An Obstacle In My Life They say it’s all fun and game till someone is hurt. Well I am here to tell you that that is so true. Even playing a recreational softball game can make you want to regret the sport you love. Tearing your ACL and Meniscus is no joke when it takes so much out of your life, in a short period of time, to be healed. I anticipated doctor appointments, surgery and post surgery, and the recovery time. It makes you realize just how much you need your knee for everyday uses. Who could have known how much an incidental truth could hurt. On a Tuesday night, I was sitting in the hospital’s emergency room, waiting.
I was playing a softball game just before, when I was running for a pop fly in the outfield. It’s essential to keep your eye on the ball, but in this case I should have watched where I was running. I ran right into a gopher hole when I heard a loud pop, lost support, and just like that I was laying on the ground in pain, holding my right knee. I didn’t even catch the ball! My uncle took me to the hospital right away and my family met us there. I was taken back for x-rays. Nothing was broken, which was great, but my knee was too swollen for the doctor to tell anything else.
I was scheduled an appointment with SCOR Orthopedics the next couple days. Till then they gave me a small brace, crutches, and pain medication. This started my hatred toward crutches! My appointment day was up and I was very worried and hoping for the best. I did not want to hear any bad news whatsoever. The doctor came in, and started to check my knee. The look on his face wasn’t so good he told me that it felt like a possible torn ACL. Great, not the news I wanted at all! I had to get a MRI the next day, and once I did it felt like forever for the results, however it only took a couple days.
They called me back in and gave me the results, torn ACL and Meniscus. Next topic of discussion, I could let my knee be or consider surgery. For being as young and active as I was with sports, surgery was my choice. I was scheduled for August 2nd at 11:00 a. m.. My birthday, August 3rd, I was not happy about that. The morning of surgery I was feeling a bit nervous. I got called back and had to get prepped for surgery. They started with an I. V. in my arm and asked a bunch of questions. The surgeon came in and described to me once again what was going to happen.
He then put this medicine in my I. V. bag, and I started to feel a little funny. Then I was taken back to the surgery room. About two and a half hours later I was back in the post surgery room, trying to focus and wake up. I was being monitored till I was well enough to go home. The nurses did one last check up and released me. As I got in the car it seemed like all the pain hit me right away. I was finally home and went the closest place, the couch. Propped up my leg and fell fast asleep. For the rest of the day and the next I was in and out of it constantly.
On my birthday when I woke up that morning, I was crutching my way back to the couch when I started to feel really dizzy. I remember looking at my dad, and everything went black and felt like I was spinning so fast! I passed out, too much medicine I suppose, but some birthday gift. My parents took me to the couch, and I slept there till my appointment the next day. When we went the nurse took out my pain pump because all the medicine was out. She cleaned, wrapped my knee back up, and locked my brace to where it wouldn’t bend. Now only seven more weeks and it would be all over with!
It had been two weeks since my surgery and I had another doctor appointment so I could get my stitches taken out and start physical therapy. A nurse first came in and cleaned my knee up to take out the stitches. My doctor came in and asked my lots of questions about how I felt and where I’d like to do my physical therapy. We got it all set up and he said, “Let’s see how that knee is bending”, which made me think. My brace was locked this whole time, it hasn’t bent. Before I could say anything he had dropped my heal which he was holding and my knee sure bent then.
I screamed so loud, and he picked it up right away, seen my face, looked at my brace, and asked why it was locked. The nurse who took out my pain pump was never supposed to lock my brace. My doctor was very mad. That put me behind for physical therapy and would cause me to have more pain when I started. It being my right knee I wasn’t able to drive, so I really depended on my parents and friends to get around, as if I didn’t feel like such a burden to begin with. School started and I felt weird being stared at and everyone asking questions. First day of school was over and I was looking forward to physical therapy for the first time.
It was great, even though some of it was a bit painful the massages made my day! I am only allowed to do so much because of my meniscus surgery, I am not allowed to put any weight on it at all because it’s a thirty percent chance that it actually heals correctly. I ride the exercise bike, do lifting exercises, and get shocking treatment. I’m excited that I can bend it more, but I just want to start walking and driving I have an appointment in a couple weeks and I should be able to start to walk on it then if all goes well, which I’m praying it does!
As active as I was I really felt like this, tearing my ACL and Meniscus, took a toll on me. From the moment I was waiting in the emergency room, I knew I was out of work for at least a week. It’s been almost two months now, and it really sucks! Then when surgery came around I felt like it dragged my mother out of work as well. My father driving around and depending on friends to take me places, and my little brothers who got me everything I needed when I needed it. I felt so helpless.
This really was no joke, but when physical therapy came around I started to feel more happy knowing it was almost over. I will soon be independent once again. I’m really glad my family and friends were there for me and for all the people I didn’t know who were really nice opening and holding doors. I also like how some people didn’t show me too much sympathy because I got plenty of it. I’m so excited for all this to just soon be over with, and maybe I can just go play a game of softball.
