Over 5 years ago I tore my achilles tendon on my left leg. Here is a picture ... oh how I love to post this picture:
It was a horrible experience. And now I'm going to tell the story of how I tore a bunch of ligaments in my left knee ...
On Valentines Day I was given some roses from my niece Holly and her husband, Tod (yes, one "D").
That night I went skiing at Sundance after work with my new friend Rafael. We were having a lot of fun and after a few hours we decided we were going to go for one more run so we could still do something fun that night like watch Brad hand out roses. Well it was dark, cold, icy and I'm not very skilled so because I was going faster than I should have and because my ski caught an edge, I couldn't recover and I went down. The bindings didn't release immediately so my body fell one way while my knee went the other. I thought I had just twisted my knee until I tried to stand on it. Now I'm going to list what happened next cause I'm tired of all this writing.
- snowmobile ride down the mountain
- drove myself home with Rafael following me
- Rafael helping into my house
- Bachelor
- Visit to orthopedic doctor next day
- MRI the next day
- Results the next day ... torn ACL, MCL, meniscus (couldn't see the LCL because of the swelling but I tore that too it turns out)
- Surgery on March 1st
- My good friend Angela happened to be assigned to work as one of the surgical nurses during my operation ... it was so comforting to know that she and our long-time family friend, Doug (my surgeon's PA), were assisting with my surgery
- I don't really remember what happened during the surgery cause of the anesthesia, ya know but this is the result ...
That is Justin's finger holding up a penny. You should have seen the spreadsheets he created for all my many caretakers to keep track of my mediations. It was pretty impressive.
I've spent a lot of my down time with good friends playing this nerdy card game:
Don't knock it until you try it.
So many people have helped me post surgery and I'm very grateful so I made a list so I could write and send thank you cards. I was amazed to learn that over 80 people were on that list and I'm guessing it will grow because I'm still accepting help as I'm still on crutches and waiting to start physical therapy. This might be a cop out, but I decided to dedicate this post to all those who have helped me as my way of saying thank you.
EXAMPLE ONE:
These boys have helped quite a bit ... they love to watch "Kipper" via Netflix on my new Apple TV (thanks Eric) while Ann Dee fixed me meals or cleaned or changed my laundry. They love to hear the story of how I hurt my knee and how I got to ride on a snowmobile. Asher helped me fasten my brace one day ... he took the responsibility very seriously. I think he likes me now.
EXAMPLE TWO:
Melinda and Russ took me out one day and we went to lunch and then the mall. Russ tracked down a wheelchair which made my shopping experience much more enjoyable. Thanks to Todd and Amy, I bought a awesome watch with a little bling ... yup, bling.
I've had a couple of moments of self-pity and frustration this last month but they have been few and far between. When I think back to my achilles surgery, I'm amazed at how different my experience has been post surgery. Instead of soothing my physical and emotional aches and pains with food, I've been able to eat well and keep focused on my goals. There are certain things I cannot change in my life right now and knowing that I can't control these things has brought me peace. I've been able to let go and exercise faith and patience and try to find the silver lining in this experience ...
- great parking for 6 months
- can still drive cause my right leg is very capable and I no longer own a car with a manual transmission
- rest ... maybe my body needed a break from all the physical exercise
- this type of surgery has been improved over the years so I can expect a complete recovery which means more triathlons, racquetball, golf and skiing some day
- being able to borrow my mom's showering chair to make getting ready in the morning an easier experience
- my home and my place of employment both have elevators
- saved lots of money by not going to Vegas last weekend for the bball tournament or St. George this weekend for the golfing trip I was going to plan
- haven't received my tax return yet so I will have the money to pay the deductible on this surgery
- realization that "this too shall pass"... I will get through it and it won't last forever
- realization of how many people love me and are happy to help me
Anyway, if you think you are on that list of 80+ people, then you probably are and I'm very grateful for your kindness and concern. I am one lucky girl.
The words of this note I received with those roses on Valentines Day take on a whole new meaning after this experience.
