea what to expect. That's sorta scary to think about so I'll ignore that lol. This is probable most minor surgery you could have so it shouldn't be tough.

Doctor did say if I feel pain, sit down, don't push. I just gotta remember that and be smart.

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That's just it......pain is your body's way of saying "HEY DUMMY! KNOCK IT OFF!!!"😂
So pay extra attention to what your body is trying to tell you.
You aren't "stupid". What you do most of us do. Push too hard sometimes.
Back in the 1990's I had arthroscopic surgery on my right shoulder. I did what the doctor said to do. He had me in a sling also.
Well, I believe it was a month after surgery that he had me come in for a check up. He had me take off the sling, and do all kinds of range of motion things. He was literally standing there with his mouth hanging open, and said "You shouldn't be able to do that!!!" I told him, "well, no one TOLD me I couldn't!" With that he took my sling and threw it in the trash! 😂
I probably was doing things I wasn't supposed to, but if it didn't hurt too much, I tried anyway. But I SHOULD have asked more questions of what to do or not do during that time.
I didn't hurt myself (thank god).
So ASK QUESTIONS!
My Dad used to say "The only dumb question, is not asking one if you don't know".

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