The Knee

I have posted about this on the Twitter several times, but I think some folks have missed it.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might know I injured my knee almost a month ago. I was playing basketball (with kids two thirds my age) and stepped out to pick up the ball handler off a pick and when I planted my left leg, I heard a loud pop. My knee oscillated laterally maybe four times. Then, I think I blacked out for a moment because the next thing I remember is being on the floor screaming and weaving a tapestry of profanity. (Bonus points if you name the movie reference there.)

I knew this was serious. I couldn’t walk. I went to the health center at school the next day (because my insurance sucks and if you go anywhere else first they won’t pay) and they wrote me a prescription for hydrocodone and a referral to Dr. James Bothwell. I saw him two days later, and he poked at me a little bit and confirmed what I already suspected: I tore my ACL. He ordered an MRI to see what else I had done.

I had the MRI that evening. The results revealed the torn ACL and a slight tear to the lateral meniscus.

That brings us up to date. I have been doing rehab exercises to strengthen my left leg in preparation for surgery, which is scheduled for May 22. I scheduled it for then so I’ll only miss two days of work. I’ll miss the day of the surgery and the next day. Then, I have the weekend and then a paid holiday on Monday for Memorial Day. Then, I’ll be working from home. Depending on whether he has to stitch my meniscus, that could be another ten days or three weeks.

I’m looking forward to getting back on my feet. Dr. Bothwell says I can play golf in about three months and can start getting back into basketball in nine months to a year.

Thanks for all your warm thoughts and well wishes.