Knee Injury

The day after we arrived home from Hawaii, I tore my meniscus.  We hiked a lot in Hawaii, which weakened the disc in my knee.  The hikes were steep, and very rocky.  They were fun, but not too good on my knees.

According to Web MD, "The meniscus is a rubbery, C-shaped disc that cushions your knee.  Each knee has two menisci one at the outer edge of the knee and one at the inner edge.  The menisci keep your knee steady by balancing your weight across the knee.  A torn meniscus can prevent your knee from working right.

A meniscus tear is usually caused by twisting or turning quickly.  As you get older, your meniscus gets worn.  This can make it tear more easily.

In severe tears, pieces of the torn meniscus can move into the joint space.  This can make your knee catch, pop, or lock.  You may not be able to straighten it." That is an exact description of how I felt when it tore while I was walking down the stairs.

I couldn't have been sadder, since it was just hours before our appointment for Mike and Kate to go through the temple to receive their endowments.  Instead of spending time in the temple, I spent the evening in the ER.  They only gave me pain pills at the ER, but that is all I needed to get me to my visit to the Orthopedic Surgeons appointment the next morning.

The Orthopedic Surgeon decided that with all the major events going on in my life, that he would "buy" me time with a cortisone shot.  If the cortisone shot didn't make a great difference by Friday, he would preform surgery Saturday.

The cortisone shot made it bearable to put weight on my injured knee.  I quickly called the temple and scheduled Mike and Kate's endowment session for that evening.  What a wonderful evening we had enjoying the temple with these cute missionaries.

Friday, the surgeon preformed surgery.  He wanted to make sure the kids had made it to the temple before he scheduled my surgery.  The surgery went very well.  He repaired my torn meniscus, removed some unusual tissue, and took out some arthritis.

I have had very little pain, and have been able to move forward with all the plans for the double farewell, and the departure of Mike and Kate.  I feel so blessed, that this happened at home, and not Hawaii.

Onward, and upward!