Torn

Today's a big day for me. A really big day. It's my birthday. I'm 25 now. A quarter of a century. Halfway to fifty. It's a big day.

So why, in the name of all that is good and holy, am I writing a blog post?

Well, look at the title. Torn. Remember that knee fluid problem I filled you all in on a few days back? Well, it's not fluid. I have a tear of the meniscus. That's why I've been wandering around on crutches or with a cane, depending upon my mood. That's right. Torn cartilage, table one.

It all started as a recurring knee problem, swelling, pain, general yuckiness. Then my doctor put me on an anti-inflammatory, thinking the fluid would go away. It did go away, but the pain remained. So, off to Southern Orthopedic Specialists I went. After some preliminary x-rays, I met with Dr. Greenwood. He performed a modified version of the McMurray test. It went something like this:

Greenwood: Okay, I'm going to start with your right leg to get a base. (he turns the right foot out to nearly 60 degrees) Does that hurt?
Me: No, not really.
Greenwood: Okay, same thing on the left leg. (he starts to do the same test, but only gets about one-third of the way he did with the right before I say...
Me: Holy crap!

That's how we can to an understanding. I'm now to walk as if every step I take is on ice. Limited stair usage, thankfully there are elevators. I'm scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday, and then I follow-up next week with Dr. Greenwood. In all likelihood, and hopefully, I'll be having surgery to repair it by the end of February.

So, on my 25th birthday I sit staring at surgery.