Surgery

All the pre-surgery stuff has been completed.  The cutting and sewing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2.  I will probably spend one night in the hospital.

The first two weeks a nurse and physical therapist will come to the house to change the bandage and work on my knee.

I have a follow up appointment with the surgeon Wednesday, April 27 and start physical therapy at a rehab facility thereafter.

Knee Update (After MRI)

My MRI shows a partial tear of my quadriceps tendon. This tendon is what holds my muscles to my knee cap. The good news is that only part of the tendon has been pulled away from my knee cap. So because of this I have a choice to have it "fixed" (surgery) or let it heal on it's own with some rehab.

Rehab would allow me to walk somewhat normally, but I would be limited to future activities that would not place much stress on the tendon because it would not be as strong as it was. (Activities like softball would be out).

Surgery means they would re-attach the part of the tendon that has been torn from my knee cap back to my knee cap.

I may be 65, but I'm not sure I want to be limited in my physical activities. So after reviewing my options with the doctor and reviewing several Internet sites on the subject, I'm tending toward surgery. This means I would be pretty much laid up for 6 to 8 weeks, somewhat normal after 3 months, and at full strenght in about a year.

Cutting and sewing could be next week.

Knee Update #1

Saw knee doc this afternoon.  I need an MRI.  Her (yes, I said her) initial assessment is a "rupture of the quadriceps tendon".  Since it was after 5pm when I saw her, she sent the information to the MRI folks asking that I get in tomorrow morning or as early as possible.  If all goes well, I have an follow up appointment with the knee doc late tomorrow afternoon.

She wants me to keep the knee brace on and not walk on it unless necessary.  I have crutches but she rather I get a walker.  I think the crutches will work.

Softball 2013

This is me before the game modeling this years softball "uniform".

 

This me during the game hitting it out of the park or at least past the pitcher.

 

This is me during the game after I was hauled off in a meat wagon.

This is me after the game safely in my home.

It happened Wednesday.  Today, I don't think it's as bad as it looks.  The ER doc said no broken bones, but maybe a tear.  Tuesday I have an appointment with a specialist.

 

I twisted my knee while running in the outfield to catch a ball.  Once I planted my foot, I was on the ground.  It hurt like heck when it happened, but by the time the EMT's got there, the pain was not bad enough for me to take their drugs.  The ER doc gave me a prescription for good drugs, but I've not taken any.

 

Yesterday, Friday, I got out with the brace (it keeps the knee from bending) and learned how to get around with crutches.  That was a learning experience.  (I should have talked to Joe.)  I did find out that people will get out of your way and open doors for you if you have crutches.  (Maybe they think I'll hit them with a crutch if they didn't.)

 

Today, Saturday, I can walk around the house, with a little difficulty holding on to things with the brace on.  Maybe in a couple of days I'll be able to move around without the brace.  I'm looking for a good report from the knee doc next week. 

 

An interesting experience happened at the library.  I was in my cart and parked in an open space three spaces from the door, but right beside a handicap spot.  A lady had parked in the handicap space beside me.  As I got out of my cart (somewhat struggling with the crutches), she got out of her car.  I limped to the library door and she walked rather briskly in front of me.  I'm sure she needed to park there because she had a handicap hanger on her mirror.